With Brian McDermott taking charge and a changing of the guard, England second-rower Kai Pearce-Paul believes a new era is dawning for his national team as they strive for a successful World Cup campaign in October.

YOUTH, grit and passion will come to the fore for an England side aiming to lift the trophy for the first time since competing as Great Britain in 1972. That’s according to Kai Pearce-Paul, the six-time international, who is enjoying a breakout year in the NRL with his new club, the Wests Tigers.

“With the boys coming out here (to Australia and the NRL) I think the England team is starting to reshape,” Pearce-Paul told Rugby League World.

“I guess the new generation is becoming the new England team. There’s a few boys that have moved on, Elliott Whitehead, for example, Chris Hill, Tom Burgess.

“The vibes have always been good at England camp and the boys are pretty tight and get along pretty well. I feel like it’ll be a different-looking team, and possibly a little bit younger as well, and that could obviously bring a good sort of connection and a good bit of culture to the team too.”

The six-foot-six, 17-stone forward is excited about working with McDermott, who was the defence coach for the Newcastle Knights during the two years he spent in the Hunter region of New South Wales.

“The boys at Newcastle had a lot of time for him and he was a great coach for me as well. He’s a tough coach. I had some horrible sessions in pre-season wrestling with him. He’ll bring that sort of gritty English blood, as we like to call it.

“He’s very big on discipline and he doesn’t let people cut corners. He’s got his system in place and doesn’t want people to step outside it. So I think it’ll be great. It’ll be a different look for England, but I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a person, as a coach, and I’m sure the rest of the boys will too.”

Like everyone around the game of rugby league, Pearce-Paul has a very high opinion of the Dolphins and England centre Herbie Farnworth, confirming he deserves the praise lavished on him.

“I think Herbie is the best centre in the world, potentially even the best player in the world. I think what he does for that Dolphins team is ridiculous.

“I think the game can be totally against the Dolphins and a touch from Herbie can completely change it. And it’s not just one week, it’s consistently every week. Herbie just seems to be at that same level.”

Another player that Pearce-Paul believes has the potential to make a big impact for England in the 2026 World Cup is making waves for Wigan Warriors in Super League.

“Obviously the team needs to be chosen first, but Junior Nsemba can make a real impact. He’s a big boy with a big presence. He’s got that sort of unpredictability when he plays and, if chosen, I think he could make a massive difference.”

England will avoid playing the number one (Australia) and number two (New Zealand) internationally ranked teams in the pool rounds, coming up against France, Papua New Guinea and what is likely to be the toughest fixture against Tonga.

“Any time spent in camp is a good opportunity to gel and prepare for potentially making it through to the next stage in those games, but at the same time we are not taking those teams lightly.

“I think with Tonga and Samoa, their line-ups, especially this year, will be a lot stronger. There’ll be a lot of movement, with some players that represent Australia will probably go to represent them as well.”

The England squad may feature some additional Aussie accents after the rule around State of Origin and international representation for heritage players was relaxed, prompting Brian McDermott to say he would welcome any additions if it made for a stronger squad. Pearce-Paul says he fully supports that notion if it leads to more success.

“To be honest they’re playing for England. Obviously you want to be English, but at the end of the day I just want to win and if that means that there are players in there which aren’t necessarily born and raised in England, I couldn’t care less. I just want to win and that’s my goal.

“Personally, I think we should play a bit more out of the system and a bit more freely. When I look at the teams like Australia and New Zealand, which are built up of the best NRL players in the competition, they’re all taught to defend shape and Australia is the best at defending shape.

“But I think the in-between moments, the offloads, the more unpredictable kind of moves, will be the sort of plays that will catch those kinds of teams off guard. That’s my personal opinion.

“They train every day, but you can’t really train against the more unorthodox stuff which you can throw at them.”

The World Cup evokes special memories for the 25-year-old, who grew up in Catford in south-east London and followed his older brother into playing rugby league. The pool match against Greece in 2022 at Bramall Lane was his international debut.

“The main memory I have is the national anthem at the start of the game, looking up into the family part of the crowd and seeing my mum, my grandma and my brothers watching.

“During the middle of the national anthem I saw my grandma crying. That was probably one of the main memories I’ve got of that game.

“It was obviously a proud moment and everything sort of flashed before me, everything I’d done to come to that point and make my debut for my country. I was really proud.

“It was good that it was in England so my family could come watch me.”

England are in Pool B of the 2026 World Cup with Lebanon and Samoa. They will play Pool C teams Tonga in Perth on 17th October, France in Perth on 24th October and Papua New Guinea in Wollongong on 30th October.

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 521 (June 2026)