Must-win: Unique World Cup structure raises the stakes
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England forward Ben Currie has revealed his side is treating Saturday's showdown with Tonga as a must-win as they navigate a unique IRL Rugby League World Cup structure.
Brian McDermott's squad has been placed in Pool B alongside Samoa and Lebanon. Rather than playing the two other teams in their group, each nation in Pool B will play the three sides in Pool C, meaning England will take on Tonga, France and Papua New Guinea.
At the conclusion of the group stage, the six teams will be collated in the one ladder and the top two nations will progress to the semi-finals. Crucially, head-to-head results will be used as the primary tiebreaker before for and against is considered.
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That means Saturday's clash between England and Tonga at HBF Park could determine which side ultimately moves on to the knockout rounds.
The complicated structure has left England to find a simple solution to the various permutations. Win all three matches and ensure they maintain control of their World Cup destiny at all times.
"It's a tasty game to start with," Currie told NRL.com. "With this new format you want to start as strong as possible and put yourself in a great position.
"I was here back in 2017 when we played Tonga in the semi-final. It's one of the best atmospheres I've played in during my career. I remember feeling the ground shake when they started coming back and scoring.
"We're expecting something similar this weekend. It's important for us to get off to a good start and we'll be ready for them."
Currie has been named on the extended bench for Saturday's match in Perth, with McDermott selecting a host of Australian-based players in his starting lineup.
AJ Brimson will start at fullback, with Hugo Savala and Herbie Farnworth in the centres. Dom Young will play on the wing, while Max King, Morgan Knowles, Victor Radley and Kai Pearce-Paul headline an imposing pack.
It's a dramatic change to 12 months ago, when the Kangaroos swept the England 3-0 in the Ashes series. The result led to Shaun Wane's departure, with McDermott taking charge for the World Cup.
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With the tournament to be played under NRL rules, the Gold Coast Titans assistant is determined to ensure his squad is not caught flatfooted by the accelerated pace of play on display in Australia this season.
"What they've done over here and the experience they've got can only help us as a team," Currie said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what [the NRL players] bring to our game.
"We've got quite a few players in our squad that can break a game open. In the heat of the battle when the game's tight and you need a tough carry off your own line or a bit of X-factor, Herbie's got that.
"He can pull it out at any point so hopefully he can do that more often than not. He's one of a few players who can do that for us."
England have fond memories of their last World Cup in Australia, the side holding off a fast-finishing Tonga in the semi-final before falling to the Kangaroos 6-0 in the decider.
The 2017 tournament was the first step in the rise of the Pacific nations, with Stephen Crichton kicking an extra-time field goal in 2022 to eliminate England and send Samoa into a historic final.
The two countries are now considered genuine title contenders alongside Australia, New Zealand and England.
Tonga's clash with Samoa on November 1 has already been sold out and could act as a playoff for the fourth spot in the semi-finals depending on how other results pan out.
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It's an exciting prospect but prop Addin Fonua-Blake said his side can't afford to look past Saturday's clash with England.
"It's one thing having a good team on paper but that won't get you far if you don't work hard," Fonua-Blake said. "Last year [in the Pacific Championships] we read the papers a bit too much.
"This year going into the World Cup we've got to have a stronger mindset and we know nothing's going to be given to us.
"Samoa is a game everyone circles on their calendar but we'll be doing ourselves an injustice if we look too far ahead. We've got England this week. They're a top-four team in the world for a reason.
"The moment we stray and look at other teams is when we get ourselves in trouble. I'm not going to take my eyes off England this week, get that job done and then we'll move on from there."
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