Morgan Knowles will return to contention for England’s final group game of the Rugby League World Cup next weekend against Papua New Guinea, all being well.

Dolphins ace Knowles – who joined the NRL outfit from Super League side St Helens ahead of 2026 – was struck down by a calf injury last week.

The versatile forward had initially been named to start in the front-row as England began their World Cup campaign against Tonga, but had to be withdrawn through injury and instead watched from the sidelines as his team-mates lost 30-12.

Head coach Brian McDermott has again omitted him from his squad for this weekend’s clash against France in Perth, with England now needing to beat both Les Bleus and PNG by handsome scorelines to stand any chance of making the semi-finals.

And the good news is that come next weekend, they should have Knowles back in their ranks.

England coach delivers Morgan Knowles injury update as forward’s ongoing absence explained

12-time England international Knowles – who also has four caps for Wales on his CV – was one of two withdrawals ahead of the opener against Tonga.

Fellow forward Morgan Smithies also withdrew through injury, with his exit a permanent one from the tournament, seeing veteran Leeds Rhinos utility Kallum Watkins replace him in the wider 23-man squad.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s game against France, boss McDermott provided the latest on Knowles, detailing: “He’s good, he’s had this niggling calf (issue).

“It’s not a big thing, but it keeps popping up now and again. He had a couple of days training leading up to the (Tonga) game and it was niggling a little bit, so we just left it alone.

“Morgan needs to knock five or six sessions together where it’s not niggling him.”

Next weekend’s clash against PNG on October 30 comes in Wollongong, with England having beaten the Kumuls in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in 2022 on home soil.

This time around, due to a reduced ten-team format, there are no quarter-finals: so it’s semis or bust.

McDermott added: “To play him in a game knowing full well that might go, there are a couple of things… I don’t want to waste his position with somebody who may well have to come off, but I also don’t want to lose Morgan for the rest of the tournament.

“If we do make the semi and go deeper into the tournament, I want to have the full complement of players available.

“I just thought Morgan playing with that niggle would be too high risk. He’s frustrated, but he gets it as well, he understands.

“He’ll be in consideration for next week, for sure.”