Rugby League World Cup 2013 Fixtures: Saturday Schedule, Start Times and Preview

England will once again take centre stage this Saturday when they look to bounce back from the Millennium Stadium defeat suffered at the hands of likely Group A winners Australia.

Steve McNamara's side take on basement side Ireland, who are hoping for a change themselves following a 32-14 loss at the hands of Fiji last time out.

England will be praying that Akuila Uate and the rest of a strong, offensive Fiji unit will be able to turn out an underdog win over the Aussies if they're to have any chance of topping the pool but need to ensure their own results are won, too.

Ahead of what promises to be a day that will shape just who has the best chances of going through to this year's Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals, read on for a preview of this Saturday's matchups, along with all the essential viewing information.

Matchup	Venue	Time
England vs. Ireland	John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield	2:30 p.m. GMT/10:30 a.m. ET
Australia vs. Fiji	Langtree Park, St. Helen's	8 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET

England vs. Ireland

Both yet to claim a point in their World Cup trials as of yet, either England or Ireland are set to claim a big boost in their hopes of advancing from Group A this Saturday.

However, the main storyline heading into the John Smith's Stadium fixture hasn't been about team selection or tactics—at least not the usual variety. Instead, one team allegedly decided to get into the Halloween spirit with a trick of their own on Friday morning.

As the Daily Mail's Joe Strange reports, the England team were roused with a 6:30 a.m. fire alarm, whispers claiming that the Irish squad may have been responsible. Sam Tomkins was helpful enough to film his team's reaction to the supposed prank.

This weekend is a big one for the Tomkins brand, with 2012 Man of Steel Sam set to provide an attacking impetus against the Irish while brother Joel makes his international debut for the national union team against Australia.

The full-back in particular should be a telling factor at the John Smith's Stadium, having not been permitted to express his talents to their fullest in Wales last week.

Whether the early wake-up will prove to have an effect on the English performance or not, Kevin Sinfield's side nonetheless boast the more talented roster but will miss the presence of Sam Burgess, who became the first player to receive a ban at this World Cup earlier in the week.

Australia vs. Fiji

Australia's win over England seven days ago was a well-executed and calculated example of just how effective the Kangaroos can perform as a squad on their day.

What was most impressive about the performance, though, was not just their ability to play well, but to do so while remaining infinitely calm despite initially suffering a first-half setback.

Fiji's wing talent is the story of their attack, the likes of Uate and Marika Koroibete posing substantial speed out wide.

Meanwhile, 2013's NRL top try scorer, Michael Jennings, comes into the Australia side looking to do some damage from centre, and it's likely that the Kangaroos will assume Group A's top spot by the time this weekend is through.