England face a sudden threat of elimination from the 2026 Rugby League World Cup after their 30-12 defeat to Tonga in the tournament opener. The loss puts the Three Lions’ progression beyond the group stage out of their control, even if they win their remaining two matches.
The group format combines Group B and Group C into a single table of six teams. England, Samoa, and Lebanon make up Group B, while Tonga, France, and Papua New Guinea make up Group C. Each team in Group B plays each team in Group C once. Samoa’s emphatic 78-4 victory over France means England now need Tonga to beat France by a large margin to have a chance of overtaking Samoa on points difference.
England showed glimpses of their attacking potential against Tonga, with AJ Brimson scoring their only try. Head coach Brian McDermott acknowledged the team’s ability to create opportunities but admitted they struggled to finish their sets cleanly. “On occasions, I think we opened up in that first 20 and whether we went through the middle or went through the edge, we found ourselves in a good ball position. We had some scrappy finishes to those good ball sets,” McDermott said.
The England coach praised Tonga’s defensive effort, noting their ability to stop tries close to the line. He said, “We wanted to put a load of fatigue into Tonga and credit to Tonga as well. I thought they were terrific defensively in terms of breaching their line and cracking their line open. I thought we did that two or three times in that first half, but they came up with some try-saving tackles.”
McDermott insisted the team’s game plan would remain consistent for their next match against France. “The fact that we didn't score on the try-line doesn’t suggest that our game plan needs to change. We’ve just got to be more patient and knock off the ball as much as we can,” he said.
England’s next match is against France in Perth on Saturday 24 October, with kick-off at 7.35am GST. Despite France’s heavy 78-4 loss to Samoa, McDermott’s squad will face a team eager to improve. France conceded 14 tries against Samoa, a side whose players mainly come from the NRL, which France’s head coach Laurent Frayssinous described as a higher level compared to the Super League, where most of the French players compete.
“The NRL keeps growing and keeps getting better every year,” Frayssinous said. “Watching NRL every year, it's at the top, at the top, at the top. A step up, step up, step up. Super League is [getting] better every year, but not as fast as the NRL. The smartness, the skill the guys have under pressure, the touches, week in, week out, that’s something we need to improve in Super League, simple as that.”
England’s squad is also largely made up of Super League players, but history suggests they hold the upper hand. England won 40-8 away to France in 2024, defeated them 64-0 in 2023, and secured a 42-18 victory when the teams met at the 2022 World Cup.
McDermott warned his players against chasing points recklessly in their efforts to stay alive in the tournament. “We know what’s in front of us now. We’ve got to win the next two games. We’ve got to improve on the things that we need to improve upon,” he said. “I've just been said about not chasing points and not chasing scoreboards. We certainly don't want to trip ourselves up.”
England’s chances now depend on their ability to balance an aggressive attack with defensive caution, while hoping Tonga can help them by delivering a heavy defeat to France. The Three Lions face a challenging path if they want to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
According to Yahoo Sports.