It’s here at last. But, for England to have the easier route to the Rugby League World Cup final and hopefully succeed, they really need to win this opener against Samoa.
It’s not fatal if they lose Saturday's first-up game in Newcastle but it’d be a tough blow for the team to take and also the tournament.
That said, I do expect England to deliver. And you couldn’t have got a better fixture to actually kick this World Cup off. England are going in now as underdogs against a Samoa team which is absolutely packed full of NRL and State of Origin stars.
They have players who would make the Australia side and we know the Aussies are the benchmark of world rugby league.
But for England it’s about opportunity. We’ve seen a number of experienced players retire these last few years and some household names in James Graham, Sean O’Loughlin and Sam Burgess, players who would also get in that Australia team in their prime.
Now it’s about opportunities and there’s real opportunities here for some players who, domestically, have reputations.
I’m thinking of Morgan Knowles and Jack Welsby in Betfred Super League and Victor Radley in the NRL. It's a chance for those sorts of players to step up and say ‘I’m going to be an international player for the next 10 years.’
If they can do that, then the players who have 20 or 30 caps - Chris Hill, Kallum Watkins, Sam Tomkins, Elliot Whitehead - can also deliver, and then England can match this Samoa team and use the energy and enthusiasm of the home crowd to start with a tight, hard-fought victory.
I’ve been in Newcastle this week and you can see the city’s ready and excited about hosting the opening game.
It’s been over ten years in the making and, since we also took Magic Weekend up to Newcastle, it’s really built and built.
I think we’re on the cusp of what will be the best and most inclusive World Cup ever.
BETFRED - PASSIONATE ABOUT SUPER LEAGUE
