England face France in Perth on Saturday at 7.35am in their second Rugby League World Cup group game, and head coach Brian McDermott has described the tournament’s format as “harsh” after his side were beaten 30-12 by Tonga in their opener.
England must now hope Tonga beat Samoa in their final group match next week to have any realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals. If Tonga win, England and Samoa would be separated by points difference, a tough prospect for McDermott’s men given that Samoa started their campaign with a crushing 78-4 win over France.
“The jeopardy is losing one game is so harsh, it’s almost like we don’t get another chance to straighten things out,” said McDermott. “There’s still a slim chance that we get through, and that’s something we’re focusing on, and we’re really determined. It’s just harsh that we have to take a standing eight count in the first round.”
A complicated format
This year’s World Cup was reduced to 10 men’s teams after France pulled out of hosting the event in 2023. The result is a complicated, partial cross-group format in which one of the top five nations will be eliminated at the first stage.
By contrast, favourites Australia and New Zealand are effectively guaranteed to reach the last four. They have been placed in a conventional, four-team Group A alongside Fiji and the Cook Islands.
McDermott added: “New Zealand have lost their first game as well, but they’re going to get another go at it and the likelihood is they’ll qualify, so their destiny is not lying in other people’s hands.
“That’s not the position we find ourselves in. There’s no frustration, all I’m recognising in that the jeopardy is really harsh. We knew that for us to go through, we had to go and beat Tonga.”
Lewis remains out as changes considered
McDermott has kept the same 19-man group that lost to Tonga, with one late change: Matty Ashton starts on the wing in place of Zach Eckersley.
There is still no place for Hull KR star Mikey Lewis, who is named as a reserve and is neither in the starting team nor on the bench. The 25-year-old, who won the 2024 Man of Steel, has earned eight caps in his career but has started only three of them.
“He [Lewis] is good, it was a frustrating end to the season for him, but he won a World Club Challenge at the start of the year,” McDermott said. “He’s been great round the camp, he knows his role. He’s shown a lot of humility in the camp, as have a few other players.
“Mikey Lewis is a tremendous player and you’ve got to wonder whether he’d give us something that we haven’t got.”
McDermott confirmed that a change at half-back has been considered. “For sure, it has been considered, but I thought George [Williams] was good against Tonga. I think George has been unfairly assessed and I thought Harry Smith was really good. We were co-ordinated both in yardage attack and good ball attack.
“We got held up over the line four times in the game and there was a try-saver from Tonga holding up Herbie Farnworth.”
England and France squads
England: AJ Brimson, Dom Young, Hugo Savala, Herbie Farnworth, Matty Ashton, George Williams, Harry Smith, Max King, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Junior Nsemba, Kai Pearce-Paul, Victor Radley.
England interchange: Jez Litten, Ben Currie, Ethan Havard, Sam Walters, Jack Welsby, Zach Eckersley.
France: Arthur Mourgue, Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, Latrell Siegwalt, Roméo Tropis, Benjamin Laguerre, Thomas Lacans, Théo Fages, Romain Navarrete, Amir Bourouh, Julian Bousquet, Arthur Romano, Mathieu Jussaume, Benjamin Garcia (c).
France interchange: César Rougé, Lambert Belmas, Mathieu Cozza, Louis Grossemy.