McDermott seeks fix as England fight to save their World Cup

Brian McDermott says he can fix the errors that led to England's Rugby League World Cup defeat by Tonga – but is it already too late? The Tongans are ranked fifth in the world rugby league standings, with England third As Tonga's deliriously happy supporters celebrated in their thousands in Perth, England knew they only had themselves to blame. They had passed up plenty of chances to win their 2026 Rugby League World Cup opener and had arguably been the better side for the opening 20 minutes of both halves. But a succession of mistakes – handling errors, needless offloads, sloppy penalties – allowed Tonga to control the momentum for much of the game.

By the time Haumole Olakau'atu crashed over for Tonga's fourth try in their 30-12 victory, it was all over. The question is whether England's World Cup hopes are also over already. "It was a really good contest, when it wasn't it was down to us and the errors we made," he told his post-match media conference. "We stood toe to toe for nearly all the game, but we made errors chasing the scoreboard. I'm not going to say it's an easy fix, but it's something I can change. "We know what is in front of us now. We have to win the next two games. I