England unchanged to face France after Tonga defeat
England coach Brian McDermott has named the same 19-man squad for Saturday’s Rugby League World Cup match against France, despite England’s 30-12 opening defeat by Tonga. The result, England’s first loss to Tonga, leaves their semi-final hopes in danger, and the team likely need two wins by substantial margins to stay in contention.
AJ Brimson remains at full-back, while Jack Welsby is among the interchanges; Morgan Knowles is still unavailable through injury. England face France in Perth at 07:35 BST, then Papua New Guinea on 30 October, and may have to wait for Tonga’s final group match against Samoa to know their fate. The article also reports selection changes for England’s women ahead of their match against Australia.
- England have kept the same 19-man squad after losing 30-12 to Tonga.
- They likely need two convincing wins to remain in semi-final contention.
- England women have made changes for their match against Australia.
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The Rugby League World Cup is an international tournament for national teams. In the group stage, teams earn points from their results, and their position in the group determines who advances to the semi-finals.
England are coached by Brian McDermott and share their group with Tonga, France, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. AJ Brimson is a full-back, Jack Welsby is among the substitutes, and Morgan Knowles is unavailable with an injury.
England’s route to the semi-finals depends on their group results and, if teams are level, factors such as points difference. That makes the remaining matches relevant to whether they progress.