RLWC2021 – Australia v Lebanon: Team news, how to watch on TV & predictions
Everything you need to know – Australia v Lebanon.
Australia and Lebanon kick-off the men’s quarter-finals of the World Cup this Friday. The reigning champions finished the group stages at the top of group B with three wins out of three.
Lebanon confirmed their place following the 74-12 victory over Jamaica in Leigh on Sunday.
Match details
- Australia v Lebanon
- Date: Friday 4th November
- Kick-off time: 7:30pm
- Venue: John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield
- Quarter-finals
Australia v Lebanon
Australia 19-man squad: 9. Josh Addo-Carr, 13. Patrick Carrigan, 2. Daly Cherry-Evans, 14. Nathan Cleary, 15. Lindsay Collins, 16. Reuben Cotter, 17. Angus Crichton, 18. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, 19. Campbell Graham, 20. Harry Grant, 4. Valentine Holmes, 21. Liam Martin, 8. Latrell Mitchell, 7. Cameron Munster, 11. Cameron Murray, 1. James Tedesco, 5. Jake Trbojevic, 10. Jack Wighton, 24. Isaah Yeo.
Lebanon 19-man squad: 1. Jacob Kiraz, 2. Josh Mansour, 3. Bilal Maarbani, 4. Brad Morkos, 5. Abbas Miski, 6. Adam Doueihi, 7. Mitchell Moses, 8. Kayne Kalache, 10. Hanna El Nachar, 11. Elie El Zakhem, 12. Charbel Tasipale, 13. James Roumanos, 14. Anthony Layoun, 15. Andrew Kazzi, 16. Reece Robinson, 17. Jalal Bazzaz, 18. Khaled Rajab, 19. Khalil Rahme, 20. Jaxson Rahme.
What the two camps are saying
Australia boss Mal Meninga said: “If everything works out with no injuries or illnesses, my plan is from the quarter-finals onwards we will have our best team available for as long as we remain in the tournament.
“It’s a tough decision, we all know that. But that’s the Kangaroos – we’ve got great depth and all 24 players are worthy of playing in their positions going forward – that’s the beauty of it all.”
Lebanon head coach Michael Cheika said: “How good, I suppose. We’ve been really blessed to play against New Zealand and now against Australia. When you come into a World Cup that’s what you want to do, to play against the best and test yourself against the best. It will definitely be a test. We’ll recover from this one and get down to business as it will come quick.”
How can I watch the game on TV?
Every game across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cup tournaments is being broadcast by the BBC.
Australia v Lebanon will be on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
READ: How to watch every Rugby League World Cup game on the BBC
Odds and predictions
Meninga’s Kangaroos are clear favourites to win in Huddersfield, while Lebanon are priced at 25/1 with Planet Sport Bet.
You’d expect a fantastic viewing for this one, with the Lebanon squad featuring several NRL stars. However, I’d predict Australia to come out on top and become the first team to secure their spot in the semi-finals.
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