England stunned by Tonga in World Cup opener — SkimNews
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- Tonga defeated England 30-12 in Perth on October 15, running in four tries through Olakau'atu (2), Utoikamanu, and Koula, with Isaiya Katoa adding three goals and four penalties.
- England's day unravelled through mistakes and debatable penalties, with full-back AJ Brimson and Young scoring England's only tries and Savala kicking two conversions.
- The match's turning point came at 22 minutes when Victor Radley knocked on near the try line; two minutes later Utoikamanu sliced through after Katoa's inside pass beat George Williams and Kai Pearce-Paul.
- Brian McDermott's side — ranked third in the world entering the tournament — must now beat France and Papua New Guinea to secure a top-two finish in the combined six-team Group B-C and reach the semi-finals.
- The upset echoes England's 2022 semi-final loss to Samoa, marking a second consecutive World Cup shock inflicted by a Pacific island nation on English soil Down Under.
- In the day's other Group B-C fixture, Papua New Guinea defeated Lebanon 42-18.
Why it matters: England now have no margin for error against France and Papua New Guinea after a second consecutive Pacific island World Cup upset, raising fresh questions about the depth gap between tier-one rugby league nations and Pacific sides playing with partisan crowd support.
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