DOUBLE HEADER ACTION
Ticket sales skyrocket
WALES v FIJI
ITALY v USA
TOWNSVILLE’ S Rugby League World Cup doubleheader is ready for lift off.
More than 7000 tickets have already been sold for tomorrow’s World Cup smorgasbord of action at 1300SMILES Stadium, which starts with the USA Hawks against the Italian Azzuri, followed by Fiji against Wales.
Italy will be gunning for redemption after last weekend’s shock 36- 12 opening game loss to Ireland in Cairns, which was followed by an off- field scandal involving star fullback James Tedesco and Azzuri teammate Shannon Wakeman.
“It was really disappointing and frustrating, we just didn’t turn up like we should have,” Italy prop Daniel Alvaro said.
“Sunday just can’t come quick enough for us.
“We had a good week of training, but we just have to make sure we get it right on the day this time.
“You have to win all your games to get through to finals, but I think we still have a chance, so we just have to focus on this weekend see what happens after that.”
Playing against the Azzuri is a USA Hawks team just as determined to kickstart its World Cup campaign.
The Hawks were beaten 58- 12 by an impressive Fiji Bati last weekend, but Hawks captain Mark Offerdahl believes his team is ready to make a better account of itself.
“We’re coming together a lot better than the last game,” he said.
“We only had one week in camp before that first game and it was a bit of a reality check against Fiji.
“We’ve worked on a few things including the fundamentals, so we’re getting more confident with every day that passes.”
The Hawks have held opposing sessions with a handful of local teams during their World Cup preparations, and trained with Townsville club Western Lions on Thursday night.
“I’m a Queensland boy myself, so I know how good these local teams are,” Offerdahl said.
“They’ve been testing us out and putting us through our paces, so the American boys have picked a lot up out of those sessions and it’s been learning on the run for us.
“We just want to get something back on Italy and perform better than last time, that would be a win for us.”
The Welsh have received a major blow before their showdown against Fiji, with Townsville Brothers junior Matthew Seamark ruled out with a bicep injury.
Seamark will be replaced at halfback by Welsh teammate Danny Ansell.
“He won’t make it, he was declared unfit the other day at training and you just can’t risk somebody with an injury when you’re playing a team as big and physical as the Fijians,” Wales coach John Kear said.
“But Matthew may well be fit for next week, so we’ll see how he is early next week and make a decision from there.”
The Welsh were beaten 50- 6 by PNG in Port Moresby last weekend, and Kear says Wales will now be playing for self respect.
“We felt we let ourselves down, but we’ve done everything this week to become heat acclimatised,” he said.
“We’ve worked hard, really hard, on our systems and structures, and we’ve trained in the height of the heat during the day to make sure it doesn’t overawe us.”
Fiji will enter tomorrow’s double- header as the undoubted big guns, but Fiji’s James Storer said the Bati are wary of a hulking Welsh pack.
“They were just unlucky in PNG and they have some good forwards,” he said.
“That score definitely didn’t reflect on how good they can be, and they have a lot of Super League players.
“It’s going to be a real battle.”