England women thrashed Wales 70-4 in their Rugby League World Cup opener, but England men suffered a 30-12 defeat to Tonga that leaves their tournament out of their own hands.
It was a week of highs and lows for both teams. Both England sides are considered underdogs to reach the semi-finals, and the task is now even greater for the men after losing to what looks like the strongest Tonga team we have ever seen. The women, meanwhile, now prepare for Australia, the biggest test they have faced.
So what did we learn from the openers, and what can we expect in week two?
Second phase play brings errors but opportunity
England men had a clear tactic against Tonga: second phase play. They offloaded the ball freely and constantly tried to create space. It worked, and it got them into try-scoring positions.
In the first half in particular, they looked a real attacking threat, until they reached the opposition’s 20 metres. There, their last-play and attacking options let them down. They made 27 offloads to Tonga’s five and completed 246 passes to Tonga’s 191. Despite that, they made over 70 more tackles than Tonga, and they put up just five bombs to Tonga’s 12.
England did not pressurise and turn clinical in the moments that mattered. When the momentum swung, they had no points to show for their pressure.
At 10-6 down, they conceded one of the luckiest tries from a kick you might see, a ricochet of the flukiest variety.
Brian McDermott admitted that his style of play was risky. He said England would try things, and sometimes they would come off and sometimes they would not. In the first half, England made nine errors while Tonga made just three.
England showed a spark and some flair for 80 metres of the pitch, but in the final 20 the ideas faded away.
Strongest Tonga, travel days and missing grunt
It is important to put the loss in context. Many England fans will be ruing that this was their opener rather than the closing match of the Pool stages.
England had just about a week together, with no mid-season internationals. They travelled across the world from Heathrow to Sydney, then Perth, and did what they could in seven days. Those were far from ideal circumstances.
Their forward pack was also not what they would have wanted. Morgan Smithies was ruled out of the tournament, and fellow enforcer Morgan Knowles was then ruled out of the game. Matty Lees, Caleb Hamlin-Uele and Mike McMeeken were not options either, so the grunt we expect from a traditional England outfit waned.
England also faced arguably the strongest Tonga team ever, and Kristian Woolf has real star talent to pick from.
Robert Toia is up there as one of the best centres in the world alongside Herbie Farnworth. Toluta’u Koula, in the other centre spot, played State of Origin this year, as did Addin Fonua-Blake and Stefano Utoikamanu.
Toia, Siua Wong and Salesi Foketi won the Grand Final with the Sydney Roosters in 2026. Haumole Olakau’atu was voted second rower of the year. Youngster Isaiya Katoa is considered a superstar in the making in the halves.
On paper, Tonga were always going to be an exceptional side to take on.
Rowe makes her mark with ball and boot
England women shone against Wales, and Izzy Rowe justified her selection and then some as player of the match.
The big talking point before the game was who would start in the halves from Rowe, Woman of Steel Jenna Foubister and NRLW star Georgia Roche. Head coach Stu Barrow opted for Rowe and Roche, and started Foubister on the bench.
Rowe showed why, scoring the most points ever by an England player in a match. She excelled with the ball in hand, and her kicking game was also exceptional, both in play and off the tee. That attribute makes her something of a necessity in the side.
Foubister came on and showed her worth too, producing a brilliant assist. It is a welcome problem for England moving forward.
Step up next week: getting over Vegas
England women must box off a strong opening result and focus on the enormous task ahead: facing reigning and defending champions Australia.
The last meeting between these sides was a sobering one for England. They lost 90-4 to the Jillaroos in Las Vegas in 2025, a stark reminder of the gulf between the two teams and the journey English rugby league still has to go on.
However, only a handful of players from that match remain in this squad. It is a chance for a lot of sensational youngsters to show that England have improved, and keeping the game as close as possible will be vital.
Last up, England face Samoa, who were beaten 40-0 by Australia. Points difference could be the key factor in who makes the semi-finals.
Underdog mentality to shine through again
The underdog mentality will have to shine through for both England teams in week two, but in different ways.
England women know they have their toughest task ahead, but they are buoyant and fired up to show the talent in their ranks.
England men know they are up against it. They sit in a complicated combined Group B and Group C. Group B is England, Lebanon and Samoa, while Group C is France, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. After losing to Tonga, England now play France and PNG, because teams face the sides in the other group, not their own.
If results go as expected, England are effectively hoping Tonga beat Samoa, and then face a straight shoot-out with the Samoans over who can come away with the better results.
Remarkably, at the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, England demolished Samoa in their opening game, only for Samoa to beat them in the semi-final. England are afforded no such breathing room this time.
What’s next?
England men must regroup before facing France in Perth next Saturday, with kick-off at 7.35am (UK and Ireland time). England women face Australia at 10.05am.