DIEHARD
01-11-07, 11:17 PM
WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION WITHIN TOUCHING DISTANCE
On a massive weekend for international rugby league in the Northern Hemisphere, two more nations will be assured of places in next year?s World Cup finals in Australia.
Sandwiching the second Gillette Fusion Test between Great Britain and New Zealand at the KC Stadium, Hull on Saturday evening (kick off 6.15pm); the two World Cup Qualifying Groups (Europe) will be completed with the winners gaining automatic passage across the globe and the losers facing the repecharge with Samoa and USA.
All four nations who stand on the brink of qualification are keeping their cards close to their chest in the cat and mouse run up and are not planning on finalising their line ups until after their last training sessions.
First up on Friday night, in Group One, Lebanon take on Ireland at Crown Flatt - the home of Dewsbury Rams - with the sides level on five points each from their previous three games.
The Emerald Isle take a slight point?s difference advantage into the contest which means a draw will be good enough to see Andy Kelly?s men progress.
With experienced star Mick Cassidy and young Wigan Prop Paul Prescott available, Kelly will have to decide whether or not to change the team that won 58-18 at home to Russia a fortnight ago.
The Lebanese have jetted in from Moscow where they defeated the Bears 48-0 and are relishing the match up.
Cedars Team Manager Anthony Elias commented, ?There are a few niggling injuries but all the guys who played in Russia are available for selection and I would imagine that our line up would be fairly similar.?
?We will see how everyone is going after our last full training session tomorrow (Thursday) and a midday run through on Friday before the match.?
?It?s not quite as cold as it was in Moscow but the wind here has a chill. So far, in the qualifiers we?ve played here over the past two seasons we have avoided rain ? we must be a good luck charm.?
?This game has been seven years in the making? he said, referring to Lebanon?s participation in the code?s last World Cup in 2000.
?We are really looking forward to what should be a great game with the Irish after our 18-18 draw with them last year. We have prepared hard and are expecting to win, we want to be going home this weekend and not hanging around for the tenth placed play off.?
For Sunday?s Group Two clash in Glasgow, where Scotland hold a seven point lead over Wales after last year?s meeting in Bridgend, the key battle is likely to be at half back where Danny Brough and Ian Henderson look set to take on Lee Briers and Iestyn Harris.
Scotland team manager Richard Thewlis said that the management team were still assessing a few injury concerns after the side went down 46-16 in Perpignan against France in a preparatory friendly international last Saturday.
Likewise, Welsh counterpart Mark Rowley advised that he was waiting on the fitness of three unnamed players before the Dragons would be naming their seventeen.
RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2008 ? QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT (EUROPE)
GROUP ONE ? Lebanon v Ireland, Friday 2nd November ? Crown Flatt, Dewsbury (kick off 7.30) Click http://www.bigpondtv.com/ watch live in Australia 06.30 Saturday 3 November.
GROUP TWO ? Scotland v Wales, Sunday 4th November ? Glasgow Hawks RFC (kick off 2pm) Click http://www.bigpondtv.com/ to watch live in Australia 01.00 Monday 5 November.
Both matches will be covered live on Sky Sports.
On a massive weekend for international rugby league in the Northern Hemisphere, two more nations will be assured of places in next year?s World Cup finals in Australia.
Sandwiching the second Gillette Fusion Test between Great Britain and New Zealand at the KC Stadium, Hull on Saturday evening (kick off 6.15pm); the two World Cup Qualifying Groups (Europe) will be completed with the winners gaining automatic passage across the globe and the losers facing the repecharge with Samoa and USA.
All four nations who stand on the brink of qualification are keeping their cards close to their chest in the cat and mouse run up and are not planning on finalising their line ups until after their last training sessions.
First up on Friday night, in Group One, Lebanon take on Ireland at Crown Flatt - the home of Dewsbury Rams - with the sides level on five points each from their previous three games.
The Emerald Isle take a slight point?s difference advantage into the contest which means a draw will be good enough to see Andy Kelly?s men progress.
With experienced star Mick Cassidy and young Wigan Prop Paul Prescott available, Kelly will have to decide whether or not to change the team that won 58-18 at home to Russia a fortnight ago.
The Lebanese have jetted in from Moscow where they defeated the Bears 48-0 and are relishing the match up.
Cedars Team Manager Anthony Elias commented, ?There are a few niggling injuries but all the guys who played in Russia are available for selection and I would imagine that our line up would be fairly similar.?
?We will see how everyone is going after our last full training session tomorrow (Thursday) and a midday run through on Friday before the match.?
?It?s not quite as cold as it was in Moscow but the wind here has a chill. So far, in the qualifiers we?ve played here over the past two seasons we have avoided rain ? we must be a good luck charm.?
?This game has been seven years in the making? he said, referring to Lebanon?s participation in the code?s last World Cup in 2000.
?We are really looking forward to what should be a great game with the Irish after our 18-18 draw with them last year. We have prepared hard and are expecting to win, we want to be going home this weekend and not hanging around for the tenth placed play off.?
For Sunday?s Group Two clash in Glasgow, where Scotland hold a seven point lead over Wales after last year?s meeting in Bridgend, the key battle is likely to be at half back where Danny Brough and Ian Henderson look set to take on Lee Briers and Iestyn Harris.
Scotland team manager Richard Thewlis said that the management team were still assessing a few injury concerns after the side went down 46-16 in Perpignan against France in a preparatory friendly international last Saturday.
Likewise, Welsh counterpart Mark Rowley advised that he was waiting on the fitness of three unnamed players before the Dragons would be naming their seventeen.
RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2008 ? QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT (EUROPE)
GROUP ONE ? Lebanon v Ireland, Friday 2nd November ? Crown Flatt, Dewsbury (kick off 7.30) Click http://www.bigpondtv.com/ watch live in Australia 06.30 Saturday 3 November.
GROUP TWO ? Scotland v Wales, Sunday 4th November ? Glasgow Hawks RFC (kick off 2pm) Click http://www.bigpondtv.com/ to watch live in Australia 01.00 Monday 5 November.
Both matches will be covered live on Sky Sports.