England face 'do or die' World Cup game with Samoa

England's final group game of the 2026 women's Rugby League World Cup is "do or die", according to coach Stuart Barrow. England have reached the semi-finals of the last two women's Rugby League World Cups Barrow's side must beat Samoa in Wollongong on Friday (06.45 GMT) in order to finish second in Group A and qualify for the semi-finals. They beat Wales 70-6 in their opener but were thrashed 78-0 by reigning champions Australia in Perth last weekend. A win would earn England a semi-final spot, where they would most likely face New Zealand, who beat them in the last four of the previous World Cup in 2022. "We knew we needed four points to reach the semis, and two points would likely have to come from here," Barrow told a media conference on Tuesday.

"It is do or die and no-one wants to go home." After two blow-out results, it is expected that England's final group match will be more evenly matched. This women's World Cup has produced several mismatched results, with all the heavy defeats suffered by northern hemisphere nations inflicted by those from the south other than England beating Wales. As well as Australia thumping England, Samoa beat Wales 76-0 and New Zealand defeated France 92-0. It shows how much the balance of power in global rugby