England men and women had a week of contrasts at the Rugby League World Cup, with the women thrashing Wales 70-4 before the men fell 30-12 to Tonga. Both England sides are considered underdogs to reach the semi-finals, and the men's task has grown harder after a loss to what looks to be potentially the strongest Tonga team seen in years. Meanwhile, the England women prepare for Australia, a match that will be their biggest test to date.
The men's game plan centred on second-phase play, with England offloading freely and creating attacking space. For much of the first half it worked, and they looked a real threat. The problem came inside Tonga's 20 metres. England made 27 offloads to Tonga's five and 246 passes to 191, yet put up just five bombs to Tonga's 12. They failed to turn pressure into points, and when momentum shifted they had nothing on the board. Brian Mc Dermott admitted the style was risky, and England made nine errors in the first half to Tonga's three.
Context matters too. England arrived after barely a week together, with no mid-season internationals, having travelled from Heathrow via Sydney and Perth. The forward pack was also weakened, with Morgan Smithies ruled out of the tournament and Morgan Knowles dropping out of the game, while Matty Lees, Caleb Hamlin-Uele and Mike Mc Meeken were unavailable.
With the men needing a response, attention now turns to week two and whether England can convert their attacking ideas into points.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing