England thrash France 82-0 to keep Rugby League World Cup semi-final hopes alive

Summary

England beat France 82-0 in the Men's Rugby League World Cup, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the semi-finals. Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young each scored hat-tricks in the win. England will only know next weekend whether the result means anything, because the shortened, controversial group-stage format makes a single defeat near-ruinous. Coach Brian McDermott had admitted England's chances of qualifying were slim at best after their 30-12 loss to Tonga on the opening weekend. Samoa's 64-6 win over Papua New Guinea on Saturday made the permutations simple but daunting: Samoa beat France 78-4 last week, giving them a +132 points differential, while England's stands at +64.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   24 Oct 2026, 08:54 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that England crushed France by 82 points, with Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young each grabbing hat-tricks, and that England's semi-final hopes remain alive, though a single defeat is near-ruinous under the shortened group format.

2. BBC

   24 Oct 2026, 10:01 UTCSource ↗

   The BBC reports that England beat France 82-0 to maintain their hopes of reaching the Men's Rugby League World Cup semi-finals.