England must regroup after Tonga upset in World Cup opener, says McDermott
Tonga’s jubilant fans filled the Perth stadium as England walked away with a 30‑12 defeat in their opening match of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. The English side created several chances and seemed the better team for the first twenty minutes of each half, but a series of handling errors, ill‑timed offloads and sloppy penalties allowed the Pacific islanders to seize control. Haumole Olakau’atu capped the victory with a fourth try, sealing the win for Tonga and leaving England’s tournament hopes in doubt.
Coach Brian McDermott, who took charge of England in April after succeeding Shaun Wane, insisted the campaign is far from over. “It was a really good contest,” he told reporters after the game. “When it wasn’t, it was down to us and the errors we made. We stood toe to toe for nearly all the game, but we made errors chasing the scoreboard. I’m not going to say it’s an easy fix, but it’s something I can change. We know what is in front of us now. We have to win the next two games. I have seen enough to say we are heading in the right direction. We were not strategically outdone. There are tonnes of positives to take out of tonight, but one or two things we must get rid of, like losing possession.”
The match marked McDermott’s first test in charge, a role he inherited after Wane left following a heavy loss in the 2025 Ashes series. Wane had built a defensively strong England side that defeated Tonga on their 2023 tour of Britain, but he departed in January. McDermott has had little time to prepare; England entered the tournament without a warm‑up game and had not won a match since a November 2024 victory over Samoa.
Tonga entered the game with a confident lineup that featured several Australian NRL players, performed a traditional Sipi Tau war dance before kickoff and secured their first win over England in seven meetings. The lack of preparation was largely out of McDermott’s hands, but the selection and tactics are now under scrutiny.
“The freedom you have at international level is limited – you have to keep hold of the ball,” McDermott said after the match. His side appeared tentative when in possession, often opting to pass rather than take on the Tongans directly. In the halves, McDermott paired Harry Smith with captain George Williams in the middle; both struggled, with Williams delivering one of his poorest performances in an England shirt. Full‑back AJ Brimson was chosen over Jack Welsby; Brimson scored England’s opening try but was also caught out of position for Tonga’s fourth.
McDermott promised to review the selections ahead of the next fixture against France on Tuesday. “You have to give Tonga credit for the scramble, but I reckon we left three or four opportunities out there early on,” said captain George Williams. “We lost our way, we were erratic, we must find that balance to improve the team. We can’t be kicking stones. We have a great group of lads, and one loss does not change how we think.”
England still have a chance to reach the semi‑finals, but the group stage format makes their path narrow. The combined Group B‑C contains six nations, each playing only three opponents. The top two in the overall table advance. If teams finish level on points, head‑to‑head results are considered first, but because not every side meets each other, points difference could become decisive.
England must win both of their remaining group matches – against France on Saturday and Papua New Guinea on 30 October – to keep a realistic hope of progressing. Their fate may also depend on the outcome of Tonga’s final game against 2022 finalists Samoa. “We want to rack up some points,” wing Dom Young said. “You know, we’re good enough to do it.” The challenge now is to avoid repeating the mistakes that cost them dearly in Perth.