England forward Morgan Knowles has laid down the challenge for rival supporters at Rugby League World Cup 2026 by declaring: “UK fans are miles better than Aussie fans”.

Knowles, who has been starring for the Dolphins since moving from St Helens ahead of RLWC26, is expected to be in the England squad for their World Cup campaign, which begins with a mouthwatering clash against Tonga in Perth on October 17.

England again play in Perth on October 24 against France before travelling to Wollongong to take on Papua New Guinea on October 30 in what is likely to be a must-win match for both nations.

With a large British population in Perth and the Western Australia capital being the closest city in the tournament for flights from the UK, Knowles expects there to be strong support for the double-headers at HBF Park which also feature England Women playing Wales and the Jillaroos.

The match in Wollongong is scheduled so that fans can watch the world champion England Wheelchair team against Wales at Win Entertainment Centre before England Men and Women take on PNG and Samoa in a double-header at the adjoining WIN Stadium.

Photo: England forward Morgan Knowles is looking forward to playing in Wollongong during the World Cup. @Adam McLean/Illawarra Mercury

The semi-finals are at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on November 7 and Allianz Stadium on November 8, with the final at Suncorp Stadium on November 15.

“I can quite comfortably and happily say that UK fans are miles better than Aussie fans,” Knowles said.

“I’ve played in some games here at Suncorp with plenty more numbers than we get in Super League, but the atmosphere the English fans create is heaps better, with the chants, the singing and how loud they get. Hopefully they get behind us as at the World Cup.

“I’m assuming we've got a couple of games in Perth because of the England fans. We are hoping they come out to support us and hopefully we can get the wins there, and then go to Wollongong."

Knowles was recently in Wollongong for the Dolphins match against the Dragons and he is looking forward to returning for what will effectively be an England triple-header.

“As English people, we're really proud of our little country, and I think we always punch above our weight,” he said. “If we can do something really special, that would obviously be brilliant.”

However, the 30 year-old lock admits that England will need to perform at their best under new coach Brian McDermott after losing all three Tests in last year’s Ashes series.

“Losing 3-0 is pretty embarrassing, really, and it's tough to take but for periods there we were definitely on top of Australia,” Knowles said. “We're tough and we compete and punch above our weight.

“We're going to have to do that again - and more - if we're going to achieve something, but the greater the challenge, the bigger the reward.

“It frustrates me how much Super League gets talked down and how Aussie's are quick to be disrespectful about the competition.

“I played in Super league for 11 years and trust me, it's a tough competition. There's lots of good players and there's lots of good teams that would go well out here.

“But being realistic, it is a different standard in the NRL week-to-week and how it's refereed, so we're going to need all our best players staying fit and all performing at near their best. I'm really confident that we've got a group full of character that will be ready to take on the challenge.”

Photo: Morgan Knowles in action for England during last year's Ashes series. @SWPix

After suffering a shock 27-26 extra time loss to Samoa in the semi-finals of the last World Cup in London in 2022, England have beaten Tonga and Samoa in consecutive Test series' before last year's Ashes defeat.

However, Knowles admits that the Jason Taumalolo-inspired Tonga will be a different proposition in Perth during the World Cup than they were in England in 2024.

“It's going to be a massive game," he said. "Obviously, you look at the potential team that they could pick and it's pretty frightening. But also look at the recent Test series we played against them and it was a whitewash.

“We beat them and we did the same with Samoa., so we're no idiots and with how it's structured too, that's obviously a massive game for whoever wins that so it will be all on. It'll be a great game, I'm sure."

Rugby League World Cup 2026 returns to Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Where nations clash, heroes rise, and legends are forged. 3 World Cups. 26 Teams. The World’s Best. Tickets are now on sale from $19. Don’t miss the pinnacle of global Rugby League.