Brian McDermott’s England Are Out of the Rugby League World Cup After Tonga Beat Samoa by Two Points
England are out of the Rugby League World Cup. They needed Tonga to beat Samoa by 47 points or more in Parramatta on Sunday night, and Tonga won 20-18.
Samoa and England both finished on four points in the combined Pools B and C table. The two sides never played each other, so it came down to points difference, and Samoa’s +130 beat England’s +86.
The defeat in Perth
England lost their first game 30-12 to Tonga in Perth on 17 October, and from then on they were chasing points. They beat France 82-0 a week later, then needed another big win against Papua New Guinea on Friday and won 34-12.
| Date | Match | Venue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 17 Oct | England 12, Tonga 30 | Perth | -18 |
| Sat 24 Oct | England 82, France 0 | Perth | +82 |
| Fri 30 Oct | England 34, Papua New Guinea 12 | Wollongong | +22 |
| Points difference | +86 |
They led PNG 22-0 after 21 minutes in Wollongong but did not score again for 48 minutes, rlwc2026.com reported. PNG scored twice early in the second half after what the site called a half-time spray from their coach, Jason Demetriou.
“It feels like we lost the game,” McDermott said afterwards. “We won the game and I’m really proud but I think something remarkable is going to have to happen for us to go through.”
Waiting on Tonga
Captain George Williams said the squad would watch Tonga v Samoa together. “There’s always a chance, it’s obviously pretty slim but hopefully Tonga can give us a bit of a miracle,” he told rlwc2026.com. Tonga coach Kristian Woolf had texted him to say Tonga would try to win for England.
Tonga did win and topped the table, but only by two points. Samoa had built their cushion in the first fortnight, beating France by 74 points and Papua New Guinea by 58. Our Tonga v Samoa match report has every try.
McDermott’s future
McDermott was appointed in April after Shaun Wane left in January, which gave him six months to build a squad, rlwc2026.com reported. He signed a short-term deal to the end of the tournament and wants to stay on.
“I’d like to do the job,” he said. “I have a four-year plan in place for the next World Cup, which is how it should be.”
Before the PNG game he had asked for patience rather than a points chase. His side waited 22 minutes to score against France before running in 82 points.
Which England sides are still playing
England’s women are out too, after Samoa beat them 24-6. The wheelchair side are still going. They are the holders, and opened with a 98-18 win over Wales in which Rob Hawkins scored 11 tries. They play again on Tuesday.
The men’s semi-finals are New Zealand v Tonga in Newcastle on Saturday 7 November and Australia v Samoa in Sydney on Sunday 8 November. UK kick-off times are on our World Cup UK times page, and the final standings are on the World Cup table.
