New Beith wheelchair rugby league player Daniel Anstey has been selected as one of 10 athletes to represent Australia at the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. It will be his first World Cup appearance. Anstey said representing his country was a dream come true and that he is excited to perform in front of his family on home soil. Wheelaroos head coach Brett Clark praised his energy and hard work. The Wheelaroos open against New Zealand at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday 31 October.
Australia's Wheelaroos are aiming for a breakthrough at the wheelchair rugby league World Cup, which begins on Friday in Wollongong. The tournament will be broadcast free-to-air in prime-time slots. The Wheelaroos, ranked fourth in the world, have never won a world title. Captain Bayley McKenna, who is non-disabled, says the sport's inclusive rules help attract players at every level. Coach Brett Clark says the team is ready to show the sport at its top level.
Australia beat Fiji 36-22 at Lang Park in a close clash, with a late Jacob Preston try sealing the win. Samoa scored 50 unanswered second-half points to overwhelm Papua New Guinea. England beat France 82-0 in Perth, while Tonga beat Lebanon and held firm defensively. Crowds were strong across the tournament, including a sell-out of 26,800 in Christchurch. Australia have reached the semi-finals.
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Tonga beat Lebanon 36-0 in Sydney on Friday night in the Rugby League World Cup. Papua New Guinea host Samoa in Port Moresby on Saturday afternoon, a match expected to be the highlight of Week 2. England meet France in Perth the same day. New Zealand play the Cook Islands in Christchurch on Sunday, and the Kangaroos face Fiji in Brisbane on Sunday night.
The Kangaroos have secured a Rugby League World Cup semifinal spot after beating Fiji 36-22 at Lang Park in Brisbane. Tom Trbojevic scored a hat-trick of second-half tries after Fiji twice took the lead. Fijian five-eighth Kurt Donoghoe was named player of the match after setting up three tries. Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters said his side could play better. Australia will play the Jillaroos at the Sydney Football Stadium next Sunday.
New Zealand beat Australia 52-49 in game three of the Constellation Cup in Sydney, taking the trophy. The Ferns scored seven straight goals after three-quarter-time to build a five-goal lead. The Diamonds levelled at 47-47 late in the match, but turnovers and penalties cost them, and New Zealand won the final quarter 13-8. The Diamonds trail 3-0 in the four-game series and will play for pride in Melbourne on Wednesday. Coach Stacey Marinkovich's role is described as safe for now by former Diamond Bianca Chatfield.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he has the support of the vast majority of football, despite strong opposition to his now-shelved plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. In a BBC interview, he said he was elected by 211 member associations and urged respect for the views of most members. Infantino is seeking a fourth and final term, with challengers able to nominate until November 18. On Friday, the Asian Football Confederation endorsed him for another term, reversing its earlier criticism.
England beat France 82-0 at HBF Park in Perth on Saturday, scoring 13 unanswered tries to keep their semi-final hopes alive. Later, the Australian Jillaroos beat England's women 78-0, scoring 15 tries. Earlier in Port Moresby, Samoa beat Papua New Guinea's men 64-6 after leading only narrowly at halftime. Fiji and Samoa also won their women's matches. More big margins were expected in Sunday's matches, including New Zealand against Cook Islands and Australia against Fiji.
The Jillaroos beat England 78-0 at the Women's Rugby League World Cup in Perth, scoring 15 tries, though the win was overshadowed by an injury to centre Julia Robinson. Robinson, who scored early, broke her wrist in a tackle and was taken to hospital, ending her tournament. Australia now lead Pool A with two wins and an 118-point differential. Elsewhere over the weekend, the English men beat France 82-0, Samoa defeated PNG 64-6 and Fiji's women beat PNG 40-4 in Port Moresby.
The Kangaroos meet Fiji in Week 2 of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. The match is at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday, October 25, with a 7:05pm AEST kick-off. Seven Network holds the broadcast rights and will show every match live and free on Channel Seven. Viewers can also stream the games through 7plus Sport. Australia opened its campaign with a two-point win over New Zealand in Sydney.
Papua New Guinea gave a strong response after a poor start against Samoa in their Rugby League World Cup match in Port Moresby. Samoa scored first, and Papua New Guinea hit back through Rhyse Martin to lead 6-4 in the 18th minute. Two tries were disallowed by the video referee, and Samoa pulled ahead to lead 14-6 at half-time after Stephen Crichton scored in the corner. The first half ended with a brawl. A Papua New Guinea win would change the race for the knockout stages.
Tonga coach Kristian Woolf says his side sees itself as equal to the Kangaroos and Kiwis at the Rugby League World Cup. Tonga beat Lebanon 36-0 in Sydney, keeping its perfect tournament record and moving close to a semi-final spot. Woolf said his squad is the strongest he has worked with across three World Cups. Tonga next plays rival Samoa, a match co-captain Jason Taumalolo expects to be physical and emotionally charged.
England can still reach the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals after losing their opener 30-12 to Tonga. Brian McDermott's side must beat France and Papua New Guinea and finish with a better points difference than Samoa. England also need Tonga to beat Samoa next weekend, which would help England on head-to-head results. Samoa currently holds a large points difference advantage. Papua New Guinea's result against Samoa could also shape England's chances.
Samoa beat France 78-4 at Western Sydney Stadium, a result that drew a Friday evening crowd of 13,000. Tonga and Samoa's growing strength is challenging Australia's long dominance of international rugby league. Samoa and Tonga's November 1 match in Sydney has already sold out. The Pasifika population in Australia nearly tripled between 2011 and 2021. A 2017 rule change allowing players to represent the nation of their cultural ties has also shaped the tournament, with many players now choosing Pacific nations.
Tonga beat Lebanon 36-0 in Parramatta, confirming their place in the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals. A crowd of 25,605 filled Parramatta Stadium, the third highest for a match between two second tier nations. Tonga will next face Samoa. Lebanon, demoted to affiliate status since the last World Cup, may not return to the tournament for some time. Their final match next week is against France.
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Tonga veteran Tui Lolohea is set to extend his record as the nation's most-capped player in Friday's World Cup match against Lebanon. The 31-year-old came off the bench in last week's win over England and set up a try. He has played for Tonga more than any other player, and has been part of all five of the team's wins over Tier 1 nations. Lolohea says this tournament may be his last, as he has finished at Huddersfield and is yet to decide where he will play next.
In this episode, Troy and Nathan look at four Penrith players who are out of contract, and what the approaching 1 November deadline could mean for them. They also cover the latest from the World Cup. The hosts ask how far the Panthers should build their campaign around the idea that this is Ivan Cleary's final season in charge. The discussion treats the contract situation and the coaching farewell narrative as open questions rather than settled matters.
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters says he is focused only on the current Rugby League World Cup. He said he is not thinking about next year's squad or long-term fullback planning. Walters admitted his side was lucky to beat New Zealand 24-22 in the opening week. He said the attack needs to improve as the tournament goes on, while the defence was strong. He also said Australia and New Zealand are not the only contenders, pointing to Tonga and Samoa.
Three Mid North Coast players were part of the Oztag Tagaroos team that won the International Tag Federation World Cup in Coffs Harbour last weekend. The Tagaroos beat Great Britain in the final after the match finished one all and went to extra time. Di Mascord and Claire Thurlow made their debuts for Australia, while Natalie West was playing for her nation for the second time. The team won despite muddy grounds and only two group practice sessions beforehand.
Betting markets suggest four of the five Rugby League World Cup men's matches this weekend will produce heavy wins for the favourites. Sportsbet has Samoa at $1.05 against Papua New Guinea, the only near-even price. Tonga and England are both tipped to win heavily in Sydney and Perth. The writer argues the lopsided schedule could hurt fan interest and television ratings. The writer also questions the tournament's new three-pool format and its scheduling.
