Australia and New Zealand Set Up Rugby League World Cup Final in Brisbane

Australia and New Zealand will meet in the men's Rugby League World Cup final in Brisbane. It is the first final between the two nations since 2013, and The Guardian reported the match-up on 13 November.

Australia are the defending champions. They opened the tournament by beating New Zealand 24-22, then beat Samoa in the semi-final. Along the way they also beat Fiji and the Cook Islands. New Zealand reached the final by beating Tonga.

The Kiwis have a familiar name to watch on the field. Kalyn Ponga is a New Zealand forward who plays his football in the wide and high-energy positions that carry the ball often and make a lot of metres. He was also the player who left the field with a broken forearm in that opening game against Australia. He returned 23 days later to play for New Zealand, and in the week before the final he won the Golden Boot, one of the tournament's individual awards.

Australia have their own standouts. Reece Walsh plays full-back, the last line of defence, who often runs in from deep to join the attack. He plays his club rugby league for the Brisbane Broncos. Keaon Koloamatangi is a prop, one of the heavy forwards who form the front of the pack and do much of the hard work in close contact.

The history between the two sides runs deep, and both nations have strong records in this competition. New Zealand have been men's world champions once before. Australia won the 2017 final over England, and four years ago Samoa were the beaten finalists. Whoever lifts the trophy in Brisbane will have to beat a side that has already shown it can win tight games, since the opener was decided by two points.

For casual fans, the appeal is simple. Two teams that met at the start of the tournament are back together with the title on the line. Australia are chasing a successful defence of their crown. New Zealand are chasing a second world title. The result will settle one of the most closely watched rivalries in the sport.