Four Nations Round Two: England and Australia to win big

Raj Bains
05 November 2016

England head coach Wayne Bennett will be hoping for a convincing victory against Scotland this afternoon

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After a disappointing first round loss, England have to bounce back against Scotland in style, while New Zealand and Australia come face-to-face yet again in a battle between the Southern Hemisphere's finest. Raj Bains is on hand to guide us through Round Two of the Four Nations...

"Australia have benefitted from the way in which their fixtures have landed, and will come in to this game the fresher of the two sides. New Zealand will threaten, but there's a determination in Maninga’s side to reestablish themselves as the number one side in the world, and that single-mindedness should lead them to victory."

Australia to beat New Zealand by +13pts @ 7/5

Like a broken record, England were so close yet so far away from beating New Zealand last week, with Shaun Johnson's much debated drop goal all that separated the sides.

Having conceded more points due to individual mistakes than being outplayed by the Kiwis, there's clearly a mental block preventing England from truly asserting themselves on the biggest stage, because it certainly isn't talent that's the issue.

Playing a Scotland side that will be full of passion and intent, England need to post a big score to stand any chance of reaching the final at Anfield, with head coach Wayne Bennett opting to rotate the squad to include fresh legs.

Australia will have taken plenty of heart from seeing just how closely run New Zealand were by England, with the green and golds keen to wrap up the Four Nations title and reclaim their status as the top ranked nation in the world.

Having dispatched of Scotland without too much trouble in a predictably one sided encounter, Mal Maninga has rung the changes, reintroducing the big names and established faces, hoping their talent and freshness will help overwhelm the bruised and battered Kiwi outfit. Both sides know a win will all but secure a place in the final, so this has the potential to unravel in to a bit of a classic.

- England vs Scotland
Saturday 5th November, 17:30
Live on BBC Two

Wayne Bennett is handing an opportunity to everyone that didn't make the cut against New Zealand, hoping that creating further competition for places will lead to the highest level of performance possible, and a more impressive score line than the Australians managed. On paper, much like the Australia match was, this game is already a forgone conclusion, and the question isn't so much 'who?' as 'how much?'.

Scotland will know this, of course, and that will only further their intent and desire to win, hoping that they can effectively knock England out of the competition by causing an almighty upset. Danny Brough and Ryan Brierley were both impressive with the limited possession they had against the Aussies, with Adam Walker and Liam Hood also turning in commendable performances.

To stand any chance of beating England, the Scottish will have to defend much better than they did against Australia, and be far more clinical when it comes to attacking the line.

England know that a performance at the same level as the one that they put in against New Zealand will be more than enough to beat Scotland handsomely, but with points difference a possible route in to the final at Anfield, they'll want to pile on as many points as physically possible.

Ryan Hall and Jermaine McGillvary both crossed the line well when presented with an opening against the Kiwis, and Bennett will be hoping that fresh legs in the forward pack and a new pairing in the halves will be the key to producing a cricket score.

A deflected try and some poor Australian goal kicking is all that saved Scotland from going down by over 50 points last time out, so given that England appear to be in a far from charitable mood after their opening round disappointment, this could get ugly.

Recommended Bet: England to beat Scotland by +51pts @ 10/3

New Zealand vs Australia
Saturday 5th November, 20:00
Live on BBC Two

Australia didn't take Scotland all that seriously, so left most of their headline names out of the team for an additional weeks rest ahead of the New Zealand clash, knowing that the Kiwis would cause them far more cause for concern that the Scottish would.

With the likes of Johnathan Thurston stepping back in to the fold, the level of rugby on show couldn't be of a higher standard, with these two meeting for the first time on British soil since the 2013 World Cup final, which went to the Kangaroos at Old Trafford.

Where there's every chance for New Zealand to cause Australia issues is on the back of their more elaborate attacking plays, with their power forwards always quick to offload in dangerous areas, with support runners only happy to exploit the gaps they've made in the defence. Lead by Shaun Johnson, one of the worlds more exciting attacking talents, the Kiwis will hope their expressive brand of rugby will be able to cause the Australian defence enough problems to win the game.

Played at a similar pace and intensity to most NRL or State Of Origin matches, these games don't tend to offer too many points, but do produce an extremely engaging version of the game, with each side able to test their talents against the best the game has to offer. Unlikely to be anything like the England v Scotland game being played as the opening fixture of a double header in Coventry, this fixture represents the very pinnacle of the sport, and will be worth watching regarding of who you support.

Australia have benefitted from the way in which their fixtures have landed, and will come in to this game the fresher of the two sides. New Zealand will threaten, but there's a determination in Maninga's side to reestablish themselves as the number one side in the world, and that single-mindedness should lead them to victory.

Recommended Bet: Australia to beat New Zealand by +13pts @ 7/5