# Litten and Knowles in for England as O’Neill drops out

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/litten-and-knowles-in-for-england-as-oneill-drops-out/
- Published: 2026-10-27T05:59:08+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T06:54:38+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/crz65e9dng0wo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- Litten and Knowles start against Papua New Guinea.
- England’s men need a win to stay in contention.
- The women also face a must-win match against Samoa.

## Summary

England have reshuffled their men’s team for a must-win Rugby League World Cup match against Papua New Guinea, with Jez Litten and Morgan Knowles entering the starting line-up and Brad O’Neill left out. England need a win to keep their semi-final hopes alive after losing to Tonga and then beating France 82-0.

Knowles returns after missing the first two matches with a calf injury, while Victor Radley moves to the bench and Litten takes the hooker role. England must also hope Tonga beat Samoa: if Samoa win, England are eliminated; if Tonga win, points difference decides, with England currently 68 points behind Samoa. The article also reports changes to the women’s team, who must beat Samoa to reach the semi-finals.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.