Rugby League World Cup 2013: Key Battles to Watch in Old Trafford Final

This year's Rugby League World Cup final will again bring together the Southern Hemisphere's two biggest nations in a bid to decide which of Australia and New Zealand reign supreme.

Both sides bring an amazing wealth of NRL talent into the fixture and promise to put on another fine display, having met in the 2008 final of the Rugby League World Cup.

On that occasion, it was the Kiwis who managed to claim a surprise win over their Australasian rivals, but Tim Sheens' men will be all the more eager to redeem themselves as a result.

With only the best line-ups in the sport left in the struggle, read on for a breakdown of some key head-to-head battles that should unfold.

Greg Inglis vs. Kevin Locke

Greg Inglis hasn't yet been the live wire that many might have expected would come to this year's Rugby League World Cup, but he has already managed two tries in his appearances thus far.

If the South Sydney Rabbitohs' star were ever to pick a moment in pulling his best form together, however, now would be it as his side near their competition climax.

Against his stocky frame is the presence of Kevin Locke, who has himself been out of sorts and is yet to register even one try at this tournament.

Locke was unnerved at times against the English at Wembley and showed that his lines can be penetrated, something that Inglis is yet to really display at this World Cup, but there's a first time for everything.

Greg Bird vs. Sonny Bill Williams

Another Greg in Sheens' squad with a big weekend ahead of him is second-row Greg Bird, who again leads his team as they head into the crescendo of this year's symphony.

However, the greatest task ahead of Sheens' forward figure lies in caging the irrepressible Sonny Bill Williams, a man he'll need to track at Old Trafford with some efficiency.

Combining with his backs, Bird will be expected to not only nullify the SBW threat, but also to continue posing one of his own and possibly even add to his try tally, which currently stands at two, while Williams has managed three of his own.

Johnathan Thurston vs. Kieran Foran

It's no secret that Australia boast one of the finest league rosters in the world, and among that roster, Johnathan Thurston ranks as one of the most pivotal stars.

So far in this Rugby League World Cup, the veteran's link-up play with Inglis has sometimes been a marvel to admire, but one final push is needed from the Kangaroos' leader.

No stranger to this kind of occasion, Thurston will be more accustomed to the pressure than Kieran Foran, but the Kiwis' stand-off will have every confidence that he's capable of tempering his opposite man. He has to.