The Run Around

June 19 2018

Tonga's Sipi Tau always sends tingles down your spine, theatre at it's best - photo: source - www.skysports.co.uk

Representative footy takes the spotlight as the NRL takes a well-earned rest. The stand-alone second State of Origin match is the jewel in the crown ending the weekend but before that cracker we have some sensational international Test match rugby league starting with the Pacific double header at Campbelltown in western Sydney before we fly to Sports Authority Field better known as Mile High Stadium in Denver as the United States gets a taste of football with no helmets required! The NRL wasn’t ecstatic with this match being staged, neither it seems were half the Kiwi side, but there is more to league than the NRL. Thankfully the English have the big picture in mind! They’d travel to Mars to proudly represent their country. The game needs to grow, to go global, and these are the types of matches to showcase our great game or it will stay a dot on the sporting map or worse, wither and die.

Thomas Burgess splits Tonga at the 2017 RLWC and has continued that form with the raging Rabbitohs - photo: source - www.zimbio.com

England v New Zealand

After a narrow World Cup Final defeat Wayne Bennett knows how close his England side is to dethroning the Kangaroos as the World’s best. Currently ranked 3 behind New Zealand all that shows is how ridiculous rankings can be, the Kiwis didn’t even make the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals! England want to be number one and have sent an extremely strong, tough and talented team to Denver which will start firm favourites to defeat NZ. St George Ilawarra’s NRL star Gareth Widdop will be the maestro orchestrating behind a monstrous and in form forward pack, Widdop will be expected to run the show with Wigan’s George Williams knee injury playing against Hull FC ruling him out, St Helens Jonny Lomax is expected to join Widdop in the halves with Warrington’s Stefan Ratchford filling in at fullback. It will be interesting to see the approach Wayne Bennett takes with this match, will he give rein to his players to entertain the Americans or stick to the tried and tested processes that have served him so well? I’m guessing the latter. England’s game plan will be simple: Bennett is the completion rate King, England will march up field with Thomas Burgess at the forefront, in career best form at the Rabbitohs, then via James Roby darting through the ruck and Widdop controlling things with his kicking, the Kiwis will be strangled out of the game and forced into error. England will be hard to hold and once they gain territory will look for plenty of second phase play and fast spreads to the wings containing strike weapons Ryan Hall and Jermaine McGillvary.

NAS attack! Nelson Asofa-Solomona on the charge - photo: source - www.news.com.au

The Kiwis are rebuilding on the road to redemption with plenty of late scratching’s via sudden retirements and injuries. It’s such a shame Mile High won’t be graced by excitement machines Shaun Johnson and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck but it opens the door for others to make their name in the international arena. New coach Michael Maguire will be after effort and pride restoration to the Kiwi jersey and with limited preparation use tactics that make Bennett’s look more complicated than a quick trip to Ikea, 3 hours later you’re eating meatballs because you’re lost and need to recalibrate! The Kiwis love to play off-the-cuff footy, not normally associated with Maguire, but it is their best path to victory. Manly’s Marty Taupau and the giant Melbourne Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona hold the key to an upset and if they can punch holes in the English and inspire what is a rugged engine room, there is enough skill in the Kiwis to cause carnage. Issac Luke will look to rip through the ruck and this is a key area that whoever dominates will win, Luke and England’s James Roby are both masters of timing defence splitting runs. There are some great match ups, the backrow battle between England’s NRL hardened heroes Slammin’ Sam Burgess and Elliott Whitehead up against the Kiwis Joe Tapine and James Fisher-Harris will knock the boulders from the nearby Rocky Mountains. Americans should be enraptured with the collisions and contact. Buckle up Denver things could get bumpy! The main issue for NZ is combination, lack thereof, which won’t be an issue for England and it’s here where the game will be won. Gareth Widdop is the most influential player on the park, watch him turn on the razzle dazzle and delight Denver! Hopefully both sides will put on a great show sending the fans who flock to this grand experiment home smiling and talking up our great game.

England by 14

Nene Macdonald creating Kumuls chaos in the RLWC 2017 - photo: source - www.zimbio.com

Papua New Guinea Kumuls v Fiji Bati

The Pacific doubleheader opens with the Kumuls, quarter finalists at last year’s Rugby League World Cup taking on Fiji Bati the surprising giant killers of that tournament who humbled the Kiwis to earn a semi-final crack at the Kangaroos. That brilliant tournament run places the Fijians as firm favourites for what promises to be an entertaining clash. Both sides are laden with NRL talent, PNG have six including star fullback Nene Macdonald who is in career best form at the ladder leading Dragons. 9 of the 18-man Kumuls squad belong to the QLD Intrust Super Cup side the PNG Hunters so they have the inside running over Fiji when it comes to combination and familiarity, a big edge with limited preparation time. That’s negated though when the Hunters are struggling in 11^th position and playing in western Sydney not the humid tropical fortress of Port Moresby. PNG love playing a fast game full of unpredictable second phase play, but it’s a rocks or diamonds style. The Kumuls will look to their halves youngster Lachlan Lam, a lower grader at the Sydney Roosters, and the Hunters star Watson Boas to control play, Boas possessing a clever kicking game. If PNG can hold the bigger Fijians up front Cronulla hooker James Segeyaro is the danger man looking to find space that the Melbourne Storm’s Justin Olam and Macdonald will take advantage of.

The Hayne Plane prepared to takeoff for Fiji and start the Bati party - photo: source - www.wwos.nine.com.au

For Fiji the man to watch as always is Jarryd Hayne at five eighth. The Hayne Plane will enjoy getting away from the nose diving Parramatta Eels and after belting out their inspirational pre-game hymn watch the Fijians let the ball sing with Hayne at the centre of it all. Unfortunately, their star of the RLWC, Viliame Kikau is injured, so with Vili the Kid missing it falls to the forwards to step up and set the platform for the Hayne Plane to unleash the power and pace of Storm star Suliasi Vunivalu and the Sea Eagles Akuila Uate. Fiji have too much class out wide and once establishing dominance up front have too many points in them and will kick the Kumuls back to PNG after a Fijian flogging.

Fiji Bati by 16

Jason Taumalolo tears through for Tonga - photo: Hannah Peters (Getty Images)

Toa Samoa v Mate Ma’a Tonga

The headline act of the Pacific doubleheader this will be an emotion charged spine tingler from the opening war cries to the final whistle. Mate Ma’a Tonga were the story of the 2017 RLWC grabbing the imagination and were a contentious call away from making the final, I still don’t know if it was a strip… has anyone asked Elliott Whitehead?!? Tonga have stuck together pushing back against the pull of Origin and Tier One nations and are putting on the paddock an awesome side full or power, pace and a plethora of NRL stars. The strength of Tonga is the forward pack led by Andrew Fifita and the incredible Jason Taumalolo, both could win this match on their own and the platform they set will allow the momentum for the duel dummy halves Siliva Havili and Sione Katoa to wreak havoc through the ruck. If Samoa can’t hold back the Tongan tsunami, Tui Lolohea will unload the fast and the furious, Michael Jennings and Konrad Hurrell. Strong across the park, Tonga’s one major weakness is in the halves, with Lolohea and Ata Hingano rarely starting in the NRL, in comparison this area is Samoa’s strength.

Anthony Milford shunned by QLD hopes to shine for Samoa - photo: source - www.pinterest.com

Mason Lino has shown his skill whilst filling in for Shaun Johnson at the Warriors, Lino is too good for reserve grade, same goes for Tyrone May the Penrith Panther is all class but stuck behind the NSW Blues Origin pairing. In a surprise move, Anthony Milford will look to bounce back after his dumping from the Queensland Origin side at fullback and spark the Samoans but he will no doubt be around the ball all game in attack. The halves can’t do much behind a beaten pack, so the Samoans need their big boppers to rise to the challenge. The Warriors pair of Isaiah Papali’I and Bunty Afoa are in excellent form and must take the next step in their development and set the standard, be the leaders, they have the skill to offload and step through some tiring Tongans. If Samoa can hold the Tongans, Milford is the X factor who can blow this game apart along with the Canberra Raiders brilliant centre Joey Leilua who can exploit the dodgy defensive options his opposite Michael Jennings can make. Using a well-worn adage to sum this game up, Tonga will be too big, too strong and far too good.

Mate Ma’a Tonga by 18