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Litten and Knowles start for England's must-win Papua New Guinea match

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 08:20 · Archive

England have brought Jez Litten and Morgan Knowles into the starting line-up for their must-win Rugby League World Cup match against Papua New Guinea on Friday.

England have made changes to their starting line-up for their final Group B-C match against Papua New Guinea on Friday in Wollongong. Jez Litten, Hull KR's hooker, comes in to start after featuring on the bench in the previous match against France. Morgan Knowles, on loan at Dolphins, returns to the squad after missing England's opening two matches with a calf injury and will play as loose forward, with Victor Radley dropping to the bench.

Brad O'Neill, who was named the best player in Super League in 2026, is not in the matchday squad. Head coach Brian McDermott is chasing a big victory to keep England's semi-final hopes alive after they lost 30-12 to Tonga in their opening game and then defeated France 82-0.

England's path to the semi-finals depends not only on beating Papua New Guinea but also on the result of Tonga versus Samoa two days later in Sydney. If Samoa win, England will be eliminated from the tournament at the group stage for the first time in history due to their head-to-head record against Tonga. However, England can advance on points difference if they beat Papua New Guinea by a large margin and Tonga secure a convincing victory against Samoa.

Litten and Knowles start for England's must-win Papua New Guinea match
Image: Sky Sports

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How it is being reported

In this story: Jez Litten · Morgan Knowles · Brad O'Neill · England · Papua New Guinea · Brian McDermott · Tonga · Samoa

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