2026 Rugby League World Cup: What England need to avoid group stage exit

“What we have done today is enormous, given the context,” McDermott told his post-match media conference in Perth.

“Knowing we had to win big – and we have had candid conversations about that this week – we have done that without getting hot. Everything was measured and planned.

“Whatever the results next week, we have to finish strong – if we go home next week, we will be disappointed, but I’m not sure what else we could have done.”

McDermott’s final comments may allude to the controversial format of this men’s World Cup, which features an unbalanced group stage that has not helped England’s prospects.

Pool A has four teams – Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Cook Islands – fighting for two semi-final places in a round-robin format. Simple enough.

But Pools B and C are combined into one six-team league, from which only the top two will make the semi-finals. England, drawn in Pool B, play the three Pool C teams – Tonga, France and Papua New Guinea.

It means while England are competing with Samoa for a semi-final place, they will not actually play each other.

It also means that while New Zealand lost their opening fixture against Australia, their path to the semis remains simple – win their final two group games.

England too had to win their last two pool matches but also needed snookers.

There is some reason behind the maddening format, introduced after France – who were supposed to host a 16-team men’s World Cup last summer – pulled out because of money troubles.

Australia stepped in with New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, with the number of teams involved shrunk from 16 to 10 to cut costs.

This format also means every team plays three group games, there are no fallow weekends and the whole tournament can be done in a relatively tight five weeks.