League: Kiwis get easy draw

Manu Vatuvei (left) and Jerome Ropati. Photo / Richard Robinson

Defending champions New Zealand have drawn an undemanding group at the rugby league World Cup in 2013.

Joining the Kiwis in group B are Papua New Guinea, Samoa and France.

Australia will take on hosts England in the group stages after the draw in Manchester put them in group A alongside England, Fiji and Ireland.

Group C features Scotland and Tonga along with the successful nation from a European qualifying group consisting of Italy, Lebanon, Russia and Serbia.

Group D has tournament co-hosts Wales, the Cook Islands and an Atlantic qualifier - either Jamaica, South Africa or the United States.