England’s hopes of reaching the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals hang in the balance, and their progress depends on other results. Brian McDermott’s side must beat Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Wollongong on Friday by a large margin, then wait two days to learn their fate, when Tonga play Samoa in Sydney on Sunday.
Carney said England “have it all to do” to reach the semi-finals and avoid a historic group-stage exit. England lost 30-12 to Tonga in their opening match, which raised doubts over their chances of reaching the knockout stages. Even after sealing an 82-0 victory against France on Saturday, they still need a series of events to go their way.
A Samoa win would send England out. A Tonga victory could see England progress on points difference.
“The whistle went on the Tonga game and everybody went: ‘Well, this format is appalling. England are essentially out. It’s one and done in the tournament’,” Carney said.
“They went out against France and they built a huge scoreline to give themselves hope. They’re going to have to do the same again against a PNG side who I have found disappointing in the tournament so far. They will need Tonga to beat Samoa so they’re going to need an awful lot to go their way.”
This year’s tournament features a unique format, with six teams included in Pools B and C. If multiple teams finish tied, the final group standings are determined by head-to-head record. That means Tonga would finish above England after their first-round victory.
Remaining fixtures
- Friday, October 30: England vs Papua New Guinea, WIN Stadium, Wollongong (9.05am)
- Sunday, November 1: Lebanon vs France, CommBank Stadium, Sydney (6.40am)
- Sunday, November 1: Tonga vs Samoa, CommBank Stadium, Sydney (9.05am)
England trail Samoa by a points difference margin of 68 heading into the final round of fixtures. They need a big win over PNG to leapfrog Samoa.
“What England have to do, and you’ve heard this a thousand times in different sports, is control the controllables,” Carney said. “They’ll have to go out, pile on the points, and the more points they put over, the less Tonga have to win by.”
England Women must change to catch up with Australia
England Women were outclassed by Australia on Saturday, suffering a 78-0 defeat to the defending world champions. The loss follows Stuart Barrow’s side’s 90-4 defeat to the Jillaroos in Las Vegas in March 2025, which raised further questions about the gap between England and the world’s leading teams.
Despite opening the tournament with a commanding 70-6 victory over Wales, England must beat Samoa in a winner-takes-all final group-stage match on Saturday to secure a place in the knockout stages.
Reflecting on the heavy defeat to Australia, McDermott acknowledged that significant changes are needed across all levels of rugby league in the UK if England are to close the gap on the Jillaroos.
“I’d ask this question: ‘What did one expect?'” Carney said.
“The English women’s side, it’s coming from a competition that is struggling for competitive games, struggling for resources, against a Jillaroos side who are very well resourced, in a very competitive environment with very strong competition, and all the best players in the world are in Australia’s competition, the NRLW.
“So I’m not sure what people expected the game to be. Was it an improvement on the Las Vegas defeat? Marginally on the scoreboard.
“Some will argue they have seen signs that England have turned the corner. I’m not so sure. Unless you sort out the competition over here, and rugby league in this part of the world, and everybody is adequately funded, you’re not going to close the gap.”