The 16th Rugby League World Cup starts on Saturday and will feature a wealth of talent, with virtually all the game’s most exciting players on show.
Here, the PA news agency picks out seven of the best players to watch.
Luke Keary (Ireland)
Jarome Luai (Samoa)
The 24-year-old Penrith half-back has become one of the biggest stars in the NRL over the last two seasons and earlier this month helped the Panthers to successive Grand Final wins. He was in line to be picked by Mal Meninga for the Kangaroos before making clear his preference. Born in Sydney, Luai is part of a proud Samoan family and played for the Pacific Islanders in the 2017 World Cup before he had made his NRL debut. The playmaker has won five caps for Samoa so far and featured for them in the Nines World Cup in 2019.
Herbie Farnworth (England)
Alex Johnston (Papua New Guinea)
The 27-year-old South Sydney full-back or winger is coming off the back of a prolific season in the NRL, where he scored 30 tries, 10 more than his nearest rival, to cement his place in the top 10 list of try-scorers of all time in Australian rugby league. Johnston played for Australia in the 2015 ANZAC Test against the Kiwis but injury ruled him out of the 2017 World Cup. He won representative honours with the Indigenous All Stars and the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII and was at full-back in the Kumuls’ 24-14 win over Fiji in June.
Joseph Manu (New Zealand)
Mitchell Moses (Lebanon)
A naturally talented goal-kicking half-back, 28-year-old Moses was born in Ryde, New South Wales, but is of Lebanese descent and the nephew of former Balmain Tigers hooker Benny Elias. Formerly with Wests Tigers, Moses has played a key role in the resurgence of Parramatta, culminating in their appearance in the 2022 NRL Grand Final. He twice represented the Australia Prime Ministers’ XIII but was made vice-captain of Lebanon in the 2017 World Cup and was named in the Team of the Tournament.
Viliame Kikau (Fiji)
The powerful second rower made his final appearance for Penrith in the NRL Grand Final, in which he helped the Panthers retain their title, ahead of his move to Canterbury Bulldogs for 2023. His biggest attribute is his ability to pass out of the tackle, demonstrated by 45 offloads in 2022, the fifth most by any player in the NRL. Kikau has made 12 international appearances since coming on off the bench against Papua New Guinea in 2015 and has scored eight tries, including a double during Fiji’s biggest ever victory against Wales in Townsville during the 2017 World Cup.
