2017 I’ll make a mark on biggest stage
Tonga stronger with star recruits
TONGA are shaping up as real dark horses for the semi-finals after unveiling a host of big-name defectors, led most notably by New Zealand-born Jason Taumalolo and Aussie-born Andrew Fifita.
In June, Taumalolo was pictured draped in a Kiwi flag to promote the tournament and Fifita was named in Australia’s World Cup squad. Both of them – along with numerous others eligible to play for New Zealand – opted for Tonga instead.
A straight-faced Kangaroos boss Mal Meninga said he respected Fifita’s decision, while Kiwi boss David Kidwell admitted he had been left in the dark by it all.
The Samoa-Tonga tie on November 4 was expected to provide plenty of fireworks before the star-studded team lists were revealed and will now be unmissable.
And Tonga’s duel with the Kiwis a week later is already being billed as a not-to-be-missed grudge match. It probably is not great for Scotland, also in Tonga’s group.
It could be good news for England given it means the Kiwis have a weaker-than-expected squad. Despite the hype, Taumalolo and Fifita played just 20 minutes each in Tonga’s 16-6 World Cup warm-up win against Italy in Far North Queensland on Friday night.
Both were solid, but Tonga coach Kristian Woolf did not want to burn out his two most destructive stars.
“Both those guys have played a lot of footy this year,” said Woolf. “I didn’t want to flog them but it’s good for them to get out, get some contact and be a part of the team.”
Tonga open their campaign against Scotland in Cairns on Sunday. EXCLUSIVE AS ENGLAND seek to upset the odds and win the World Cup in Australia, John Bateman is not short of motivation.
The Wigan forward, universally recognised as one of the best players in Super League, wants to make a global name for himself.
In the not too distant future he could be plying his trade in the NRL alongside England team-mates Sam Burgess, Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson, to name but a few.
Two years ago, Bateman agreed a new deal with Wigan which has a clause that allows him to join an NRL club at the end of next season for a certain fee. The World Cup is a perfect opportunity to put himself in the shop window as Wayne Bennett’s men face defending champions Australia in Friday’s opener in Melbourne.
The 24-year-old, noted for his ferocious will to win, said: “I want to prove myself as one of the best players in the world.
“You don’t play to be second best and when I signed my contract at Wigan, it included the release clause to move to Australia.
“It’s coming up to that time at the end of next season and, with this being a World Cup year, it puts me in good stead to lay down a marker on the biggest stage of all.
“I spoke to a few NRL clubs when I was younger at Bradford so there has been interest in the past. I like it at Wigan but you want to test yourself against the best. I’ll probably re-evaluate things after the World Cup and I’d say it’s 50-50 at the moment about what I will do.”
Bateman has been on the radar of leading NRL clubs since he made his debut for hometown club Bradford as a 17-year-old in 2011.
He captained the England academy side during their tour of Australia in 2012 and made his Wigan debut in the 2014 World Club Challenge defeat at Sydney Roosters.
Bateman has yet to taste victory down under and said: “I’m hoping it’ll be third time lucky for me now but the key thing against the Aussies is to take your chances when they come. To win the World Cup would be a dream come true and I’m confident we can do it.
“We’ve got a strong squad and a lot of our lads have gone to the NRL and proved themselves. That should be applauded because there is a lot of pressure to go over there as an Englishman.
“Elliott Whitehead is my best mate and I’m proud to have seen him go to Canberra and show how good he is. He’s been brilliant and that’s quite inspiring to someone like myself.”
The national team last won the World Cup as Great Britain in 1972 but the inclusion of seven NRL-based players has encouraged hopes that England can pose a serious challenge under the vastlyexperienced Bennett.
Friday’s opener will be the first of 28 matches over 36 days played across 12 venues in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Groups A and B have four teams, from which the top three progress to the quarter-finals, while Groups C and D have three teams, with only the winners going into the last eight. And, whoever prevails between Australian and England in Melbourne will, barring a shock loss against Lebanon or France, have a much easier route to the final, avoiding the mercurial Kiwis. The onus is on Bennett to justify his hefty salary after a bitterly disappointing 2016 Four Nations which saw England thumped by Australia and fail to reach the final.
A highlight of last year’s Four Nations was Scotland’s famous 18-18 draw with New Zealand in Workington. But the Bravehearts have been hit hard by injury and unavailability this year with NRL players Lachlan Coote, Kane Linnett and Euan Aitken all absent.
Ireland and Wales are in Group C and will both face Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, where the average temperature in October and November is 27C.
With only one team going through from their group, it would be a real achievement for either Wales boss John Kear or Ireland’s Mark Aston to reach the knockout stages.
HOW THEY LINE UP
GROUP A Australia England France Lebanon GROUP B New Zealand Samoa Scotland Tonga GROUP C Ireland Papua New Guinea Wales GROUP D Fiji Italy USA FIRST ROUND OF GAMES
FRIDAY OCTOBER 27 SATURDAY OCTOBER 28
You want to test yourself against the best
13 - 3-
Host countries; Papua New Guinea will stage World Cup matches for the first time – all three in Port Moresby – along with Australia and New Zealand.
1954 -
The first World Cup was hosted by France and won by England 63 years ago.
28 - 14 - 10 -
Australia’s record number of World Cup wins.
2-
Uncapped players in England’s squad: Ben Currie and Alex Walmsley.
15 -
Matches in total. Competing teams. The competition in Australia and New Zealand will be the 15th World Cup.
68 -
Super League players appearing in the competition.
12 -
Clubs providing players for the England team.