RLWC England v PNG quarter-final betting tips & best odds

The quarter finals of the 2022 Rugby League World Cup will see England taking on Papua New Guinea at DW Stadium in Wigan this Saturday afternoon.

The host nation has stood up as the most impressive side by far this World Cup having put enormous scores on Greece and Samoa this season as well beating France comfortably. The Papua New Guinean side started their World Cup campaign with a narrow loss to the Tongan side, but victories over the Cook Islands and Wales have seen PNG build well into the quarter finals.

England have made several changes from the side that belted Greece with Sam Tomkins moving back to his fullback role, Jack Welsby back into the five-eighth position, Dom Young comes onto the wing for Ryan Hall, Herbie Farnworth will come off the bench, Elliot Whitehead and John Bateman will line up in the second row and Victor Radley will lock the scrum.

For PNG, Sylvester Namo will start in the front row in place of Emmanuel Waine, while Wesser Tenz and Sherwin Tanabi have been replaced by Watson Boas and Mackenzie Yei.

England have surprised many by the form and dominance they have displayed in this World Cup, and the host nation is showing no signs of slowing down against Papua New Guinea. The way that England beat Samoa in round one suggests they could perform in a similar fashion with a full strength side against PNG. Should England do that, they’re every chance of winning by 50+ points (+1400).

Should England go on to win by 50+ points, the total points line of 43.5 will obviously be eclipsed, as well as scoring more than 31.5 points on their own (-128.21). At the same time, England will complete the half-time/full-time double. PNG are capable of scoring against England; however, they will likely only score once which will see them finishing below 9.5 total match points (-108.7).

English winger Young has been the main beneficiary of the attacking structure for England this World Cup scoring eight tries in three games. On the right wing, Young is given clear space by block plays on the inside with cut out passes or kicked to with his aerial threat. Should England continue their trend and target Young, he will surely score two or more tries in the match.

Key matchup: Jack Welsby vs Kyle Laybutt

The matchup of the two five-eighths in this match will be brilliant to watch for the attacking abilities both players have. Welsby and Laybutt can score try, assist their team mates in scoring, break tackles and defensive lines, making them a huge headache for the opposition defence. Both players have strong kicking games, meaning the defence can’t simply rush at them to cut off their running games. It’s highly likely the different between these two players will be reflected in the size of the points differential on the scoreboard, and should Welsby stand up, he’ll lead the English to a huge win.

England vs Papua New Guineas RLWC match prediction

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