Fri, 11 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Rabbitohs 10, Knights 20
Sat, 12 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 16, Dolphins 26
16 26 →Sat, 12 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Sharks 26, Cowboys 16
26 16 →Sun, 13 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Panthers 19, Roosters 12
19 12 →Sat, 19 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Roosters 46, Sharks 10
46 10 →Sun, 20 Sept, 4:05 pm, Final score, Warriors 10, Knights 12
10 12 →Fri, 25 Sept, 7:50 pm, Final score, Dolphins 20, Roosters 36
20 36 →Sun, 27 Sept, 4:00 pm, Final score, Panthers 14, Knights 22
14 22 →Sun, 4 Oct, 7:30 pm, Final score, Roosters 19, Knights 18
19 18 →
As it enters its second round of matches, just about every game of the Rugby League World Cup has become a battleground between true believers and sceptics.
asserted
it → enter → believers
The former point to the games of the opening week that attracted bumper ratings and healthy crowds for blockbuster contests like Australia against New Zealand or Tonga's clash with England.
asserted
that → open → England
Test football is better than ever, they cry, and these numbers prove it.
asserted
numbers → cry → it
The latter scoff at the blowouts, feeling ever more justified in their derision as the scorelines mount when powerhouses old or new collide with teams who have been left behind.
asserted
who → scoff → teams
Test football is a waste of time, they sneer, and these numbers prove it.
asserted
numbers → sneer → it
With the tournament entering a weekend where a close game will be hard to come by, the truth is firmly in the middle but hope is always where you find it, even among the wreckage of a smash-up.
asserted
you → enter → up
The Cedars were 23-1 to win, making them the second-shortest-priced underdogs of a round when Australia will play Fiji, England take on France, Papua New Guinea host Samoa and Cook Islands do their best against New Zealand.
asserted
Islands → win → Zealand
It will rain tries and apart from perhaps PNG-Samoa it will be a surprise if any match is closer than Tonga's 36-0 win over the spirited Cedars.
But you'd be hard-pressed to find a single one of the 25,605 strong crowd — the third highest of any match in history between two second tier nations — who'd call it a waste of time.
asserted
who → rain → time
If you can pack that many people into a stadium for a result that was never really in doubt you've got something worth having.
asserted
you → pack → something
Tonga's superior athleticism and cohesion across the field won them the day, with veteran halfback Tui Lolohea and rising fullback Lehi Hopoate both enjoying fine nights amid the rowdy atmosphere.
asserted
Lolohea → win → atmosphere
Western Sydney is a stronghold of both communities and Parramatta Stadium was awash in red, white and green, as it was drowned in cheers and buried in flags.
asserted
it → drown → flags
All through the 80 minutes beating of the Lebanese drums were answered by a chorus of Tongan voices, many of whom stayed well after fulltime to revel in their victory.
asserted
many → answer → victory
They have confirmed their place in the semi-finals but first must face their ancient rivals Samoa next week.
asserted
They → confirm → rivals
It will be a highlight of the tournament no matter who wins or what happens next, a meeting of the two new powers in these waters and it was not so long ago that they were copping the beatings rather than handing them out.
asserted
they → win → them
Back in 1999, Tonga lost to New Zealand 74-0 and nine years later, boasting a full team of NRL and Super League players, the Kiwis repeated the dose 56-8.
asserted
Kiwis → lose → dose
If those big losses killed Tonga off they never would never have transformed into what they are now, which is one of Test rugby league's apex predators.
asserted
which → kill → predators
Sticking with it despite heavy losses meant there was something for Tonga and Samoa's star players to come back to when they decided to choose their heritage and the result is what we have now — two extra high quality teams in Test football, making a gang of five where for years there was only three.
asserted
we → stick → years
A team like Lebanon is trapped in a land of wolves and asking for them to undergo a Tongan style transformation into a heavyweight is not realistic.
asserted
them → trap → heavyweight
They are at the mercy of what talent they can gleam from Australia's Lebanese communities and getting them all together for matches is difficult amid an already packed rugby league schedule, but they have found a way to make the most of it.
Young Canterbury halfback Alex Conti lost no admirers, nor did Tigers lock Alex Twal and some strong scrambling defence stopped the scoreline from getting to embarrassing territory.
asserted
Twal → gleam → territory
What they wouldn't have given for a half like Mitchell Moses, who instead represented Australia, or Adam Doueihi, who is injured, given they only had one fewer tackle inside the 20 than Tonga but could not find a point to show for it.
uncertain
they → give → it
Since the last World Cup they were demoted to affiliate status by the International Rugby League and only qualified this time around because they were quarter finalists in 2022.
asserted
they → demote → 2022
Major infrastructure changes will need to be made at a domestic level if Lebanon are even to be given a chance to qualify for 2030.
asserted
Lebanon → need → 2030
Their diaspora talent, which is considerable, will not be enough to shepherd them through and their tournament finale next week against France could be their last World Cup game for many years.
uncertain
finale → shepherd → years
If that's so the tournament will be poorer for their absence but they could finish with a flourish.
uncertain
they → finish → flourish
Next week's game against les Chanticleers is winnable for them and will be played in a double-header with Samoa-Tonga.
asserted
game → play → Tonga
It will give Sydney's vast Lebanese community one more opportunity to show their pride and love through their national side in a major sport, which is a chance they are rarely offered and one they made the most of on Friday night against long odds.
asserted
they → give → odds
That still means something, which means the game is worth something, as sure as the Pasifika blockbuster will be and as sure as this game was.
asserted
game → mean → something
Scorelines always matter and not every blow-out is created equal.
asserted
out → matter → ?
Sometimes you can squint so hard looking for a silver-lining you may as well be blind.
uncertain
you → squint → lining
But other times it's right in front of you, so clear you cannot miss it, as loud as the drums that hammered out into the night and as striking as the sea of red in the stands.
asserted
that → miss → stands
The Aporia
