England’s World Cup campaign collapses as men and women face exit in Australia, New Zealand and PNG

England's men's and women's teams saw their Rugby League World Cup hopes unravel in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea on 30 October 2026, with the men's late Mikey Lewis try in a 34-12 victory over Papua New Guinea unlikely to prevent elimination and the women's side beaten 24-6 by Samoa earlier on Friday.

The tournament is being staged in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea after France withdrew for financial reasons, and England now face the prospect that, for the first time in World Cup history, neither the men's nor the women's side will reach the last four. For the men, the campaign ends a run that began with Great Britain at the first tournament in 1954 and follows a period of underperformance relative to southern hemisphere rivals.

Brian McDermott was appointed England head coach in April and arrived with roughly six months to prepare and no mid-season international fixtures; based in Australia because of his role as Gold Coast Titans assistant coach, he relied on virtual meetings with players and staff. Four on-field sessions were planned in Australia but only two were completed after England's UK-based players endured a 48-hour journey to Perth that McDermott likened to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. That disrupted preparation ahead of a testing opener against Tonga, which England lost 30-12.

McDermott said after the Tonga defeat: "You give me another two or three weeks preparation or another couple of games of preparation leading into the tournament and I'd be really excited." Tournament travel arrangements were organised by the event planners, and the article questions why England's opener was not against France, the only other largely northern hemisphere-based side.

Selection complications followed Wakefield Trinity's historic triumph on 5 October and the timing of the Super League Grand Final on 3 October; only three of the 14 England-based players in the squad (George Williams, Matty Ashton and Ben Currie) participated in that Grand Final. McDermott said: "If we come together next year as a group, we will be further down the track and we don't need to start from scratch," and added: "Bear in mind when we landed in Perth on the Friday [9 October], we are starting... like we didn't know each other. We were putting things in place about who we are as a group, what it means to us, how we are going to play, how we are going to attack and how we are going to defend. There's been a ton of work gone on."

A succession of forward injuries and absences further weakened England's pack: Matty Lees suffered a season-ending injury in May, Mike McMeeken and Caleb Hanlan-Uele were unavailable, Morgan Smithies withdrew injured, and Morgan Knowles missed the Tonga match with a calf complaint. Other players unavailable through injury included Sydney Roosters' Billy Smith, Wigan's Jake Wardle and Leeds Rhinos duo Ash Handley and Mikolaj Oledzki. McDermott had earlier cited admiration for England's pack from Australia prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Kangaroos boss Kevin Walters but could not call on many of those players for this tournament.

After the Tonga defeat England were left needing large winning margins elsewhere and, despite beating Papua New Guinea 34-12, McDermott said the result felt hollow: "It feels like we lost the game." He added: "We won and, in any circumstances I would be really proud but I think something remarkable is going to have to happen now for us to go through." He also reflected on the task imposed by results elsewhere: "We've made massive strides together in such a short period of time, in difficult circumstances where the narrative of the last two weeks is that you've got to win by 70 and 60. You don't just need to win, you need to win by massive margins."

England's women's coach Stuart Barrow selected a youthful squad containing 11 players aged 23 or under, many of whom balance rugby with full-time jobs outside the sport, and the team lost the semi-final-deciding fixture with Samoa 24-6. The women had been humbled 78-0 by world champions Australia the previous Saturday and, since the last World Cup, had played just six internationals, all against France and Wales, in which they scored 348 points while conceding four. Barrow said: "Women's Super League has progressed to a certain level and we are bringing young players through so that creeps into the national team," and added: "The investment into the NRLW is not only making the Jillaroos better but it's making all the Pacific nations better as well." He concluded: "We definitely need to do something because the acceleration of the game over here is phenomenal at the moment. Back home, we need to have more investment into the women's and girls game. It can't just be a token gesture at some clubs - and I'm not saying it is, but we need to put money into it."

England's elimination from the tournament will be confirmed on Sunday unless Tonga beat Samoa by more than 46 points, a result that would keep England's final standing dependent on external outcomes rather than further on-field advances.