Why England ranks above Samoa despite the 2022 World Cup defeat

England is ranked above Samoa because the International Rugby League rankings measure a weighted record across four seasons—not finishing positions at the last World Cup. England’s two Test wins over Samoa in 2024 help explain that ordering, even though Samoa won their 2022 World Cup semi-final.

The men’s rankings reported in August 2026, with standings as of 31 July, placed England third and Samoa fourth, behind Australia and New Zealand. The official IRL page displayed the same order when checked on 1 November 2026. This article explains that pre-World Cup update, not a live table of tournament results.

What the ranking actually measures

IRL counts performances in the current season and the three preceding seasons. Only officially sanctioned senior matches between approved members are eligible. Its published methodology identifies five factors:

• Result: whether a team wins, loses or draws.
• Margin: a larger winning margin has greater ranking value.
• Opposition: playing a higher-ranked team is worth more than playing a lower-ranked team.
• Recency: newer results carry more weight. IRL says a result in the most recent two years is worth twice one three years old and four times one four years old.
• Match importance: World Cup matches receive the highest weighting, followed by qualifiers, regional championships and one-off internationals.

Teams are then ordered by the points accumulated across that period. It is therefore neither a simple win-percentage table nor an assessment of which squad has the most NRL players.

For a 2026 ranking, the published current-season-plus-three rule gives a 2023–2026 window. On that basis, the 2022 World Cup results are historical context, not inputs to the 2026 calculation. The semi-final should not be treated as a permanent claim to the higher ranking.

The England–Samoa results behind the debate

The semi-final is the most memorable meeting, but England has won both subsequent Tests:

Date	Match	Result
15 October 2022	World Cup group stage, Newcastle	England 60–6 Samoa
12 November 2022	World Cup semi-final, London	Samoa 27–26 England
27 October 2024	First Test, Wigan	England 34–18 Samoa
2 November 2024	Second Test, Leeds	England 34–16 Samoa

These scores and dates are recorded in the Rugby League Project head-to-head archive. The 2022 rows explain the World Cup comparison; the 2024 rows fall within the published 2026 ranking window.

England and Samoa split their World Cup meetings: England won the group match by 54 points, but Samoa won the knockout match by one point and advanced to the final. That illustrates why tournament progression and a match-based ranking are different measures—even within the same tournament.

England subsequently won both 2024 Tests, by 16 and 18 points. Those victories supply a direct results-based reason for England’s higher position, rather than a judgement based on the teams’ reputations or club squads.

England’s wider record also contributes. It swept Tonga 3–0 in 2023, winning 22–18, 14–4 and 26–4, as the series record shows. The Samoa series alone is not the whole calculation. IRL’s public rankings page does not provide a match-by-match points breakdown, so these results explain the ordering without establishing exactly how much each contributed to the gap.

Does that mean England is definitely better?

No. It means England sits higher under IRL’s results-based system for that ranking release.

There is useful context around the Tests: both 2024 matches were played in England, and Samoa fielded eight debutants in the opener, according to the contemporary first-Test report. Those details help interpret the performances, but do not erase the recorded wins.

For who went further at the 2022 World Cup, the answer is Samoa; see its World Cup record. For why England occupies the higher ranking, the answer is the weighted multi-season match record, including its later victories over Samoa. Those are different questions, and both answers can be correct.