Rugby League World Cup: Samoa beat PNG 64-6, England beat France 82-0 and Fiji women beat PNG 40-4

Three more round-two matches of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup were completed on Saturday 24 October. Samoa beat Papua New Guinea 64-6 in Port Moresby and England beat France 82-0 in Perth in the men’s tournament, while Fiji beat Papua New Guinea 40-4 in the women’s competition, according to NRL.com, BBC Sport and the International Rugby League. The women’s Pool A match between Australia and England in Perth had not been played at the time of publication. For Friday’s results, see our earlier report.

Saturday 24 October results

Women’s Pool B: Fiji 40 Papua New Guinea 4 (Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby)

Fiji scored seven tries to one to record their first win at a World Cup, NRL.com reported. Sienna Laing scored first in the fifth minute before PNG hooker Ua Ravu replied, and further tries from Luisa Yaranamua, Taina Naividi and Losana Lutu, plus one from interchange winger Tahlia Marshall shortly before the break, gave Fiji a 30-4 half-time lead. Marshall scored twice more within 10 minutes of the restart to complete a hat-trick, and neither side scored after that. Captain Sereana Naitokatoka kicked two goals and Yaranamua four, according to Total Rugby League’s match facts. Kasey Badger refereed.

Fiji coach Jone Wesele told RNZ Pacific: “It was a great game, am happy with what they did out there. They improved and have set themselves with a chance for the semifinals.” NRL.com reported that a win over France next weekend would likely be enough to send Fiji into the knockout stage, while PNG face New Zealand.

Men’s Pool B/C: Papua New Guinea 6 Samoa 64 (Santos National Football Stadium, Port Moresby)

Samoa recorded a second win from two matches in front of a sold-out crowd, NRL.com reported. Sualauvi Fa’alogo scored in the opening minutes after Francis Manuleleua gathered a short kick-off, before PNG halfback Bailey Biondi-Odo scored to give the hosts a 6-4 lead. Interchange prop Spencer Leniu scored in the 30th minute and Stephen Crichton added a try from a Brian To’o tap-back to give Samoa a 14-6 half-time lead.

Fa’alogo scored his second try in the 44th minute, followed by tries from Manuleleua and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, who added a second in the 69th minute. Samoa scored six tries in the last 15 minutes, according to NRL.com. Leniu ran 166 metres with 10 tackle breaks in a 38-minute stint, NRL.com reported. Samoa have scored 142 points in two matches and play Tonga on Sunday 1 November.

Men’s Pool B/C: England 82 France 0 (HBF Park, Perth)

England scored 14 tries, with Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young scoring three each, Mikey Lewis two, and Matty Ashton, captain George Williams, Victor Radley, Jez Litten, Jack Welsby and AJ Brimson one each, according to BBC Sport’s match summary. Hugo Savala kicked 13 goals from 14 attempts. England led 36-0 at half-time after a scoreless first 23 minutes.

BBC Sport reported that the result was England’s biggest winning margin against France, surpassing an 84-4 win in 2015, and that Farnworth’s hat-trick was England’s first at a World Cup since Tommy Makinson’s against Papua New Guinea in 2022. Brimson told Premier Sports: “It was a disappointing first week so we had to come out and give a performance. The first 20 was a grind but we stuck to the gameplan.” BBC Sport reported that England need another large win against Papua New Guinea in Wollongong on Friday 30 October and a Tonga win over Samoa to reach the semi-finals, with points difference deciding places between teams that do not play each other.

Standings after Saturday 24 October (played, points, points difference)

Calculated from official results published by the International Rugby League and NRL.com.

Men:

• Pool A: 1. Fiji (1 played, 2 pts, +28); 2. Australia (1 played, 2 pts, +2); 3. New Zealand (1 played, 0 pts, -2); 4. Cook Islands (1 played, 0 pts, -28).
• Combined Pool B/C: 1. Samoa (2 played, 4 pts, +132); 2. Tonga (2 played, 4 pts, +54); 3. England (2 played, 2 pts, +64); 4. Papua New Guinea (2 played, 2 pts, -34); 5. Lebanon (2 played, 0 pts, -60); 6. France (2 played, 0 pts, -156).

Women:

• Pool A: 1. England (1 played, 2 pts, +64); 2. Australia (1 played, 2 pts, +40); 3. Samoa (2 played, 2 pts, +36); 4. Wales (2 played, 0 pts, -140).
• Pool B: 1. Fiji (2 played, 2 pts, +30); 2. Papua New Guinea (2 played, 2 pts, +18); 3. New Zealand (1 played, 2 pts, +6); 4. France (1 played, 0 pts, -54).

Upcoming fixtures (all times GMT)

Saturday 24 October

• 9:05am GMT: Women’s Pool A, Australia v England (HBF Park, Perth).

Sunday 25 October

• 3:00am GMT: Women’s Pool B, New Zealand v France (One NZ Stadium, Christchurch).
• 5:05am GMT: Men’s Pool A, New Zealand v Cook Islands (One NZ Stadium, Christchurch).
• 9:05am GMT: Men’s Pool A, Australia v Fiji (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane).

Friday 30 October

• 2:00am GMT: Wheelchair Pool A, Ireland v USA (WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong), the opening match of the wheelchair tournament.
• 4:30am GMT: Wheelchair Pool A, England v Wales (WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong).
• 6:45am GMT: Women’s Pool A, England v Samoa (WIN Stadium, Wollongong).
• 9:05am GMT: Men’s Pool B/C, England v Papua New Guinea (WIN Stadium, Wollongong).

Saturday 31 October

• 4:00am GMT: Wheelchair Pool B, France v Scotland (WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong).
• 4:45am GMT: Men’s Pool A, New Zealand v Fiji.
• 6:30am GMT: Wheelchair Pool B, Australia v New Zealand (WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong).
• 9:05am GMT: Men’s Pool A, Australia v Cook Islands.
• Also: Women’s Pool B, Fiji v France and New Zealand v Papua New Guinea.

Sunday 1 November

• 6:50am GMT: Men’s Pool B/C, Lebanon v France.
• 9:05am GMT: Men’s Pool B/C, Tonga v Samoa (CommBank Stadium, Sydney).
• Also: Women’s Pool A, Australia v Wales.

The men’s and women’s semi-finals are on 7 and 8 November in Newcastle and Sydney, and both finals are at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, on Sunday 15 November.

See also: Men’s round one results and standings.