# Spirited England exit World Cup after Samoa loss

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/spirited-england-exit-world-cup-after-samoa-loss/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:43:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T09:50:09+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Sport (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/articles/c8ly0p5ngwx6o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Sport, UK, World

## Key points

- England exited the World Cup at the group stage.
- Samoa won with five tries, including a hat-trick from Crichton Ropati.
- England’s rebuilding effort now looks towards 2030.

## Summary

England’s women were knocked out of the Rugby League World Cup at the group stage after losing to Samoa, ending a run of four consecutive semi-final appearances. The defeat followed a heavy loss to Australia and showed the gap England still need to close, despite the team’s focus on building for the next tournament.

Samoa’s Freedom Crichton Ropati scored three tries, with Mercedez Taulelei-Siala and Fanua Rimoni also crossing, in a match where Samoa held a strong territorial advantage. Evie Cousins scored England’s try after a break by Hollie-Mae Dodd, but a promising attack later broke down before Samoa sealed the result. England’s squad included 11 players aged 23 or under, while captain Jodie Cunningham’s tournament marked the end of a career spanning 38 caps and four World Cups.

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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.