Warm-up match results, Tonga vs France, New Zealand – Leeds Rhinoceros, results, World Cup schedule, teams, teams, kangaroos
The World Cup is fast approaching and the Rugby League nations are preparing to win the title with a series of friendlies.
England and Samoa started the tournament at 00:30 AM (EST) on Sunday 16 October and the hosts were eliminated in a friendly match against Scotland.
Meanwhile, Lebanon, Wales, Greece, Tonga, France and New Zealand were occupied by some surprising results.
Read a summary of all the World Cup warm-up matches below!
Watch all the Rugby World Cup matches live and exclusively on Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now>
Beating in football brawl between police officers | 00:34
More news NRL
Off-season themes: Cleary’s big headache with the Panthers; Cowboy Runner Worth $2 Million
‘PIECE OF THE PIE’: Beers pledges massive $15 million in funding to become the 18th franchise
Reserve Police Fight: Throwing punches in a violent fight while sentencing officers
New Zealand 74 vs Leeds Rhino 0
The rhinos were no match for the star-studded New Zealand side just two weeks after they lost to St Helens in the Premier League final.
Leeds conceded the most points in their history as the Kiwis fought 14 attempts, including a hat-trick in the first half from Riders Sebastian Criss’ pistol.
Charnes Nicholl-Klukstad, Ronald Mulitalo, Jesse Bromwich, Jeremy Marshall King, Britain’s Nicora, Jahrom Hughes and Brandon Smith each led by four points.
Meanwhile, former Panthers Dean Weir also appeared and scored, while the showdown also featured former Warrior Thomas Lowway.
The Kiwi campaign begins on Monday 17 October when they face Lebanon.
Greece 34 vs Bradford Bulls 34
Rabbitoh’s little shotgun, Lachlan Ilias, had the chance to seal Greece’s victory in the last minute of this match.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old’s penalty hit the post and the match ended in a draw.
In a positive display, Greece managed to settle the score after trailing 22-12 in the first half.
Greece will meet France on Tuesday in October in their first match in Group A, with England and Samoa in the group.
Get the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Register now!!!
Lebanon – 38 vs Wales 22
Without the return of Mitch Moussa, Lebanon still managed to get the job done with a solid performance to overtake Wales.
Young Bulldogs defender Jacob Kiraz played as centre-back, while Rabito winger Josh Mansour and Tigers gunman Adam Douaihy also played.
Lebanon led 24-6 in the first half as the Welshman struggled to score 16 points in the second half, but in the end it wasn’t enough.
Wales’ first World Cup match will be against the Cook Islands on Thursday, 20 October.
England Knights 28 vs Scotland 4
The England development team, considered the team’s first team, managed to beat Scotland in the warm-up match.
In ominous signs, Scotland came close to scoring without a three-pointer from former Cowboys player Ken Lynett.
The World Cup campaign kicks off in Scotland on Monday, October 17 against Italy and Dolphins gunner Euan Aitken is the only featured NRL player.
Lin resigns from the eel for three years! | 00:31
Tonga 48 vs France 12
Titans player David Vivita shone in Tonga when they beat France in a convincing way.
The 22-year-old scored a hat-trick as youngster Manley Tulu Kula, Titan Konrad Hurrell and former Dragon star Junior Amon crossed.
Haumole Olaka’atu joined Fifita in the back row, while gunslinger Keaon Koloamatangi of Rabbitiohs wore the number 13 jersey.
Tonga’s World Cup campaign kicks off on Wednesday 19 October with Papua New Guinea.
Tonga came close to reaching the 2017 World Cup Grand Final, falling to England in the semi-finals and beating the Kangaroos when they last met in 2019.
“Reader. Travel maven. Student. Passionate tv junkie. Internet ninja. Twitter advocate. Web nerd. Bacon buff.”