The Rugby League World Cup has seen a mixture of memorable moments and challenges as teams compete across both men's and women's tournaments. While France has struggled on the scoreboard, being outscored by 156 points overall, the team drew praise for its distinctive jersey design. After wearing white in their opening match against Samoa to avoid a color clash, France donned their traditional blue Les Bleus jersey against England in Perth, which included a white and red chevron honoring the French tricolour. England’s kit also received positive remarks for its sleek white design accented with blue and red, reflecting the Union Jack. Tonga's all-red jersey with a white collar and a ngatu-inspired white chevron stood out as well.
However, what attracted considerable attention off the field was an incident involving England captain Jodie Cunningham in the women’s match against Australia’s Jillaroos. Cunningham, set to retire after the tournament as England’s most capped female player, was forced to play part of the game with her jersey number hand-written on her back in black marker after her No.14 jersey became bloodied and no spare numbered replacement was available. The makeshift solution sparked criticism among fans who viewed it as an unfortunate oversight for a tournament of this scale and status.
On the field, the competition has been marked by significant disparities in scorelines. The men’s tournament featured high-scoring performances from teams such as Tonga, Samoa, England, and New Zealand, who collectively amassed 264 points against less competitive teams. Papua New Guinea managed only a single try during this period, while Cook Islands winger Esom Ioka impressed with a three-try burst against New Zealand in Christchurch, including two long-range intercept tries highlighting his speed and game awareness. Ioka, 23, has been playing for the Brisbane Tigers in the Queensland Cup, where he scored 22 tries across 21 games this year. Although his impact was curtailed by injury during the match, his performance has drawn interest from National Rugby League clubs looking to bolster their outside backs.
The women’s tournament mirrored the lopsided results, with Australia's Jillaroos scoring 78 unanswered points against England, narrowly surpassing Samoa’s 76-point victory over Wales. The Kiwi Ferns matched the tournament’s highest-ever score with a 92-point win over France. Lebanon, while showing resilience, suffered a 36-0 defeat to Tonga.
The sizeable score differentials have reignited calls for improving competitive balance within international rugby league. Lebanon coach Michael Cheika highlighted the struggle smaller nations face with preparation and match opportunities. He noted the challenge in securing warm-up games, stressing the importance of increased fixtures to help teams build form and cohesion ahead of the World Cup. “We haven’t played a game since the last World Cup,” Cheika said, underscoring the difficulty in readying players like Alex Conti for international competition.
Since its 2019 inception and relaunch in 2023, the Pacific Championship has provided a regular competitive platform for Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea. However, calls have been made for comparable annual tournaments for northern hemisphere teams, including England, Lebanon, France, Wales, Italy, and emerging rugby league nations in Europe and Africa, to enhance the overall competitiveness of future World Cups.