McDermott seeks fix as England fight to save their World Cup

As Tonga’s deliriously happy supporters celebrated in their thousands in Perth, England knew they only had themselves to blame.

They had passed up plenty of chances to win their 2026 Rugby League World Cup opener and had arguably been the better side for the opening 20 minutes of both halves.

But a succession of mistakes – handling errors, needless offloads, sloppy penalties – allowed Tonga to control the momentum for much of the game.

By the time Haumole Olakau’atu crashed over for Tonga’s fourth try in their 30-12 victory, it was all over. The question is whether England’s World Cup hopes are also over already.

Not so, insists coach Brian McDermott.

“It was a really good contest, when it wasn’t it was down to us and the errors we made,” he told his post-match media conference.

“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.”

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A Tonga side packed with players from the Australian National Rugby League had too much for England [Getty Images]

Due to the vagaries of the international rugby league calendar, this was McDermott’s first match in charge of England since being appointed in April as Shaun Wane’s successor.

Wane had his critics, many of them justified, but he organised a defensively solid England team who whitewashed Tonga on their tour of Britain in 2023.

He left in January after England were well beaten in last year’s Ashes, and McDermott has had to piece together a team with minimal preparation.

England did not play a single warm-up match; this was their first game since losing to Australia at Headingley in November 2025. They have not won a match since November 2024, against Samoa.

A much more assured Tonga side started the evening with a spine-tingling Sipi Tau battle dance and ended it with victory for the first time in seven meetings with England.

The relative lack of preparation is out of McDermott’s control. Team selection and tactics are not, and that is where the former Leeds Rhinos coach will be questioned.

“You cannot play with freedom at international level, you have to keep hold of the ball,” McDermott said after the game. His side looked nervous with ball in hand, too willing to pass up the chance to run at the Tongans and pass the buck.

As for selection, McDermott chose a central pairing of Harry Smith and captain George Williams. They were found wanting, with Williams enduring one of his poorest games in an England shirt.

AJ Brimson was chosen ahead of Jack Welsby at full-back. Although Brimson scored England’s first try, he was also caught out of position for Tonga’s fourth.

McDermott said he will “have a look” at options regarding selection. Expect changes when the team to face France is named on Tuesday.

“You have to give Tonga credit for the scramble, but I reckon we left three or four [opportunities] out there early doors,” said 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.”

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Tonga were cheered on by a large and noisy crowd in Perth on Saturday [Getty Images]

But will one loss cost England a place in the semi-finals? The complicated group phase makes that possible.

There are six nations in the combined Group B-C, but all the teams play just three opponents – think a scaled down version of the league phase in football’s Champions League. The top two in the overall table reach the semis.

If sides are level on points, head-to-head is the first tiebreaker that will be considered, rather than points difference. But because not everyone in the group plays each other, it may yet be that points difference becomes crucial.

England must win their next two games, against France next Saturday and Papua New Guinea on 30 October, to stand a realistic chance of progression.

If they do, results elsewhere then become a factor – and it could get complicated.

And there is the strong possibility that England will not know their fate for certain until two days later, when Tonga face 2022 finalists Samoa in their last group game.

England’s best bet, it seems, is to rack up huge wins in the next two games and hope for the best.

“We want to rack up some points,” England wing Dom Young said. “You know, we’re good enough to do it.”

Maybe England are good enough – but not if they keep making the same mistakes again and again.