England's men to host Samoa in two-Test autumn series

England's men will host Samoa in a two-match series later this year - meeting for the first time since their dramatic World Cup semi-final.

The first Test will take place at Wigan's Brick Community Stadium - formerly DW Stadium - on Sunday, 27 October, with the second at AMT Headingley in Leeds on Saturday, 2 November.

It will be Samoa's first Test series in England, and their first visit to the country since knocking the hosts out of the World Cup with a 27-26 golden-point victory in November 2022.

Confirmation of the matches brings to an end uncertainty regarding the men's team's autumn schedule, as Samoa had previously turned down the offer of a three-Test series.

Both matches will be televised live by the BBC in the UK, and by Super League+ overseas.

England head coach Shaun Wane said: "Everyone knows how devastated we were to lose that World Cup semi-final. I know all the players will be as keen as me to take on Samoa again."

The agreement means Wane's side now have three Tests to look forward to in 2024. The men's and women's teams both face France in a double header in Toulouse on Saturday, 29 June.

Having missed out on a World Cup final place in 2022, England's men defeated France 64-0 in Warrington in a mid-season international last April before completing 2023 with a 3-0 series victory over Tonga.

Wane said: "This is the positive news we've been waiting for. We face a tough challenge in France this month and we'll prepare for that in the knowledge that we’ll have another crack at Samoa at the end of the season. That's three big games to give us a focus for the rest of the year."

Both England's men's and women's teams will tour Australia in 2025.

New Zealand and Australia have also agreed to visit England in consecutive years after the 2026 World Cup.