Rugby League World Cup format 'fundamentally flawed' says Jon Wilkin as England face historic group exit

Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin has slammed the Rugby League World Cup format as 'fundamentally flawed' after England were left on the brink of their first group-stage exit in the tournament's history. Wilkin's criticism comes after a shock defeat left England needing other results to go their way to avoid an embarrassing early elimination. The current structure, which features four groups of four with only the top two advancing, has come under fire for leaving little margin for error and potentially punishing a single bad performance. Wilkin argues that the format does not fairly reflect the strength of the teams and creates unnecessary jeopardy for the host nation. With England's fate hanging in the balance, the debate over the competition's structure is likely to intensify, especially if the hosts bow out before the knockout stages. The Rugby League World Cup has never seen England fail to progress from the group phase, making the current situation unprecedented in the modern era. As the tournament reaches a critical juncture, all eyes will be on whether England can salvage their campaign or if the format will claim its highest-profile casualty yet.