RFL announces reform panel after England’s Rugby League World Cup exits

The Rugby Football League has announced a panel to help shape changes to the English game after England's men's and women's teams were eliminated in the group stages of their World Cups. BBC Sport reported that the announcement followed Tonga's 20-18 victory over Samoa on Sunday, the result that confirmed the men's exit despite England winning two of their three group matches.

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Former Great Britain captain Paul Sculthorpe, retiring England women's captain Jodie Cunningham and former international Adrian Morley will contribute to the work. Further panel members are due to be named in the coming days. The initiative, called One Game, One England, builds on work begun earlier this year and aims to strengthen the development of players from grassroots and academy rugby through to international competition.

RFL chief executive Ian Nolan acknowledged that travel arrangements and the competition format had affected England's campaign, but said those factors could not excuse the failure to reach the knockout rounds. According to BBC Sport, he described the planned examination as extending beyond results on the field, with media rights, the balance between audience reach and revenue, and attracting new supporters also among the issues to be considered.

Nolan also addressed the women's development pathway. England's squad included 11 graduates of the Diploma in Sporting Excellence programme, which supports promising female players in Years 12 and 13 of education. He said the squad's average age was 21 and presented the programme as part of preparations for future World Cups. England beat Wales 70-6 before losing 78-0 to Australia and 24-6 to Samoa.

The review comes with men's head coach Brian McDermott already calling for stronger domestic structures. BBC Sport reported that McDermott, who took charge in April after Shaun Wane's January departure, had no mid-season international or warm-up matches before the tournament. He has highlighted the depth of Australian club pathways and questioned whether Super League clubs have enough specialist players to fill key positions across several development teams.

The panel's membership is not yet complete, and specific changes remain to be shaped. Nolan said its work would inform major decisions that could require backing across the sport, while warning that progress would take time. He framed the potential benefits over four, eight or 10 years, placing the response to England's latest tournament disappointments within a longer-term effort to improve the national game.