{"id":777490,"date":"2026-09-21T05:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T05:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/777490\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T05:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T05:04:14","slug":"rugby-league-world-cup-selection-on-the-line-as-brian-mcdermott-stresses-play-off-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/777490\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby League World Cup selection on the line as Brian McDermott stresses play-off performances"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

England head coach Brian McDermott has made no secret of the fact that the pressure cooker of finals football will dictate who makes his 23-man squad for the upcoming World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the initial elimination round now in the books, the intensity of post-season rugby league has given the national boss plenty to dissect.<\/p>\n

McDermott admitted that while he had a loose framework in mind entering the post-season, the environment of play-off clashes provides answers that regular-season fixtures simply cannot replicate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a couple of positions, more than a couple of positions, but there\u2019s a couple of positions that I\u2019m just not sure of just yet,\u201d McDermott said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an idea, but I really want to see both competitions in the finals. NRL\u2019s already got through their first round\u2026 Both sides of the world\u2019s referees don\u2019t blow their whistles as much and therefore the ball\u2019s in play for longer, so the fatigue levels are higher so it\u2019s going to be revealing for sure, the finals, about the final team selection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody\u2019s that far in front and nobody\u2019s that far behind. If somebody goes in finals and smashes it out of the park, he gets picked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Super League Dream Team reaction, England selection debate, and are Wigan Warriors unstoppable? \u2013 Click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show<\/a><\/p>\n

Most Read on Serious About Rugby League<\/p>\n

Play-off performances under McDermott\u2019s spotlight<\/p>\n

The weekend\u2019s elimination fixtures provided a stark contrast between players cementing their international credentials and those whose tour hopes may have hit a speedbump.<\/p>\n

In Warrington\u2019s 35-12 victory over Hull KR, key Wire stars stepped up to answer McDermott\u2019s call. Danny Walker controlled the ruck with immense composure and dynamic distribution, demonstrating the big-game maturity required for international rugby league at the exact right time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alongside him, George Williams, newly confirmed as England\u2019s captain, delivered a masterclass in game management, steering his side through a fiery, high-stakes encounter with complete tactical control and sharp line-engagement.<\/p>\n

McDermott praised the Wire man\u2019s leadership, saying: \u201cWhen we\u2019ve had the groups meetings, and we certainly had the spine meeting, the way that he would speak on there and just have a bit of maturity, he\u2019s certainly got some maturity back on as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be my captain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conversely, Leigh\u2019s 26-16 play-off defeat to Wakefield Trinity exposed the tight margins facing fringe selection candidates.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Umyla Hanley found himself under heavy pressure in tough conditions, unable to turn the tide as his side crashed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With fierce competition in the outside backs\u2014where established options like Herbie Farnworth, Jake Wardle, and Ash Handley are all vying for spots\u2014a quiet play-off exit leaves Hanley facing a nervous wait over his place in the final 23-man group.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"England head coach Brian McDermott has made no secret of the fact that the pressure cooker of finals…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-777490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}