Can England shock Australia when they kick-off the 2017 Rugby League World Cup on Friday morning, at 10am on BBC 2? 

The Kangaroos – who are hosting alongside New Zealand and Papua New Guinea – have an unparalleled history in the competition. They’ve won 10 of the previous 14 tournaments, including 3 of the 4 editions since the World Cup was expanded in 1995. With that kind of form its hardly surprising that Australia have far and away the best Outright Index spread at 52-55 (where the winner gets 60 points, the runner-up 40, etc.) and are 2/7 odds on favourites to lift the Paul Barriere Trophy in Brisbane at the start of December. 



Unluckily for England, they find themselves in the same group as the defending champions (alongside France and Lebanon). That’s left them with an Outright Index spread of 28-31 and fixed odds of 9/1, a blow to their hopes of going one better than the semi-finals they reached in 2013. 

As for the opening fixture on Friday, if Wayne Bennett’s side are to maximise their chances of making it all the way to December then a win in Melbourne could be vital. Yet they face a huge uphill battle, with Spreadex offering a chunky Australia/England Points Supremacy spread of 15-18, alongside a Total Points spread of 43-46. 

Valentine Holmes looks like the person for England to watch out for, with the 22-year old heading into Friday at a Super Mega Player Try Minutes spread of 61-68. In comparison, England’s highest spread is just 26-30, though it does belong to the country’s all-time top try-scorer Ryan Hall. 

Sandwiched between Australia and England on the Outright Index are 2013 beaten finalists, and 2008 winners, New Zealand, who have a spread of 29-32 and fixed odds of 13/2. The Kiwis are widely expected to top their group, and sit at a Group B Index spread of 41-44 to Tonga’s 23-26 and Samoa’s 15-18 (poor Scotland are at a paltry 0.25-1.25). 

There are 3 knock-out spots on offer in Groups A and B, both of which contain 4 sides. In Groups C and D, however, only the mini-league leader go through, as both are made up of just 3 sides. Joint hosts Papua New Guinea should comfortably reach the quarter-finals, at a Group C Index spread of 22-25 to Ireland’s 8-10 and Wales’ 2-4, while in Group D Fiji sit at an Index spread of 20-23 to Italy’s 13-16 and the USA’s competition-worst 0.1-1.