England will go into their Rugby League World Cup opener against Tonga in Perth on Saturday as underdogs, according to captain George Williams, but that is exactly the kind of challenge he says his side are ready to embrace. Tonga arrive with plenty of NRL talent and England know they will need to be sharp from the start at HBF Park.
Williams did not try to dress up the task in front of his side. Tonga, he said, are a stacked team and have been for a few years now, while England will have to deal with the heat and the different conditions in Perth as well as the quality across the opposition line-up.
Williams welcomes the underdog tag
“We’ll be underdogs but we’ll quite like that kind of brush on our head and we’ll bring our game tomorrow night against a great team,” Williams said. That is a clear message from the England camp: the label does not seem to concern them, and may even sharpen their focus.
He also pointed to the challenge of playing in Australia rather than at home. “I think it’s always different over here as well, with the heat and different conditions. It helps when you drag them to Leeds and it’s minus two or whatever it normally is in November,” he said, with a smile that captured the contrast between the two environments.
Tonga’s quality is the obvious warning
England are not walking into this blind. Williams described Tonga as “stacked full of world-class players who play across the NRL”, which underlines why this opener is being treated with real respect inside the camp.
He also suggested Tonga are a different side from the one England faced in 2023, saying they have evolved since then. That matters because this is not just a repeat of a familiar fixture. It is the first game of a tournament, and England know momentum can be shaped immediately in a match of this scale.
England carry old pain, but also belief
Williams admitted the memories of recent tournament disappointment still sit with the group. England beat Tonga in a dramatic World Cup semi-final in Auckland in 2017, but since then they have had painful near misses, including the 2022 loss to Samoa in golden point in the last four.
“I don’t think it hinders us,” Williams said. “Some of the lads were talking about the last World Cup and it was probably one of the most difficult losses of my career to date.” He added that the defeat can still provide drive and motivation, particularly for those who felt it most strongly.
That is the balance England seem to be carrying into Saturday. They are not pretending the scars are not there, but they are also not allowing them to define the group. Williams said the squad has “a mixed bag” of youth, heritage and older players, which he believes can help them get the job done.
There is also a broader context to England’s recent record. Williams was captain when they lost 3-0 in the Ashes in 2025, so this opener offers an early chance to reset the tone and show that this team can handle pressure in a major tournament.
For England, the equation is simple enough. They face a Tonga side packed with talent in hot and humid conditions, but they believe the underdog role suits them. The opener at HBF Park will tell us whether that confidence turns into a performance worthy of a serious World Cup campaign.
