Free rugby league predictions, best bets, and in-depth analysis for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup match between England and Greece.
Where to watch the match between England and Greece Rugby League WC
- BBC One, 2.30pm Saturday
- Saturday at 5:00 p.m., on BBC Two: Fiji vs. Scotland
- Saturday at 7.30 o’clock on BBC Three, Australia vs. Italy
Best bets
First try scored for England against Greece by Tom Burgess, worth 0.5 points each way 25-1. Betfair, Paddy Power
First-half handicap for Fiji is -18.5 against Scotland, which is 10-11
Preview George Williams, who is serving as the stand-in captain for England at the Rugby League World Cup, believes there is more to come from the hosts after their victory over France (42-18) last week, which all but secured first place in Group A.
The team led by Shaun Wane has already scored 102 points in their opening victories over Samoa and the French, and they will go into their match against the underdogs of their section, Greece, at Bramall Lane expecting to rack up plenty more.
In preparation for the quarterfinals to be played the following week, head coach Wane has made several lineup adjustments, including benching regular captain Sam Tomkins among other players.
Because of this, Jack Welsby will move back to full-back, and his versatile teammate Tommy Makinson, who was benched for the match against France, is likely to join him in the starting lineup for St. Helens Saints. Makinson was given the game off against France.
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Greece played well in their first World Cup match against France, but they paid the price for their efforts the following weekend when they faced a Samoa team that was already hurt, losing 72-4.
Given the huge gap in quality between the two teams, it is entirely plausible that England could make a mockery of a handicap in the high 60s. Betting on England to win to nil is also tempting, but as Jamaica demonstrated against New Zealand, it can take only one fortunate try from the underdog to bust the handicap.
Therefore, it is possible that it would be more beneficial to have a speculative bet on the tryscorer markets and a powerhouse prop. At odds of 25-1 to finish in first place, Tom Burgess appears to be an excellent each-way bet.
Burgess isn’t a prolific try scorer because of the position he plays, but he scored a try against Samoa, as well as coming close a couple of other times, and it took huge French resistance to prevent him from adding to his tally last week. Burgess also went close a couple of other times.
If there are any tired bodies in the Greece camp, particularly among the forwards, then coming up against a barnstorming Burgess is not a proposition that they will relish.
The match between England and Greece is one of three mismatches that will take place on Saturday’s schedule. The other two mismatches involve reigning world champions Australia, who have amassed 126 points in victories over Fiji and Scotland; Italy, who are 72-point favorites to beat England; and Fiji, who are 40-point favorites to beat Scotland.
Fiji, who will make certain of a quarter-final berth with victory, will be eager to sew up victory as soon as possible. Scotland have been terrible with the ball in hand so far, posting just four points in two humiliating defeats to the Australians and the Italians. Fiji, who will make certain of a quarter-final berth with victory.
In their most recent match, the Bati led Italy by a score of 60-4 after the first half of their victory, and it seems like a safe bet that they will have a lead of 19 or more points over the Scots at the halftime break in Newcastle.
