WAYNE OUT TO SETTLE A SCORE
England facing grudge opener
ENGLAND will kick off next year’s World Cup with a blockbuster showdown against Australia.
It’s an opening battle that England boss Wayne Bennett will be desperate to win with both national and personal pride at stake.
The Aussie had wanted to coach the Kangaroos but was overlooked, with the job going to Mal Meninga.
The two have clashed since then with Bennett (right) claiming Meninga disrupted his Brisbane Broncos players with the timing of a squad announcement in May.
Meninga admits the history between them will make for a lively build-up to the World Cup opener in Brisbane next year.
He said: “He wanted to coach the Australian side so he will have a point to prove. He will be motivated, no doubt about that. Now he has taken on the England job, it will be a great tussle.”
The pair will face their first clash in this autumn’s Four Nations tournament but Meninga says the World Cup is the real test. And he believes England are ® now genuine contenders to win with Bennett at the helm. He added: “It makes them dangerous. His team will be very well prepared.” England will also play France and face their first clash with Lebanon in the group stages. Scotland, who qualified automatically after they reached the 2013 quarter-finals, are in a group of death with co-hosts New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa.
Appetite
They will meet Tonga in Cairns, before a trip to Christchurch to play the Kiwis and then a return to North Queensland to face Samoa. Three teams will go through to the last eight from Pools A and B, with one qualifying from the other two pools.
Ireland and Wales are among six nations hoping to go through from this autumn’s European qualifying section.
If the Irish and Welsh make it, they could play some games in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. World Cup chief executive Michael Brown said: “The decision to take matches to places like Darwin, Perth, Christchurch and Port Moresby was made with the future of the game in mind.
“They will give profile to the sport in markets that have shown an appetite for rugby league.”
England captain Sean O’Loughlin said: “Tournaments like these give the sport a chance to show the skill, passion and pride the players have.”