
Australia
Captain Cameron Smith
Coach Mal Meninga
Key man Greg Inglis
Despite being the reigning world champions, Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos arrive in England this autumn with an extra incentive to win silverware in the Four Nations. Victory in the final at Anfield in November would ensure that they reclaim the No1 spot in the world rankings, which they lost last year, at the expense of New Zealand.
Friday’s opener against Scotland will be only their third Test since relinquishing the top spot in the rankings, but with Meninga and the captain Cameron Smith both saying this week that the Kangaroos need to prioritise international rugby over club affairs, Australia appear the most dangerous of all four sides. There are all the usual suspects in their travelling party: the three-time Golden Boot winner Johnathan Thurston, the superstar Souths full-back Greg Inglis and their talismanic captain Smith – making them the team to beat at first glance.
England
Fixtures New Zealand (29 October, Huddersfield), Scotland (5 November, Coventry), Australia (13 November, London)Captain Sam Burgess
Coach Wayne Bennett
Key man Sam Burgess
England’s stock has perhaps never been higher but victory in the Four Nations – an entirely possible proposition – would raise it even further before next year’s World Cup. The headline acts are Sam Burgess and Wayne Bennett, the captain and coach who head up the team’s new era. The foundations were encouragingly laid last year during the Test series victory against New Zealand but the return of Burgess and the arrival of Bennett gives England a fearsome look they have not had in decades, if ever. But England fans’ optimism rightly goes beyond that pair. There is supreme talent in the back line, and in the likes of the NRL-based players such as Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead, England have a pack that could provide the catalyst for unprecedented success.
New Zealand
Captain Jesse Bromwich
Coach David Kidwell
Key man Thomas Leuluai
The Kiwis arrive for the Four Nations as officially the world’s best side but recent form suggests they have a challenge on their hands to keep hold of that title. An under-strength New Zealand side lost in England last year and although some of their big names return for the Four Nations, back-to-back Test defeats to Australia this year suggest that New Zealand under David Kidwell, who took charge for the most recent of those two games, are very much a work in progress. The former Golden Boot winner Shaun Johnson – the scourge of England in the World Cup three years ago – makes a welcome return, but defeat in their opening fixture against England on Saturday would leave them knowing they would have to beat the Kangaroos in week two to stand any chance of making the final.
Scotland
Fixtures Australia (28 October, Hull), England (5 November, Coventry), New Zealand (11 November, Workington)Captain Danny Brough
Coach Steve McCormack
Key man Lachlan Coote
The Bravehearts return to the main stage in international rugby league for the first time since their run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup three years ago – and they do so this time with their most talented squad in Scottish rugby league history. There is an encouraging mixture of top-tier and emerging talent, from the North Queensland full-back Lachlan Coote, an NRL winner 12 months ago, through to Scottish-born players like Dave Scott. Steve McCormack has a bigger pool to pick from than any Scotland head coach before him, with established names like Matty Russell and Danny Brough joined by new talent such as Lewis Tierney, the son of the former dual-code international Jason Robinson. Winning one game would constitute a major success however as they prepare for next year’s World Cup. But they can cause a few scares along the way.