England were left exhausted and short of preparation time for the start of their Rugby League World Cup campaign because of a travel schedule straight out of the film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, head coach Brian McDermott says. England's 30-12 defeat by Tonga last Saturday has left them teetering on the brink of elimination because of the unusual format of this year's tournament.
The UK-based players in McDermott's squad were hardly helped by a lengthy trip to their Perth base, taking almost 48 hours. Speaking to the media on Thursday, McDermott likened it to the hapless journey undertaken by Steve Martin and John Candy in their 1987 road-trip comedy. "We were going around the world 15 times to arrive in Perth. We were exhausted for about three days afterwards," said McDermott. "I had to call Monday's training session short because you could tell there was a load of residue from travel still left in them."
BBC Sport understands that the International Rugby League, the game's global governing body and the tournament organiser, planned England's travel itinerary. The convoluted route featured a bus journey from the north of England to London, then a flight to Singapore instead of directly to Perth. England then flew for almost eight hours to Sydney before catching another plane back to Western Australia. McDermott's new-look side completed just two full training sessions before taking on Tonga.
Despite showing promise, England's play fell short in places, given there was no time to schedule a warm-up match for a team that has not played since losing the third Ashes Test to Australia at Headingley in November 2025. To reach the semi-finals, England must now defeat France on Saturday and Papua New Guinea on Friday, 30 October, and see other results go their way. Samoa's 78-4 win over France has further complicated matters, leaving England's points difference 92 worse than that of Ben Gardiner's team. McDermott said: "The jeopardy of losing one game is so harsh. There's still a slim chance that we get through, and that's something we're focusing on."
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing