If you are in and around Old Trafford on Saturday and can smell something familiar in the air, it’s probably the lingering scent of Australian dominance. As the sun sets on another Rugby League World Cup, it does so in utterly recognisable fashion: only this time there is not one, but two Australian sides looking to cement their status as the world’s best in their respective finals.
We are well used to seeing the Kangaroos’ men dominate the road to the World Cup final. The numbers behind their supremacy are staggering; they have not missed a final since the inaugural one in 1954 and are bidding for a ninth World Cup title in the last 10 tournaments. With men’s and women’s finals held together at Old Trafford in a double-header, the men will be preceded on to the pitch by Australia’s women, who are also defending their title.
