RLWC England v Ireland: Graham ready to mark his return with a try

A fired-up James Graham can inspire England to victory over Ireland after he was named in Steve McNamara’s team for their upcoming Rugby League World Cup clash.

The Canterbury Bulldogs prop, who is 28/1 to score the first try against Ireland, was dropped for the clash with Australia after breaking a drinking ban but returns for this contest hoping to get England’s campaign back on track.

The hosts lost their opening fixture to the well-fancied Australians but Graham’s inclusion will give England impetus against an Irish side boasting experienced props Brett White and James Hassan.

With the former St. Helens star hungry to make an impact, backing him to score anytime at 12/5 with Ladbrokes looks a shrewd move.

England coach McNamara has also shuffled his deck in the backs by bringing Tom Briscoe into the starting line-up after the winger impressed in training.

With England likely to be on the front foot at the John Smith’s Stadium, Briscoe, who scored 16 tries for Hull FC in the Super League this season, could be the beneficiary.

The 23-year-old is 6/1 to score the first try, while he is 4/11 to cross the try line at anytime.

What could be of more interest is backing Briscoe to score two or more tries on the night at 10/11.

Elsewhere, it’s hard to look past anything but an England win in Huddersfield and with no value in the match betting markets, it is worth going further afield to examine the handicaps.

While Mark Aston’s Irish side should get nowhere near a victory, the Wolfhounds have plenty of NRL and Super League experience in their ranks to compete with their English counterparts.

And what’s more motivating than a World Cup clash with England to encourage Ireland to put in a strong display in Huddersfield?

Therefore backing Ireland on the handicap at +44.0 at evens could represent the steal of the night.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing