SYDNEY: Australia are odds-on favourites to inflict a heavy defeat on Papua New Guinea in Sunday’s final rugby league World Cup pool match even though they are resting key players.
The signs are ominous for the PNG Kumuls with the Kangaroos having thrashed their main title rivals, New Zealand (30-6) and England (52-4), to take a stranglehold on this year’s tournament as they chase their 10th World Cup win.
Coach Ricky Stuart has taken the opportunity to rest strike players, skipper Darren Lockyer, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Petero Civoniceva, ahead of next weekend’s semi-finals.
He is giving four players, wingers Darius Boyd and David Williams, standoff Terry Campese and backrower Anthony Watmough, their Test debuts against the Kumuls.
Even with a weakened team, local bookmakers expect it to be ugly and one bookie has posted odds of 200 to one odds-on for an Australian victory—that is, for every 200 dollars (135 US) outlayed the punter will get 201 dollars back.
Eight years ago Australia slaughtered PNG 82-0 at the same Townsville venue where Sunday’s match will be staged, but the two nations have yet to play each other at the World Cup.
Australia’s domination of the World Cup has diminished the tournament’s credibility with the main interest in the joust between Fiji and Ireland on Monday for a semi-final place.
Under the tournament’s scheduling, the fourth team in Australia’s Pool 1 is eliminated, leaving the winners of Pool 2 (Fiji) and Pool 3 (Ireland) to fight out for the other semi-final spot.
England and New Zealand, who have beaten PNG in their Pool 1 games, are playing each other in Newcastle on Saturday ahead of their likely semi-final meeting next weekend.
PNG coach Adrian Lam said he saw no disrespect in his Australian counterpart Stuart’s decision to rest his key players from Sunday’s match.
“I would have done the same if I was in their position, absolutely,” Lam said yesterday.
“They’re in pretty good form and it’s a great opportunity to rest five or six players.
“If I was in that position I’d do exactly the same thing. I don’t see it as a disrespectful thing towards us, I see it as a smart thing for them.”
The Kumuls began the tournament encouragingly, going down 32-22 to England in Townsville, but they were thrashed 48-6 by New Zealand last Saturday.
“We think we’ve had a decent go at the World Cup and we want to go off on a high rather than a low,” Lam said.
“Some people are thinking (losing by) 70 or 80 points.... We’ve been working hard at being competitive and I’ll only be fearful of the scoreboard if we don’t turn up to play whether it’s Australia or anybody.”
Recalled Kangaroos forward Craig Fitzgibbon indicated complacency would not be an issue for Australia against PNG when he said: “We’re very thankful on our part. It wouldn’t be easy for any player to hand over a Test jumper.
“It’s an opportunity Ricky (Stuart) has given us to put our best foot forward and we’re very thankful, I know that.” (AFP) |
