Australia v New Zealand - Rugby League Preview

Test match rugby league has certainly come of age. In the past it was somewhat of a joke as the Australian team simply won if they were in anyway serious. The New Zealand rugby league team has continued to improve as certainly represents a huge challenge to the Kangaroos every time they step out.

The Kiwis have had such a marked improvement in recent years due to the rapid increase of the games popularity in the land of the long white clouds. There are a host of reasons but the major one is the lack of promotion and quality organisation of the Rugby Union that has dominated the New Zealand landscape for so long. The other is the huge amount of money and opportunity for Kiwi players to hit the big time in the NRL and it is easy to see why a young footballer would switch to playing league over Union.

The text this weekend offers some excellent opportunities for betting. The Australian team has many new faces, has been ravaged by injury and can't expect to have it easy. Sportsbet.com.au is always the best place to bet on Southern Hemisphere markets as they are competitive and have an excellent range of options.

The Kiwis get a massive +16 point head start at the line and I will certainly be lining up to take a little bit of this action. It is true that the Kiwis also have some new faces and will nedd their forwards to win the night to keep within the spread but I certainly think nearly 3 converted tries is a huge start.

There are also a few NRL games after the test and my line bet options on these games are as follows; Penrith, Manly, Raiders, Melbourne and Parramatta. My bet of the round would be Parramatta who really should be back on track now and should beat the Dragons by more that 4 points. Watch for injuries in the test as sides like Melbourne should win easily but have many players backing up.

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