Due to the vagaries of the international rugby league calendar, this was McDermott’s first match in charge of England since his appointment in April to succeed Shaun Wane.
Wane had his criticisms, many of which were justified, but he organized a defensively solid England team that blanked Tonga on their 2023 tour of Britain.
He left in January after England were comprehensively beaten in last year’s Ashes, and McDermott had to put together a team with minimal preparation.
England did not play a single warm-up match; it was their first match since losing to Australia at Headingley in November 2025. They have not won a match since November 2024, against Samoa.
A much more confident Tongan side began the evening with a spine-tingling Sipi Tau battle dance and ended it with victory for the first time in seven games against England.
The relative lack of preparation is beyond McDermott’s control. Team selection and tactics are not, and that is where the former Leeds Rhinos coach will be questioned.
“You can’t play freely at international level, you have to keep the ball,” McDermott said after the match. His team looked nervous, ball in hand, too willing to pass up the opportunity to run against the Tongans and pass the ball back and forth.
As for selection, McDermott chose a central duo of Harry Smith and captain George Williams. They were found wanting, with Williams enduring one of his poorest games in an England shirt.
AJ Brimson was chosen ahead of Jack Welsby at full-back. Although Brimson scored England’s first try, he was also caught for Tonga’s fourth try.
McDermott said he would “look at” options regarding selection. Expect changes when the team to face France is named on Tuesday.
“Credit to Tonga for that rush, but I think we left three or four (opportunities) early in the game,” Williams said. “We lost our way, we were inconsistent, we need to find that balance to improve the team.
“We can’t kick. We have a great group and a loss doesn’t change our way of thinking.”
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