Welcome to our complete RLWC 2026 England v France Match Hub. Here you’ll find all the pre-match information, including team lists, predictions and stats you need and want, key players to watch and why you should bother watching the game at all. Plus we ask AI to do better than us with a predictions and AI Greg Norman pays a visit for his thoughts on this and all RLWC 2026 games.
After the game stop by for just enough of the opinion and post match stats you could need to keep up with each match of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
RLWC 2026 England v France Preview
Saturday, October 24, 5:35pm AEDT at HBF Park, Perth
TEAMS
England:Â 1. AJ Brimson, 2. Dominic Young, 3. Hugo Savala, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Zach Eckersley, 6. George Williams (c), 7. Harry Smith, 8. Max King, 9. Brad O’Neill, 10. Luke Thompson, 11. Junior Nsemba, 12. Kai Pearce-Paul, 13. Victor Radley, 14. Jez Litten, 15. Ben Currie, 16. Ethan Havard, 17. Sam Walters, 18. Jack Welsby, 19. Matty Ashton, R. Kallum Watkins, R. Mikey Lewis, R. Ben Talty
France:Â 1. Arthur Mourgue, 2. Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, 3. Latrell Siegwalt, 4. Romeo Tropis, 5. Benjamin Laguerre, 6. Thomas Lacans, 7. Theo Fages, 8. Romain Navarrete, 9. Amir Bourouh, 10. Julian Bousquet, 11. Arthur Romano, 12. Mathieu Jussaume, 13. Benjamin Garcia (c), 14. Cesar Rouge, 15. Lambert Belmas, 16. Mathieu Cozza, 17. Louis Grossemy, 18. Jordan Dezaria, 19. Fouad Yaha, R. Jowasa Drodrolagi, R. Tiaki Chan, R. Alrix Da Costa
TEAMS TALKING POINT:
Team news – No changes from England, and no wonder given they are playing France and not Tonga. If they fail to impress this time around, they might make some changes, although it might be too late to qualify for the final four. Some minor changes for France including captain Benjamin Garcia moving to lock. After losing by over 70 points last time, it’s hard to see it as more than shuffling the chairs on the Titanic.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Herbie Farnworth – Arguably the best centre in rugby league couldn’t help England over the line against Tonga last weekend, but with a France side whose centres missed 13 tackles last weekend, Herbie could have a bit of a day out on Saturday in Perth.
AJ Brimson – pressure is on AJ Brimson to make a difference for England, as there’s chat that Jack Welsby could be a decent alternative. For Brimson it’s a rare chance to shine in his best position, something that doesn’t happen often for the Titans.
France – Without sounding condescending, the French players are relatively unknown, for those who aren’t avid followers of the Super League, so sometimes it’s fun to discover new and exciting players.
BATTLES TO WATCH:
England v France in general – with so much non rugby league history, one wonders if that underlying history will lift France against England given the gulf in the quality between the two sides.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THIS GAME
See if England can turn around their loss last weekend into a win, and a big win they need to make the final four. Watching a full flight Herbie is also a treat.
PREDICTION
England should win and win well. But there’s just something unconvincing about them.
England 44 France 22
STATS
- Overall England lead the H2H by 44-7, but are currently on a 23 game winning streak against France. Their last loss to France was in 1981 where France won 5-1. Courtesy of a three-point try and goal, while England kicked a field goal…..
- England lead the H2H on Neutral ground by 4-0.
- England lead the World Cup H2H by 5-0.
- England are W1 L1 in Perth at this ground, with the loss last weekend’s v Tonga and the win in 2017 against France.
- France have played a surprisingly large amount of games in Australia, their record is W64 L65 D7.
AI GREG NORMAN’S PIC-REDICTION
AI Greg Norman is always on hand to give his opinion on anything sport related, and we harness the power of AI and his imagination to come up with a pictorial prediction.
It’s a historic battle, that England will probably win on historic form on and off the field.
AI PREDICTION
Since everyone else is using AI, why not us for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
We asked AI the following: “Predict the winner of this 2026 Rugby League World Cup based on historical H2H records, each team’s record at World Cup, each team’s International record from the last 10 years with a recency bias on the last three years, relative toughness of each team’s forward pack, and overall courage of the general population from each country.”
AI SAID:
Predicted Result: England 34 – 12 France
Win Probability
- England: 84%
- France: 14%
- Draw (after 80 mins): 2%
Factor Analysis
1. Historical Head-to-Head Record
The historical matchup is extremely one-sided. England have won 44 of 53 meetings, with France managing only 7 wins and 2 draws. England have also won all five Rugby League World Cup meetings between the nations.
Recent results are even more decisive:
- England 64-0 France (2023)
- England 40-8 France (2024)
- England 42-18 France (2022 World Cup)
Advantage: England (major)
2. Rugby League World Cup History
England have reached three World Cup finals (1975, 1995, 2017) and regularly reach the semi-finals.
France have a proud history and reached the final in 1954 and 1968, but have generally struggled against the top tier nations since then.
Advantage: England
3. International Form (Last 10 Years with Recency Bias)
England have consistently beaten second-tier nations and remained competitive against Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga. Recent victories over Samoa and France demonstrate they remain among the elite nations.
France have improved domestically through Catalans Dragons’ influence but their international results against leading nations remain inconsistent. Their recent record includes heavy defeats to England, Samoa and Tonga
Applying a strong weighting to 2023-2026 results increases England’s advantage further.
Advantage: England (major)
4. Forward Pack Comparison
England’s forward stocks are built largely from Super League’s strongest clubs and feature more size, depth and experience.
France possess several quality forwards, many with Super League experience, but the overall pack lacks England’s depth through the middle and on the interchange bench.
Over 80 minutes England should win:
- Post-contact metres
- Territory battle
- Ruck speed
- Bench impact
Advantage: England
5. First Round of the 2026 World Cup
Current tournament form matters.
Available reports indicate England suffered a surprising 30-12 defeat to Tonga in their opening World Cup match, putting pressure on the remainder of their group campaign.
While that is a negative indicator, Tonga are vastly stronger than France. The loss may actually increase England’s focus and urgency.
Slight advantage: England response factor
