Kangaroos, Kiwis and a World Cup of Selection Headaches

The second week of the men’s Rugby League World Cup is almost here, with several powerhouse nations already managing minutes and resting stars as attention quietly shifts towards the semi-finals.

For Australia and New Zealand in particular, this phase of the tournament is less about survival and more about refinement. With both heavyweights strongly placed in their pools, the coming fixtures double as selection trials in a competition overseen by the International Rugby League, where knockout matches can be decided by a single tactical call.

These group-stage games will be used to test new combinations, give battle-weary stars a breather and, in some cases, to clarify pecking orders in key positions. Elsewhere, a Tonga standout is forcing a rethink back at NRL club level and England find themselves under scrutiny after an opening loss that has left their campaign under immediate pressure.

Below, GlobalHeadlinez unpacks the major selection questions shaping week two of the World Cup.

Walters’ Fullback Call: Walsh’s Spark vs Tedesco’s Steel

One of the most debated questions around the Kangaroos is who coach Kevin Walters should trust at fullback once the sudden-death matches arrive.

Reece Walsh starred at the back in Australia’s opening game against New Zealand, while James Tedesco has been handed the No. 1 jersey against Fiji as he pushes his case to reclaim the role for the finals.

This time last year, Walsh was coming off a premiership and a Clive Churchill Medal performance in the NRL grand final. Fast forward 12 months and Tedesco has matched that double, while Walsh has endured a 2026 campaign disrupted by form and injury concerns.

World Cup-winning former New Zealand fullback Lance Hohaia believes Walsh currently leads the race for the No. 1 jersey heading into the semi-finals.

“I think Kevvie goes with Reece Walsh. He’s a spectacular player isn’t he?” Hohaia said.

“I thought Reece Walsh did fantastic in the Ashes last year in England and he was the incumbent so I would say, as a traditionalist, and I think Kevvie feels the same way, you kind of give the incumbent the first right at the Test jersey.

“Teddy’s going to have a chance to get out there and play though.”

Walsh underlined his case last Thursday in a 24-22 win over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, producing several highlight moments. The first was a decisive cover tackle on opposite fullback Kalyn Ponga, driving him into touch just as the Kiwi star looked certain to score – a key intervention given recent debate over which of the two is the game’s premier fullback.

The moment of the match came in the 69th minute when Walsh weaved through the Kiwi defence for a long-range try that left Hohaia and the New Zealand supporters on edge.

“He can just turn a game on its head in an instant and every time he got the ball we were just holding our breath hoping he wasn’t going to run the length of the field,” Hohaia said.

“Kevvie made a good selection choice there leaving Teddy out. I know that there was some debate around the fullback role for the Aussies but I’d say they’d be pretty happy with where they’re at.

“I would have gone with Walsh too. He brings real excitement, real X-factor and as we saw in the weekend he can win a match for you on his own.

“I know Teddy’s a fantastic player as well and based on the way that they were playing, it looks like Walsh is probably the best fit for that particular game.”

Tedesco, meanwhile, was given the opening week off after a gruelling NRL finals run that culminated in a premiership, having pushed through an ankle problem late in the season. His club coach Trent Robinson revealed he also carried a knee issue into the grand final win over Newcastle, a performance in which Tedesco still ran for more than 350 metres.

Resting Tedesco made sense given that workload. The challenge for Walters now is assessing how much weight to place on Tedesco’s upcoming performances against Fiji and the Cook Islands. Australia are strong favourites in both matches, so even dominant outings from Tedesco may not match the impact of Walsh’s display against a full-strength New Zealand side.

“If Teddy can get out there and perform as well it puts some pressure on team selection,” Hohaia said.

“Obviously Kevvie’s picked his best squad for the Kiwis’ game, I believe. The good thing about the way that the World Cup is, he’s probably going to be able to give other guys some time much like the Kiwis this weekend against the Cook Islands.

“Teddy’s definitely going to get some game time and then it’s up to him to get out there and perform like he did in the NRL season.”

The strategic layer to this debate sits in the forward battle. The Australian middle was outmuscled by New Zealand’s pack, with Moses Leota, James Fisher-Harris and Naufahu Whyte dominating the ruck. If the two nations meet again later in the tournament and the same pattern emerges, Walters may need maximum yardage from his back three.

Tedesco’s value in that scenario is obvious. He reliably takes high-volume “yardage carries” early in sets, helping relieve pressure on his forwards. Walsh, by contrast, is a strike weapon who picks his moments rather than an every-set metre-eater.

That leaves Walters with an unenviable choice: lean into Walsh’s game-breaking brilliance or Tedesco’s physical resilience and big-game history. A call will have to be made within weeks.

“I think Australia’s going to get better. I don’t think they played their best even though they won the game,” Hohaia said.

“I thought they looked a little rusty. I thought they looked better when Tommy Dearden came on at halfback.

“I think Tommy Dearden is a great player. I thought the team probably clicked into gear a bit more when he was on but we should have won the game.”

England’s Missing Enforcer in a Brutal World Cup Pool

England’s path to the semi-finals has been complicated by a heavy 30-12 defeat to Tonga in their opening match, a result that revived concerns about an attack that also struggled during last year’s three-Test Ashes series against Australia, when they managed just two tries.

Former England prop James Graham, however, has pushed back on the volume of criticism directed at the Lions’ performance, even while acknowledging he expected them to win their World Cup opener.

“I expected England to win that game, but I mean, I don’t really accept much of the criticism. We can critique it, but in terms of the attitude that the players showed, their willingness to offload the football,” Graham said on The Bye Round podcast.

“Some of the criticism that came after the Ashes series, I thought it was unwarranted. You come up against Australia. Like this idea that these two nations are equal. Well, then in terms of rugby league, they’re not.

“I thought they tried really hard against Australia, but the attack was found wanting. Maybe that’s a personnel thing, maybe it’s a coaching thing. Sean Wane (former coach) was moved on.

“The English public wanted to see an improvement in attack. Well, look at the line break stats. They were breaking the line against Tonga. It was just that little bit of clinical finishing that was found wanting.

“They went with an attitude to offload the football. They weren’t going to die wondering and defend their way to victory. They actually had a crack England so I reject any sort of criticism thrown the way of the English team.”

England still boast significant individual quality: centre Herbie Farnworth, halfback George Williams and fullback AJ Brimson headline a backline capable of troubling any defence.

The concern identified by former Dragons coach Shane Flanagan is structural rather than purely tactical. In his view, this is a squad missing the sort of fearsome middle-forward presence that has historically defined successful English Test sides.

Flanagan argued that in this tournament England do not have a figure in the mould of James Graham, Sam Burgess or Adrian Morley to unsettle opposition packs.

He also pointed to Victor Radley’s extended judiciary history as a factor that may have tempered the lock’s usual edge.

“I know it’s hard as England haven’t got one of these type of players. You haven’t got a James Graham, a Sam Burgess, an Adrian Morley in that team to go and out there and put a bit of fear into the opposition pack,” Flanagan said.

“I thought they were good and they carried the ball strong and they worked together, and as you said, they’ve got some quality offloads, but just at the moment, and you can’t ask Victor to do it because Victor’s trying to be good Victor at the moment.

“I just feel that, and it’s not one person on its own, but getting off the line and jumping into the Tongan or the Australian or the New Zealand side is something that they need to do because at the moment they just let the opposition play to a certain degree.”

England now face a pivotal fixture against France, who are coming off a 78-4 defeat to Samoa. In a short tournament where points differential and pool positions carry major weight, this match offers the Lions a chance to re-establish their attacking rhythm while proving they can generate the physical dominance required against top-tier forward packs later in the campaign.

Kiwis Told Dominance Is Not Enough

New Zealand’s one-score loss to Australia left a sense of opportunity missed. The Kiwis controlled key areas of the field for long periods yet were punished for two intercepted passes finished by Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic, swings that collectively amounted to a 24-point turnaround.

Hohaia’s assessment of the performance was clear: dominance means little when it does not translate to the scoreboard.

“Despite being dominant and having a lot of good stuff go our way we lost the match and at the end of the day wins and losses is what he’s going to be judged on,” he said of coach Stacey Jones.

The Kiwi pack did win the physical battle through the middle, but Hohaia believes there is still another level in that group if they are to reverse the result in a potential rematch with Australia.

“To be honest I thought the Kiwi pack probably didn’t fire as much as I was expecting it to,” he said.

“Some of those guys haven’t played as much over the last six or seven weeks and I know there’s another gear in there.

“I know that the boys can definitely play a little bit better than that in terms of getting those yardage metres.

“I expect the Kiwi pack to improve and keep pushing each other for those starting spots.

“I thought Moses Leota was probably our best prop on the day. I thought he looked really good. He is a quality player. James Fisher-Harris, he’s obviously right up there as well.

“Naufahu is nipping at his heels, (Xavier) Willison is a fantastic player and Erin Clark did a great job when he came on.”

For New Zealand, the more pressing technical concern may be at dummy-half. Jeremy Marshall-King finished the match with just four runs for 36 metres despite operating behind a largely dominant forward pack.

Hohaia floated the idea of injecting Kodi Nikorima at hooker to lift the attack around the ruck late in each half, while also creating room to use Te Maire Martin in the halves.

“I would have liked to maybe have seen (Kodi) Nikorima go to nine to give Te Maire Martin some time in the halves,” he said.

“Jeremy Marshall-King is a great little player but I thought Kodi could maybe just give us a little bit more spark around the ruck at the back end of the game.”

Martin has been in strong form for the Warriors in 2026 and was part of a six-man interchange bench against Australia but did not get onto the field.

“I guess we’ll see what Stacey’s going to do whether he gives Te Maire a chance to start at six this week,” Hohaia said.

“I think he’s going to probably rotate his squad a little bit and give some guys some time this weekend.

“He’s watching them train every day and obviously he’s watched them play a lot through the NRL season so I think selections are always going to be debated and it doesn’t matter who he picks, somebody’s not going to like the team.

“I think he knows what he’s doing with the squad but selections are going to be key when picking guys in those key positions to really perform well.”

With a match against the Cook Islands looming, New Zealand have an opportunity to bank competition points while trialling the combinations they may lean on later in the tournament.

“We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. They’re going to focus on Cook Islands and getting better and making sure our combinations are solid.

“They just need to extract all the good things out of that game and use that to try and get better. I think it’s a winnable game for them on Sunday obviously versus the Cook Islands. So it gives them an opportunity to test a few combinations out.”

Navale’s Fiji Form and the Trbojevic Question at Manly

Beyond the national teams, World Cup performances are already influencing NRL conversations. One of the most intriguing cases is Caleb Navale’s push at lock and what it might mean for veteran Jake Trbojevic at Manly.

The question being raised is simple: could Navale take the No. 13 jersey from Trbojevic by Round 1 next season?

Trbojevic, a long-time Sea Eagles favourite, had his club future questioned by some during Anthony Seibold’s tenure, but under new coach Kieran Foran he returned to near his best and earned a one-year contract extension.

Manly appear to be balancing loyalty to a proven leader with an eye towards their forward pack in 2027, mirroring the succession dilemmas they face in the halves after Joey Walsh.

Navale, 23, has had his own battles with injury but made a powerful statement for Fiji in a 40-12 win over the Cook Islands last weekend. He ran for 196 metres from 21 carries, scored a try, broke five tackles and added a line break.

Former NRL coach Shane Flanagan and ex-England forward James Graham have both weighed in on how much Manly should read into that performance as they shape their 2027 roster.

“Manly rate him highly. He did his ACL, he came back in like eight months. It was great work to come back,” Flanagan said.

“I’m sure Kieran Foran’s excited about having him in his squad. You need a lot of good forwards in your squad, and Manly haven’t got that. That’s one area they’re probably weak in.”

The obvious question is whether Navale’s World Cup form will dictate Trbojevic’s role in his final contract year, potentially shifting the 30-year-old into a bench or rotation role.

Flanagan does not think that decision is imminent.

“He (Navale) was there when I was at Manly (as an assistant coach). He’s a talented player, but Jake’s been around for a long period of time, and the leadership and the experience that he’s going to give to that whole football team is going to be valuable next year,” he said.

“They (selection headaches) are the nice things to have for a coach, to have someone like that, a young kid come through and show some form.”

Navale has played 12 first grade matches for Manly since 2024 and looked outstanding on the weekend, but Graham is wary of elevating a player above a proven NRL lock on the basis of one international performance.

“I think for me, you’ve got to be very careful about how you judge some of the performances at international level. Respectfully speaking, Fiji v the Cook Islands, I’d be very careful about how I assess the (performance),” Graham said.

“It reminds me a bit of some of the hoo-ha that goes on around players during trials, and you’d be very, very careful. You see a player have a good half in a trial game.

“Kade Reed made a great impression in trials, and the noise comes. I don’t want to be disrespectful and say it’s like a trial, but you’ve got to be careful when assessing a performance of a Fiji or Cook Islands because there’s some players in that Cook Islands team that are not NRL standard players.

“So you make a judgment call that somebody stands out and plays well, even Manuleleua, he played lock against France and they’ve pumped them and he looked really good, but you can’t take that as evidence to go to Justin Holbrook and say, ‘I’ll tell you what, you’ve got a great lock on your hands here’… not based on that.”

Trbojevic has anchored Manly’s middle defence for a decade and remains a central figure in their leadership group. Yet the broader evolution of the modern lock role is working in Navale’s favour. Today’s No. 13s are expected to offer not only defensive reliability but also footwork, ball-playing or line-breaking power through the middle – areas where the Fijian international brings more speed and punch than the veteran.

A more definitive read on Navale’s level will come when he faces Australia at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. If he produces another dominant display against the tournament favourites, the conversation around Manly’s long-term middle rotation will only grow louder.

“Be careful how we judge these performances when you’ve got some nations that are clearly under-resourced in terms of player power,” Graham said, summing up a caution that applies as much to NRL recruiters as it does to fans.