- Published
With blow out wins and a convoluted format, the men's group stage at the 2026 Rugby League World Cup did little to dissuade cynics about the unhealthy state of the international game.
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stage → publish → game
From Group A, Australia and New Zealand came through as expected and are widely tipped to face off in the final on 15 November.
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Australia → come → November
But from the strange lands of Group B-C, two beacons of hope have emerged.
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beacons → emerge → hope
Tonga will face New Zealand after winning all three group matches, before Samoa face Australia in a repeat of the 2022 final.
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Samoa → face → final
And if either goes all the way, it would be good for international rugby league, shaking up the game in the same way Wakefield's Grand Final win has for the Super League – proving there is still room for surprises in rugby league.
"Could this be a dress rehearsal for the final?
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this → go → final
I hope so," former Bradford Bulls head coach Matthew Elliott told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra after Tonga and Samoa's riveting Group B-C match, won 20-18 by the Tongans.
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Elliott → hope → Tongans
"I shouldn't say that out loud as an Aussie but I hope so."
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I → say → Aussie
History suggests this scenario is unlikely, but not impossible.
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scenario → suggest → ?
Tonga beat New Zealand 25-14 in an epic Pacific Championships match two years ago to reach their first-ever elite tournament final.
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Tonga → beat → final
Last year, their meeting was overshadowed by a head injury to Tonga back-rower Eli Katoa, who needed emergency brain surgery after receiving three separate concussions and has not played since.
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who → overshadow → concussions
Tonga were semi-finalists in 2017, winning their group after stunning New Zealand 28-22 in the group stage.
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Tonga → win → stage
In the last four they were only narrowly defeated by England, 20-18, scoring three tries in the final seven minutes to give the English a huge fright in their best previous World Cup effort.
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they → defeat → effort
Samoa have gone one further of course and were surprise runners-up four years ago having not previously gone beyond the quarter-finals since first appearing at the World Cup in 1995.
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Samoa → go → 1995
They were beaten 60-6 by England in their opener but fought through to the semi-finals, where they stunned the hosts 27-26 in a golden point win at Emirates Stadium.
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they → beat → Stadium
At Old Trafford they were overpowered by Australia but not overawed, losing 30-10.
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they → overpower → Australia
In doing so Samoa became only the sixth different team to reach a men's final after Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, England and France, in 16 editions.
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Samoa → do → editions
Australia have won 10 of the last 11 World Cups, including the last three, with New Zealand winning the other.
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Zealand → win → other
Such dominance at the supposed peak of the sport, in a tournament reduced from 16 to 10 teams this year, indicates a gap growing between haves and have nots.
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dominance → suppose → haves
Of the outsiders, Samoa and Tonga can shake that up.
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Samoa → shake → that
The teams met at the quarter-final stage of the last Rugby League World Cup, with Samoa winning a classic 20-18 in Warrington.
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Samoa → meet → Warrington
Tonga won by the same scoreline three days ago, in similarly exhilarating fashion.
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Tonga → win → fashion
"The occasion was unbelievable," Samoa head coach Ben Gardiner said after the game.
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Gardiner → say → game
"I looked down at the start of the game and I've never seen so many people on the sidelines at a footy match in my life.
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I → look → life
It's about fanfare and it's about creating opportunities for our fans to come and watch our nations play.
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nations → create → opportunities
'Five or 10 levels above NRL'
Not only are the Pacific islands bringing the colour and passion of their nations to the world stage, they are also bringing world-class quality.
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they → bring → quality
Nine players featuring in the group game squads played some part in this year's State of Origin, an annual series between New South Wales and Queensland representative teams regarded as one of the pinnacles of world rugby league.
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players → feature → league
"I think that was about five or 10 levels above NRL tonight," Tonga half-back Isaiya Katoa told Premier Sports of the group match.
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Katoa → think → match
"Every tackle felt like the first of the game.
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tackle → feel → game
"Something that goes so unnoticed is the impact Woolfy [Kristian Woolf] has as the coach.
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Woolfy → go → coach
He cares about every single one of us.
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He → care → us
The reason you've got Jojo Fifita and Rob Toia [two of the State of Origin players] wanting to play for Tonga is because of the coach."
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Fifita → get → coach
Both nations have Australians in charge.
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nations → have → charge
Gardiner has been in post since 2023, while Woolf has led Tonga since 2014 and overseen their remarkable rise in rugby league prominence.
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Woolf → lead → prominence
Both have experience coaching in the NRL, and have brought the quality and professionalism of the world's best domestic league to bear fruit on their respective islands – with both talking about working on "emotional regulation" in big games.
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both → have → games
They have also both been helped by an international eligibility system which is much more forgiving to smaller nations than in many other sports.
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which → help → sports
Since 2016, the IRL introduced a tier system for member nations: Australia, New Zealand and England are in tier one; all other full members are in tier two.
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members → introduce → tier
Under this system, players can elect to represent both a tier one and two nation but are permitted to represent only one nation in a calendar year or at a Rugby League World Cup.
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players → elect → Cup
This flexibility has allowed members of diaspora populations to represent their family heritage and national identities – particularly those with ancestors from Pacific islands, who may have had to move away in the past.
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who → allow → past
These connections mean that when those with Tongan and Samoan heritage do represent their historic countries, they do so with gusto.
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they → mean → gusto
"I can't put it into words," Tonga prop Addin Fonua-Blake told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
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Blake → put → Radio
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
