Bettors have reached a stage at which they are beginning to wonder whether it is pointless betting on England in a Rugby League World Cup. Are they cursed? Do they not have the bottle to make it to the end? These are all questions on people’s lips after the Wall of White crashed out of yet another competition in the latter stages.

Of course, when the next tournament rolls around, optimism around the team could be high again. This is the country where the sport was born, after all. But should bettors now learn their lesson and keep England as far away from their bet slips as possible next time out?

England Crash Out Yet Again

Going into this year’s tournament, England were among the favourites in the rugby league betting to win. They were placed at 6/1 at the start of the competition, but still way behind Australia who were 1/3 in the bookies’ estimations. Still, as Shaun Wane’s side progressed to the latter stages of the ultimate competition, hope in the UK was on the rise with the belief that this could finally be the year.

Instead, fans were disappointed once again when England crashed out at the semi-final stage in a thrilling encounter against Samoa. This was such a close-fought tie that it came down to a golden-point situation, with the Samoan Warriors eventually winning the game 27-26. It could have been a case of England underestimating their opponents after defeating them so comprehensively earlier in the tournament, but it’s hard to put a positive spin on such a harrowing loss.

This marks the fourth time that England have left the competition at this stage, after making it to the semi-finals in 2000, 2008, 2013, and 2021 as well. England have also appeared in the final three times, and finished as runners-up in 1975, 1995, and 2017.

Rugby League World Cup Dominated by Australia

Rugby league may have originated in the working class towns of the UK, but it has risen to a much higher standard in Australia. This is reflected by the country’s sheer dominance in the sport ever since the inception of the Rugby League World Cup in 1954. It’s the most popular sport in the winter in New South Wales and Queensland, and the State of Origin between these two regions is one of the most fiercely contested series of rugby league games in the world.

Australia have won the Rugby League World Cup on 11 occasions, finished as runners-up three times, and exited at the semi-finals once. No other side can get close to them, and it highlights the gulf in standard between the National Rugby League and the Super League. It is played at a much faster pace in the southern hemisphere, and the league tends to have bigger, more skilful players.

Anyone who decided to bet on England winning this year’s Rugby League World Cup was once again disappointed, and it may be time for bettors to avoid staking on the Three Lions victory in the future. Perhaps a wiser wager next time would be to stake on them putting a run in but ultimately losing out in the final stages.

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