England's men face near-certain elimination despite defeating Papua New Guinea 34-12, requiring an improbable 47-point Tonga victory over Samoa to advance. Head coach Brian McDermott, appointed in April while coaching in Australia, had no mid-season test matches to work directly with his players before the tournament. Exhausting travel schedules subsequently forced the squad to reduce their scheduled training sessions in Perth from four down to two. Meanwhile, the women's team has already exited the tournament following a 24-6 defeat to Samoa.
Key points
Both national teams are positioned to miss the World Cup semi-finals together for the fir…: Both national teams are positioned to miss the World Cup semi-finals together for the first time in tournament history.
Insufficient preparation and reliance on virtual meetings significantly hindered the squa…: Insufficient preparation and reliance on virtual meetings significantly hindered the squad ahead of their opening loss to Tonga.
Short-notice tournament hosting arrangements across three nations contributed to severe t…: Short-notice tournament hosting arrangements across three nations contributed to severe travel and scheduling difficulties for the squad.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
As Mikey Lewis darted over for a late try in a desperate - and almost certainly fruitless - points chase against Papua New Guinea, the obituaries were already being written for England's Men's Rugby League World Cup campaign.
Much earlier on Friday, England's women had lacked the power and nous to overcome Samoa, losing 24-6 in a match that decided who went through to the semi-finals.
England's men actually won their game - 34-12 - but it was nowhere near the margin of victory required. Their elimination will be confirmed on Sunday unless Tonga beat Samoa by more than 46 points.
And so the likelihood is that for the first time in World Cup history, neither England's men nor their women will feature in the last four.
For the men, that ends a run that began with Great Britain at the first tournament in 1954.
The disappointment will only reinforce the idea that English rugby league needs a serious period of introspection - as well as significant investment to keep pace with the game in the southern hemisphere.
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