With Rabbitohs representing nations, both on field and off, in the World Cup starting this week, we’ve put together a list of the six must watch matches for Rabbitohs Members!
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Australia vs England, AAMI Park Melbourne, Friday 27 October, 8:00pm AEDT
The World Cup opener will see Australia pitted against the old enemy England at AAMI Park, where incoming Rabbitoh Dane Gagai could come face-to-face with two of England’s toughest in Sam and Tom Burgess.
Besides the Rabbitohs match-up, the clash will be the 15th time the nations meet (not including Great Britain clashes) with the home nation taking out the last 11 games, with their last defeat way back in 1995.
You can expect plenty of clashes, particularly in the forwards, with the Burgess brothers alongside James Graham and captain Shaun O’Loughlin trying to cause plenty of headaches for the Australian pack.
Should he be selected, the match would mark the International debut of Gagai after his stellar 2017 season.
New Zealand vs Samoa, Mt Smart Stadium New Zealand, Saturday 28 October, 6:10pm AEDT
The Kiwis will have an interesting Rabbitohs flavour to them during this year’s World Cup, with former Souths hardman David Kidwell as head coach, Rabbitohs General Manager Shane Richardson taking on a management role with the side and Rabbitohs Football Analyst Leigh Richardson assisting the coaching staff.
The match could also mark the World Cup debut of young Rabbitohs front rower Zane Musgrove, who, while being a native of New Zealand, has been included in the Samoan squad.
With the Kiwis hit hard with the absence of star players Jesse Bromwich, Kevin Proctor, Kieran Foran and Issac Luke, the ledger between the two sides very well could even out, with the Samoans vying for their first win against New Zealand.
Samoa vs Tonga, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton New Zealand, Saturday 4 November, 5:30pm AEDT
Fierce rivals Samoa and Tonga will face off in Hamilton, with plenty of fireworks expected for the clash.
Another match which could feature young gun Zane Musgrove, it could be a true test for the young gun if he were to feature in one of the most passionate and fierce rivalries in rugby league.
Rabbitohs assistant coach Dave Furner has linked up with the Tongans to help head coach Kristian Woolf bed in his new forward arsenal. Furner will reunite with Jason Taumalolo after previously working together with the North Queensland Cowboys in 2015.
With these two sides you can expect plenty of points and big hits, sprinkled with a few dust ups. While Samoa has won three of the last four clashes, the addition of Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita for the Tongans could prove to be a game changer for their chances in tournament, so it will definitely be an intriguing to see which nation comes on top in this one.
