Rugby League World Cup: England to get off the mark v Lebanon
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England clash with Lebanon in the second round of fixtures in Group A of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
England are huge favourites at 1/50, with Lebanon at 18/1, and the draw at 100/1.
After a brave display in their 18-4 defeat to holders Australia, England will be looking to get off the mark.
They’ll have to do so without their talisman Sam Burgess, however.
The England backrower damaged medial knee ligaments in the defeat to the Aussies.
It will take a minor medical miracle to get Burgess fit enough to play another game in the tournament.
Warrington’s Ben Currie will take his place in the starting line-up. England coach Wayne Bennett has said everyone else is good to go.
And they’ll need everyone at their best, too. The top three sides in the group qualify so a win will be needed sooner rather than later.
They play an emerging Lebanon side coming off the back of a heroic win over France. Brad Fittler’s side beat Les Bleus 18-29 in a pulsating clash in Canberra.
The Lebanese are ranked at 18th in the world and are the lowest-rated side in the tournament. That said, the win over France is probably the biggest in their short history.
Lebanon’s squad contains mostly part-time Rugby League players. But they do have a smattering of quality NRL professionals amongst the group.
England cannot take them too lightly. This will more than likely be a professional job from Bennett’s team.
Considering the Lebanese have already beaten the 6th-ranked French, the Even-Money on them to win here on the +32 Handicap market seems like a value bet.
The two sides have never faced each other before in their history.
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
