Traditional heavyweight in 'awful trouble' as post-season Test footy tips 2026 Rugby League World Cup on its head

The rugby league season is officially over and the international period delivered plenty of talking points - both negative and positive.

Australia proved too strong in the revived Ashes series, doing enough to win all three games against a poor England side overseas.

Back closer to home, New Zealand and Samoa showed why they are both genuine hopes of winning the next World Cup.

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Wide World of Sports breaks down the big talking points from the last month of footy.

KANGAROOS JUMPER IS REECE WALSH'S TO LOSE

It was one of the most hotly-contested positions heading into the Ashes series, but superstar fullback Reece Walsh erased any doubt about the future of the No.1 jersey.

Dylan Edwards was the incumbent and James Tedesco just enjoyed yet another Dally M Medal-winning campaign, but it was Walsh who got the nod for the Kangaroos.

A prior relationship with coach Kevin Walters might have aided his selection but once the whistle blew, it was entirely up to the Broncos speedster to repay that faith.

In the series opener at Wembley Stadium, the 23-year-old was the best player on the field by a country mile and if not for him, Australia could have quite easily lost the game.

Walsh finished with two tries and saved at least the same amount in defence, while also making two linebreaks and laying on two linebreak assists.

In the second game, Walsh had a down outing and was sin binned, but bounced back for the dead rubber at Headingley with another stunning two-try display.

With so much football and improvement in front of him, it would be a huge surprise for Walsh to lose the Kangaroos spot back to Edwards or anyone else and it's also a near guarantee that he will be lining up for Queensland in next year's State of Origin series.

Walsh has announced himself on the international stage and will likely play a major role in Australia's World Cup defence on home soil at the end of 2026.

AUSTRALIA'S WORLD CUP STRANGLEHOLD IS IN DANGER

Now that the positive part of Australia's 3-0 whitewash against England is out of the way, let's address the elephant in the room that could play out this time next year.

For the majority of this century, the Kangaroos have been dominant and have had a stranglehold on the World Cup trophy, winning four of the past five tournaments.

However, their performances against an extremely disappointing and ordinary English side left plenty to be desired.

Australia will start as the favourites for the marquee event next year, but they are no sure things - especially with the way New Zealand played in the Pacific Championships and the continued rise of Samoa, who are still going to welcome back some key stars.

Phil Gould quipped on commentary during Sunday's final that the Kiwis and Samoa find themselves in better shape than the Kangaroos for the 2026 World Cup and it's hard to argue with him.

PAYNE HAAS TURNS SAMOA INTO A GENUINE CONTENDER

Piggybacking on from the comments made by Gould and it was an absolute joy to watch the way Samoa went about their business over the past few weeks.

In fact, the tournament and the final against New Zealand will be one that got away for Ben Gardiner's side - but also something they can take plenty of lessons from.

Leading at the break, Samoa let things slip in the 36-14 defeat, but it's no secret they earned plenty of admirers and the scenes at CommBank Stadium with the fans singing beautiful hymns to create an electric atmosphere just a taste of what might still be to come.

The addition of Payne Haas has turned them into a real contender and the Broncos prop was at his barnstorming best throughout the side's three matches.

Haas averaged 133 run metres and 40 tackles per game for Samoa, while also barging his way over for a try during the group stage rout over Tonga.

The scariest part is that Samoa still have some high-profile troops to come back in and join Haas on the road to potential World Cup glory.

Stephen Crichton, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Spencer Leniu all didn't feature in the year-end tournament, while the continued talk in rugby league circles is that star enforcer Tino Fa'asuamaleaui could switch allegiances and play for Samoa.

ENGLAND DESPERATELY NEED TO SHAKE THINGS UP

Two tries in three matches just about sums up where things sit for England right now and they will need to make some major changes before the World Cup.

The first dilemma will be the future of coach Shaun Wane, who has copped plenty of criticism over the past month - but the worst was saved for last.

During the side's 30-8 loss in the dead rubber at Headingley, fans started to sing "you're getting sacked in the morning" towards Wane.

But in a defiant response, Wane said he still feels he is the right man for the job.

"I don't believe - I know I am," the 61-year-old told media post-match.

"The only people I want (to back me) are the players and staff and I know I have that."

If he does remain in charge, England will need to find a way to shake things up in some other way - whether it be through personnel or playing style.

Greg Alexander was stunned by the lack of fight shown by England during the series.

"They had nothing," he said on SEN.

"There was a 15-minute period in the third match where they had all of the ball and a couple of line drop outs. So much territory and possession but they couldn't score.

"They have no one that can break Australia's defence open. How many players in that England side would get a run in the NRL? None of them.

"There is nothing coming through England. No one is developing or playing the game of rugby league underneath. They are in awful trouble.

"The whole of English rugby league needs to pull up their socks."

TONGA STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO

In terms of disappointment from this post-season slate of international fixtures, Tonga probably sit neck-and-neck with England.

Despite boasting a quality side littered with stars, Kristian Woolf's men failed to fire a shot in the Pacific Championships and were outclassed in both games.

Their first setback came against bitter rivals Samoa, where they were blown off the park in a 34-6 drubbing, with the only try for Tonga coming in the 78th minute.

The following weekend, with everything still to play for, New Zealand made light work of Tonga and ran away with a clinical 40-14 win at Eden Park.

It's a disappointing slide for Tonga, who defeated the Kiwis last year to book a spot in the decider. Consistency is an issue after losing all three games against England in 2023.

Woolf is a great coach and has done wonders for Tonga in recent times, but right now there have to be grave concerns about their World Cup credentials.