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Round 1 of the Universities Rugby League World Cup kicked
off in atrocious conditions at GriffithUniversity on Saturday.
The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday night’s fixtures is slightly better, but
the chance of some rain is still quite high.
Tuesday 8th July – GriffithUniversity,
Nathan Campus
5.00pm
Englandv Greece
The English will be looking to instill some confidence in
their supporters after a below average performance against Australia in
the first round. A stern serving from the English coaching staff will hopefully
provide the spark for what is a very promising team.
On the other hand, Greece is floating among clouds.
With the team only meeting each other less that 24 hours before their first
match, they managed to put in a spirited effort against Scotland and come up trumps, 14-0.
This is a must win for both teams, especially England who
will still be hoping to finish 2nd in the pool.
7.00pm
Australiav Scotland
Australiais coming off a strong win against the Poms. The team is a finely tuned unit
which will only get better with time. In saying that, Scotland showed
a lot of ticker in the wet conditions on Saturday. If they can hang onto the
ball and get into position to attack Australia then this game could be
very close.
Wednesday 9th July, GriffithUniversity,
Nathan Campus
5.00pm
Francev Ireland
Francealmost pulled off a massive upset when they went down narrowly to New Zealand in
the first round. This small, mobile team are a real handful for the opposition
forwards and if the track is dry then you can expect this backline to really
fire.
Irelandshowed against Walesthat once they get some confidence they can blow any team off the park. The
momentum they gathered in the 2nd half enabled them to pile on 12
points in quick succession. If they are able to build and maintain this sort of
pressure against a French side that plays with a lot of heart, this game is
sure to be tight.
7.00pm
New Zealand v Wales
Both sides come into this match with wins behind them. Wales looked the goods against Ireland and if New Zealand let them get off to an
early lead, it will be very hard for the Kiwi’s to pull back.
Although New
Zealand snatched the points in the 1stround, they looked flat and didn’t adhere to the wet conditions all that well. The
Welsh backs are quick and their running from dummy half could pose some
problems for the big Kiwi forwards. Match of the round for me.
For more information please contact World Cup media
managers Steve Petroff (0422 418 241) or Travis Meyn (0418 146 372).
By Travis Meyn & Steve Petroff
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