The second weekend of the Rugby League World Cup is in the books – and it was one to remember for a number of nations.

For others, less so much.

Here, we look at who we think is hot – and who is not – after the penultimate batch of group stage fixtures with our Power Rankings for the men’s tournament.

For reference, you can see last weekend’s instalment HERE.

Here are the latest World Cup Power Rankings…

10. France (-)

France were thumped 82-0 by England despite not conceding until the 23rd minute. Their World Cup exit has been sealed, and the fact the bookmakers have handed them a 30-point head start on the handicap against their final opponents Lebanon, who also cannot qualify, tells you all you need to know.

9. Cook Islands (-)

Just like France, the Cook Islands have been well beaten two weeks on the spin. Their latest defeat saw them ship 70 unanswered points in an 82-16 reverse to New Zealand in Christchurch. You fear next weekend against Australia could be a similar story if not even worse, providing the Kangaroos are in the mood.

8. Lebanon (-)

Lebanon’s last game prior to this World Cup was their quarter-final defeat in the last edition of the tournament in 2022. They were swept aside by Tonga, losing 36-0 in match week two of this edition. Difficult to separate any of the bottom three in our Power Rankings, in truth.

7. Papua New Guinea (DOWN 2)

PNG won their opener against Lebanon comfortably, but were then thumped 64-6 in Port Moresby by Samoa. Mitigating circumstances were there in that a number of players had to withdraw either before or early on into the game, but the Kumuls will be really disappointed with that result on home soil.

6. England (UP 1)

We’re well aware only moving up one place appears harsh when you win 82-0, but let’s not overlook the pretty dismal quality of opponent England swept aside in the shape of France. Brian McDermott’s side still need to win BIG against PNG this weekend to stand any chance of a semi-final berth. If they make it, we’ll be mightily impressed!

5. Australia (DOWN 1)

The Kangaroos got the job done against Fiji, winning 36-22 to book their semi-final spot, yet the performance was far from convincing. Kevin Walters’ side are yet to excel and other teams’ performances were simply far superior over the weekend just gone, hence why they’ve dropped a place. It’ll be interesting to see whether they rotate this weekend.

4. New Zealand (UP 2)

The Kiwis were desperately unlucky to lose their opener against Australia and bounced back in style as they routed the Cook Islands. Stacey Jones’ side scored some wonderful tries and let their quality shine through, deservedly jumping up a couple of spots in our Power Rankings. Winner takes all now against Fiji this weekend, and what a cracker it promises to be!

3. Tonga (DOWN 1)

Tonga deservedly won their opener against England and then took care of Lebanon comfortably, as was expected. Kristian Woolf’s side have fallen slightly in our Power Rankings through no fault of their own, and can now look forward to a showdown with Samoa. Victory guarantees them top spot in Pool B/C and a crack at either Fiji or New Zealand in the semis.

2. Fiji (UP 1)

We were incredibly impressed by what Fiji delivered against the Kangaroos, and it was only a ten-minute spell in the second half that really cost them a famous win. Nonetheless, Mick Potter’s side have shown they are more than capable of mixing it with the big boys – and will fancy their chances of an upset against the Kiwis this weekend as they look to qualify for the semi-finals.

1. Samoa (-)

Given the ease with which they have dispatched both France and PNG, we couldn’t displace Samoa from top spot here. Ben Gardiner’s side have likely already done enough to qualify for the semis as they look to repeat their 2022 feat of making it all the way to the World Cup final, but could seal the deal against Tonga this weekend and clinch top spot in Pool B/C.