Rugby League World Cup Group C Preview: Kiwi top guns, the Irish challenge, Lebanon and Jamacia

The Rugby League World Cup kicks off on Saturday 15 October as England face Samoa at Newcastle's St James' Park.

The biggest and hopefully best tournament in history, sixteen nations will compete across four groups, with Australia looking to make it three World Cup wins in a row. It's getting real now and with that in mind, here’s the third of Rugby League Live’s group previews.

Group C - New Zealand, Lebanon, Jamaica, Ireland

New Zealand

Head Coach: Michael Maguire

Captain: Kieran Foran

Last three World Cups: 2008 - winners, 2013 - runners up, 2017 - quarter finals

Squad: Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Melbourne Storm), Jesse Bromwich (Melbourne Storm), Kenneath Bromwich (Melbourne Storm), Dylan Brown (Parramatta Eels), James Fisher-Harris (Penrith Panthers), Kieran Foran (Manly Sea Eagles), Peta Hiku (North Queensland Cowboys), Jahrome Hughes (Melbourne Storm), Sebastian Kris (Canberra Raiders), Moses Leota (Penrith Panthers), Isaac Liu (Gold Coast Titans), Joseph Manu (Sydney Roosters), Jeremy Marshall-King (Canterbury Bulldogs), Ronaldo Mulitalo (Cronulla Sharks), Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Canberra Raiders), Briton Nikora (Cronulla Sharks), Marata Niukore (Parramatta Eels), Isaiah Papali'i (Parramatta Eels), Jordan Rapana (Canberra Raiders), Brandon Smith (Melbourne Storm), Scott Sorensen (Penrith Panthers), Joseph Tapine (Canberra Raiders), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Sydney Roosters), Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (New Zealand Warriors

Preview: Containing six players from the NRL Grand Final teams, Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels, New Zealand's squad is pretty devastating. There's power, speed, flair, and most worryingly, depth. The Kiwis have an abundance of talent and they'll be hot favourites to dispose of their group with ease.

In Brandon Smith, they have one of the best hookers, and best characters, in world rugby league. Elsewhere, there's Joey Manu, Jahrome Hughes, and Dylan Brown, before a monstrous pack of forwards including James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota and Nelson Asofa-Solomona. That's without mentioning Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Joseph Tapine and the Bromwich brothers. This team is seriously talented. A gold mine for head coach Michael Maguire.

The only new addition to the squad is Canberra's Sebastian Kris, with Jeremy Marshall-King also uncapped after being part of extended squad for the mid-season test against Tonga. The Kiwis won 26-6 that night after a masterclass from Joey Manu in front of a sold out Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland. That's the appetite for the international game in this part of the world, and they'll go far in 2022 with a potential semi-final against Australia absolutely mouth-watering.

Lebanon

Head Coach: Michael Cheika

Captain: Mitchell Moses

Last three World Cups: 2008 - did not qualify, 2013 - did not qualify, 2017 - quarter finals

Squad: Jalal Bazzaz (Wests Illawarra), Adam Doueihi (Wests Tigers), Hanna El-Nachar (Penrith Panthers), Toufic El-Hajj (American University of Beirut), Elie El-Zakhem (Parramatta Eels), Atef Hamdan (Wolves, Lebanon), Kayne Kalache (Newtown Jets), Andrew Kazzi (Western Suburbs Magpies), Jacob Kiraz (Canterbury Bulldogs), Bilaal Maarbani (Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles), Anthony Layoun (St Marys Saints), Josh Mansour (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Josh Maree (Wentworthville United), Tony Maroun (Ryde-Eastwood Hawks), Abbas Miski (Wigan Warriors), Brandon Morkos (Canberra Raiders), Mitchell Moses (Parramatta Eels), Jaxson Rahme (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Khalil Rahme (Mt Pritchard Mounties), Khaled Rajab (Canterbury Bulldogs), Reece Robinson (unattached), James Roumanos (Manly Sea Eagles), Mikey Tannous (Wests Tigers), Charbel Tasipale (Newtown Jets).

Preview: The nation that brought us NRL legend Hazem El Masri are set for their third World Cup after featuring in the 2000 and 2017 tournaments. Holding the points records for both the NRL and unsurprisingly the Cedars as well, El Masri's legacy still lives on today. Now, the Lebanese are still fronted by one of the best talents the NRL has to offer, with Parramatta's Mitchell Moses leading the side. Moses is joined by Josh Mansour of South Sydney and Adam Doueihi of Wests Tigers.

From Super League, Wigan winger Abbas Miski makes the squad, with two domestic players in Toufic El-Hajj and Atef Hamdan joining the side. The rest of the players are from the lower grades of Australian rugby league, from clubs such as Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles and St Mary's Saints. Lebanon, meanwhile, made the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, losing to a formidable Tonga side. The target will be to match that finish again in 2022, with wins over Jamaica and Ireland the goal.

Jamaica

Head Coach: Romeo Monteith

Captain: Joe Brown

Last three World Cups: 2008 - did not enter, 2013 - did not qualify, 2017 - did not qualify

Squad: Jordan Andrade (unattached), Mo Agoro (Keighley Cougars), Chevaughn Bailey (Duhaney Park Red Sharks), Joe Brown (Workington Town), Jy-Mel Coleman (unattached), Joel Farrell (Sheffield Eagles), Ashton Golding (Huddersfield Giants), Bradley Ho (Keighley Cougars), Greg Johnson (Batley Bulldogs), Aaron Jones-Bishop (Cornwall RLFC), Ben Jones-Bishop (Sheffield Eagles), Michael Lawrence (Huddersfield Giants), Abevia McDonald (London Skolars), Khamisi McKain (Duhaney Park Red Sharks), Jacob Ogden (York City Knights), Ross Peltier (Dewsbury Rams), Kieran Rush (Huddersfield Giants), Andrew Simpson (Duhaney Park Red Sharks), Marvin Thompson (Duhaney Park Red Sharks), Keenen Tomlinson (Dewsbury Rams), Renaldo Wade (Duhaney Park Red Sharks), AJ Wallace (Bradford Bulls), James Woodburn-Hall (Halifax Panthers), Alex Young (Workington Town).

Preview: Huddersfield Giants trio Ashton Golding, Michael Lawrence and Kieran Rush headline the Jamaica squad ahead of their first-ever Rugby League World Cup. The Reggae Warriors are the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the tournament, after beating both Canada and the USA, a testament to the development work done on both sides of the Atlantic.

With three tough fixtures ahead of them, Jamaica have it all to do. Their squad contains six players from domestic side Duhaney Park Red Sharks, who recently won the National Club Championship Grand Final for the 14th time in 16 seasons. The rest is made up of Championship and League One players, including 2022 newcomers Cornwall RLFC.

Playing their first game just over a decade ago, Jamaica are on the rise, and set to feature at Headingley, they'll have some significant support behind them. Whether that will be enough to trouble Ireland and Lebanon, who both have a sprinkle of NRL superstars, not to mention New Zealand, is another thing, but make no mistake they'll give everything they've got to try and cause an upset.

Ireland

Head Coach: Ged Corcoran

Captain: George King

Last three World Cups: 2008 - semi-final qualifier, 2013 - group stage, 2017 - group stage

Squad: James Bentley (Leeds Rhinos), Keanan Brand (Leigh Centurions), Liam Byrne (Wigan Warriors), Ed Chamberlain (Leigh Centurions), Josh Cook (Canterbury Bulldogs), Frankie Halton (Hull KR), James Hasson (South Sydney Rabbitohs), Jaimin Jolliffe (Gold Coast Titans), Luke Keary (Sydney Roosters), Joe Keyes (Halifax Panthers), Toby King (Warrington Wolves), George King (Hull KR), Ben Mathiou (Featherstone Rovers), James McDonnell (Wigan Warriors), Ronan Michael (York City Knights), Robbie Mulhern (Warrington Wolves), Richie Myler (Leeds Rhinos), Dan Norman (St Helens), Henry O’Kane (Wests Tigers), Harry Rushton (Canberra Raiders), Innes Senior (Huddersfield Giants), Louis Senior (Hull KR), Michael Ward (Batley Bulldogs).

Preview: Playing Jamaica then Lebanon, Ireland could be through to the last eight by the time they play New Zealand in the final group stage match. Don't shout that too loud, though. Baring the Kiwis, they have the highest profile squad in Group C, fronted by Sydney Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary, a genuine star of the NRL. There's also James Hasson from South Sydney. After that, the Wolfhounds boast Super League quality in Liam Bryne, James Bentley, Frankie Halton, Toby King, Richie Myler, captain George King, et al.

Finishing in the group stage of both the 2013 and 2017 tournaments, the goal will be to get to the knockout rounds as they did in both 2000 and 2008. They'll still be a sour taste from 2017 given that Samoa bizarrely went through to the quarter-finals despite not winning a game compared to Ireland's two, but now with four groups containing four teams, the mathematics and the logic are thankfully more simple. Beating Spain and Italy to qualify, the knockout stages are the goal, and the Irish have a genuine shot of making them.

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