England’s travel schedule like Steve Martin comedy – McDermott

England head coach Brian McDermott says a nearly 48-hour journey to Perth left his players exhausted and short of preparation before their Rugby League World Cup opener. Their 30-12 defeat by Tonga has put them close to elimination, making the disrupted build-up especially costly.

The route took the UK-based players by bus to London, then via Singapore and Sydney before reaching Perth, leaving England with only two full training sessions and no warm-up match. To reach the semi-finals, they must beat France and Papua New Guinea and rely on other results; Samoa’s 78-4 win over France has left England’s points difference 92 worse than Samoa’s in the combined Pools B and C table. The International Rugby League planned the itinerary, and the BBC had contacted it for comment.