England's women have exited the Rugby League World Cup at the group stage after a 24-6 defeat to Samoa in Wollongong. Despite a spirited display, their focus now shifts firmly towards 2030.
The result underlined the gap in class England still need to bridge. Head coach Stuart Barrow had named a squad with 11 players aged 23 or under, a clear signal of long-term planning after reaching the semi-finals at the previous four World Cups. An earlier 70-6 win over Wales had raised expectations, but a second defeat to the Jillaroos just under a week earlier had already exposed the problem.
Samoa's power and pace told early. Freedom Crichton Ropati scored twice in the right corner, completing a hat-trick before half-time as Samoa dominated territory. Mercedez Taulelei-Siala extended the lead to 16-0 soon after the break, and it looked ominous for England.
England fought back when Evie Cousins skipped over in the left corner after a superb line break from Hollie-Mae Dodd. Isabel Rowe converted, and England applied real pressure. Samoa's Pauline Piliae-Rasabale opted for two points from a penalty, a sign of the pressure Barrow's side had created. Late chances went begging, with Fran Goldthorp's offload going forward when England had numbers spare. Samoa then punished a missed touch finder, with Fanua Rimoni scoring the fifth try to seal a semi-final meeting with New Zealand.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing