England lose to Tonga as World Cup semi-final hopes suffer

What happened

England face a difficult route to the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals after Tonga defeated them 30-12 in Perth on Saturday. Their opening match left Brian McDermott’s team needing results elsewhere to help them progress through the tournament’s combined Group B-C table.

Tonga scored five tries to England’s two, with Haumole Olakau’atu and Toluta’u Koula each crossing twice. The 18-point defeat leaves England with ground to recover in a competition that gives only two of the six teams in that combined table a place in the last four.

England initially made progress through offloads and support play, repeatedly advancing into threatening positions during the opening half-hour. Their approach created opportunities, but their finishing allowed Tonga to withstand that pressure without conceding before the interval.

A significant exchange came after 22 minutes. With England close to the Tonga line, captain Jason Taumalolo tackled Victor Radley, who lost possession. Rather than completing an attack within scoring range, England had to turn immediately to defence.

Two minutes later, Stefano Utoikamanu scored the opening try. Isaiya Katoa supplied an inside pass that took George Williams and Kai Pearce-Paul out of the play, giving Utoikamanu the opening to reach the line and Tonga the first reward for their resistance.

Katoa converted and then kicked two penalties to establish a 10-0 half-time lead. Harry Smith conceded the first penalty for obstruction involving Dallin Watene-Zelezniak; the second followed Herbie Farnworth’s accidental trip on Watene-Zelezniak away from the ball shortly before the break.

England responded early in the second half through full-back AJ Brimson. Dom Young provided the momentum for the move, carrying the ball for 20 metres while resisting two tacklers before Brimson finished the attack. It gave England their first points after a scoreless opening half.

Tonga’s next breakthrough came through a low kick and a further touch forward with the boot, allowing Olakau’atu to collect and score behind England’s line. England had been applying pressure again, but Tonga turned their next attacking opportunity into a substantial setback for their opponents.

Just three minutes later, Tui Lolohea’s kicking created another opening. Koula reacted to reach the ball and score, leaving England chasing a side whose attacks were producing points much more consistently than their own.

Young subsequently finished an England move in the corner, but Tonga supplied the final two tries. Olakau’atu scored his second with 10 minutes remaining after another Katoa kick found space in the defence. Koula then added his second late in the match.

Elsewhere in the men’s competition, co-hosts Papua New Guinea beat Lebanon 42-18. That match also counted towards the combined Group B-C standings, making it directly relevant to the qualification contest England must now navigate.

The background

England entered the tournament ranked third in the world, two places above Tonga. The result therefore overturned the rankings, while extending England’s recent difficulties against Pacific opposition at the World Cup: Samoa ended their previous campaign in the semi-finals four years ago.

The 2026 format puts the six countries in Groups B and C into one table. Its two leading teams advance to the semi-finals, where they will be joined by the winner and runner-up from Group A. There is no quarter-final stage offering another route into the final four.

That arrangement makes the opening defeat particularly costly. England’s remaining opponents are Papua New Guinea and France, but victories against both would not remove their dependence on the outcome of Tonga’s match against Samoa. Qualification involves the wider table rather than simply recovering within a separate three-team group.

Failure to reach the semi-finals would mark the first time England had finished a Rugby League World Cup outside the last four. The immediate challenge is therefore not just to recover from one defeat, but to protect a record that has survived their previous unsuccessful title campaigns.

Before the tournament, McDermott had advocated a different attacking approach, with greater creativity at decisive moments. England’s inability to finish promising attacks in Perth nevertheless echoed a difficulty they experienced during the previous year’s Ashes series: gaining attacking territory without reliably turning it into scores.

What people are saying

McDermott identified England’s execution, rather than their overall plan, as the central problem. He said his players had created openings during the first 20 minutes and reached useful attacking positions, only for untidy finishing to prevent them from taking advantage.

His assessment was that England had played too erratically. He called for patience and indicated that he did not believe the gameplan needed changing. That leaves the emphasis on carrying out the intended approach more accurately rather than replacing it after the opening match.

The coach also acknowledged that some of England’s problems were self-inflicted. Penalties were part of that difficulty: beyond the points conceded before half-time, infringements later helped Tonga escape pressure when England were trying to sustain their recovery.

Tonga had strong, vocal backing from their supporters in Perth. Their fans celebrated a performance built on resistance near their own line and effective attacking kicks at the other end, with Katoa contributing both to the scoreboard and to the creation of tries.

What happens next

England need Tonga to defeat Samoa on 1 November while they seek substantial winning margins against Papua New Guinea and France. Simply improving on Saturday’s performance is not the whole task: they must also recover their position relative to other teams competing for the same two places.

Scoring margins matter to that challenge. In rugby league, a try earns four points, with a successful conversion adding two; a penalty goal is worth two. Finishing attacking opportunities and avoiding penalties therefore affect both the outcome of an individual match and the scale of any victory or defeat.

England’s women have a separate major test ahead after opening their campaign with a 70-6 victory over Wales. They face reigning world champions Australia in Perth next Saturday in the match that will decide the winner of Group A.

Anna Davies and debutant Connie Boyd each scored three tries against Wales. Izzy Rowe crossed twice and contributed 26 points overall. Australia, known as the Jillaroos, began their own campaign on Friday with a 40-0 victory over Samoa, setting up a meeting between two sides coming off large opening wins.

Why this matters

For supporters in the UK, following England’s men now means watching more than their own fixtures. The Tonga-Samoa result on 1 November will be part of the qualification equation, alongside England’s efforts to build winning margins in their remaining games.

The women’s campaign offers a different immediate prospect: a contest for first place against the defending champions. England’s two teams therefore approach their next challenges in contrasting positions, with the men trying to repair their route to the knockout stage and the women preparing for a group-deciding encounter.