Australia vs New Zealand Tips: Rugby League World Cup Opener

The Rugby League World Cup starts with the biggest fixture in the international game: Australia against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

The Rugby League World Cup starts with the biggest fixture in the international game: Australia against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The Kangaroos are the defending champions and on home soil. The Kiwis arrive as the 2025 Pacific Cup winners with a new-look spine that includes Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai, both in line for New Zealand debuts.

Below are our tip and the reasoning, the last four meetings, both 23-man squads and what the result means for the semi-final draw. Every match of the tournament is on our Rugby League World Cup hub.

Match Details

Detail	Info
Competition	Rugby League World Cup, Pool A, Round 1
Date	Thursday 15 October 2026
Kick-off	8:05pm AEDT (7:05pm AEST in Queensland, 5:05pm AWST in Perth)
Venue	Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Broadcast	Seven and 7plus, free-to-air
Coaches	Kevin Walters (Australia), Stacey Jones (New Zealand)
Captains	Isaah Yeo (Australia), James Fisher-Harris (New Zealand)

Australia vs New Zealand Tips & Prediction

Our pick: Australia to win. The Kangaroos are at home, they won the last meeting 22-10 in Christchurch in October 2024, and their spine is built around players who have just played finals football: James Tedesco won the Clive Churchill Medal on Sunday, Sam Walker steered the Roosters to the premiership, and Cameron Munster and Harry Grant bring the Melbourne combination. Latrell Mitchell is back in the Test side after injury-hit seasons.

New Zealand have the pack to make it hard. James Fisher-Harris, Joseph Tapine, Moses Leota and Isaiah Papali’i are a forward group that can match Australia’s, and Jahrome Hughes is back. The question is the rest of the spine. Ponga and Gagai are debutants in black, and the Kiwis are without Phoenix Crossland, the Knights hooker banned for four matches for the hip drop that broke Nathan Cleary’s leg. New combinations in a first-up Test against the Kangaroos are a lot to ask.

Best value: Australia by 1-12. This fixture is rarely a walkover. Two of Australia’s last three wins over New Zealand were by 12 points or fewer, 16-14 in the 2022 semi-final and 22-10 in 2024, and the Kiwis’ last win in the fixture was a 30-0 Pacific Cup final in 2023. We expect the Kangaroos to win it, but not to run away with it.

Australia vs New Zealand Head to Head

The last four meetings, newest first. The sides did not meet in 2025, when the Kangaroos were in England for the Ashes and New Zealand won the Pacific Cup.

Date	Result	Venue	Competition
October 2024	Australia 22-10 New Zealand	Christchurch	Pacific Championships
November 2023	New Zealand 30-0 Australia	Hamilton	Pacific Cup final
October 2023	Australia 36-18 New Zealand	Melbourne	Pacific Championships
November 2022	Australia 16-14 New Zealand	Leeds (Elland Road)	World Cup semi-final

The 30-0 in Hamilton was Australia’s heaviest men’s Test defeat. The 2022 semi-final is the most relevant guide to a World Cup meeting: New Zealand led 14-10 at half-time and Australia kept them scoreless in the second half, Cameron Murray scoring the winning try.

Kangaroos Team News

Kevin Walters named his 23 on 5 October, with Isaah Yeo as captain. Yeo has put off pectoral surgery to lead the side. Six players are in line for Test debuts: Bradman Best, Jack Bostock, Blayke Brailey, David Fifita, Sam Walker and Jacob Preston. Nathan Cleary misses the tournament with the broken leg he suffered in Penrith’s preliminary final.

Squad: Isaah Yeo (c), Bradman Best, Jack Bostock, Blayke Brailey, Pat Carrigan, Lindsay Collins, Reuben Cotter, Tom Dearden, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, David Fifita, Harry Grant, Keaon Koloamatangi, Liam Martin, Latrell Mitchell, Mitchell Moses, Cameron Munster, Cameron Murray, Jacob Preston, Kotoni Staggs, James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Sam Walker, Reece Walsh.

The selection question is at the back: Tedesco and Reece Walsh are both fullbacks, and Walters has picked both. The halves are a choice between Munster, Walker, Moses and Dearden.

Kiwis Team News

Stacey Jones named his 23 on 6 October, with James Fisher-Harris as captain. Four players are in line for Kiwis debuts: Kalyn Ponga, who switched his allegiance to New Zealand this year, Dane Gagai, cleared to switch from Australia, Jacob Laban and Tanner Stowers-Smith. Jahrome Hughes returns after time away from the Test side with injury.

Squad: James Fisher-Harris (c), Erin Clark, Dane Gagai, Jahrome Hughes, Jamayne Isaako, Keano Kini, Jacob Laban, Moses Leota, Jeremy Marshall-King, Te Maire Martin, Casey McLean, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Briton Nikora, Kodi Nikorima, Isaiah Papali’i, Kalyn Ponga, Scott Sorensen, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Joseph Tapine, Leo Thompson, Naufahu Whyte, Xavier Willison.

Phoenix Crossland is not in the squad. His four-match ban for the hip drop on Cleary already cost him the Grand Final.

What Is at Stake

Australia and New Zealand share Pool A with Fiji and the Cook Islands, and the top two in the pool go through to the semi-finals. That makes Thursday a fight for first place rather than survival. The Pool A winner plays the runner-up from Pools B and C at Allianz Stadium on Sunday 8 November. The Pool A runner-up plays the Pools B and C winner in Newcastle on Saturday 7 November. The final is at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday 15 November.

Team	Pool games after Thursday
Australia	Fiji (Sun 25 Oct, Suncorp Stadium), Cook Islands (Sat 31 Oct, Townsville)
New Zealand	Cook Islands (Sun 25 Oct, Christchurch), Fiji (Sat 31 Oct, Gold Coast)

Australia vs New Zealand Betting Markets

• Head to head: the winner of the match, with extra time (golden point) included if it is level after 80 minutes.
• Line: a points start for New Zealand. Given how tight this fixture has been, the line is often a better bet than a short head-to-head price.
• Winning margin: bands such as 1-12 and 13+, where our value pick sits.
• Try scorers: first, last and anytime try scorer markets on both squads.
• Same game multi: combine a result, margin and try scorers into one bet. See our same game multi guide.

Compare prices across our best NRL betting sites, which all price the World Cup.

Australia vs New Zealand FAQs

When is Australia vs New Zealand at the Rugby League World Cup?

Thursday 15 October 2026 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, kicking off at 8:05pm AEDT. It is the opening match of the tournament.

Where can I watch Australia vs New Zealand?

Live and free on Seven and 7plus, which hold the Australian rights to every match of the 2026 World Cup.

Who will win Australia vs New Zealand?

Our pick is Australia, at home and with the stronger spine, but we expect a close game and like Australia by 1-12 as the value bet.

When did Australia and New Zealand last play?

In October 2024 in Christchurch, when Australia won 22-10 in the Pacific Championships. The sides did not meet in 2025.

Who is captaining Australia and New Zealand?

Isaah Yeo captains the Kangaroos and James Fisher-Harris captains the Kiwis.

More Rugby League World Cup Coverage

• Rugby League World Cup hub: schedule, ladder and tips
• Samoa vs France tips
• Papua New Guinea vs Lebanon tips
• England vs Tonga tips
• Fiji vs Cook Islands tips
• NRL tips hub
• NRL Grand Final results
• Clive Churchill Medal
• Women’s Rugby League World Cup
• Rugby League World Cup winners
• The final
• Results and ladder
• Schedule and TV guide
• Squads

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