Brian McDermott has told England that they must suffer together if they are to reach the latter stages of the Rugby League World Cup.

McDermott's side are regarded as outsiders to win the tournament Down Under after only coming together as a group for the first time in Perth.

With Australia and New Zealand expected to progress from Group A, England face a fight with Tonga and Samoa for a place in the semi-finals.

McDermott recognises the importance of forging a strong bond from the outset in a competition that may offer no second chances.

"To go deep into the tournament, we have to do something special," said the England boss ahead of his first game in charge against Tonga on Saturday.

"It isn't simply about X's and O's. Any plan that we have tactically needs to be good but I also think there needs to be some moments where we go through a level of adversity, levels of fatigue and turning them away from our tryline.

"If you're going to do that repeatedly against a run of momentum, you've got to do something special. And I don't know if anybody will do anything special for someone if they don't like them. You've got to get on with the person standing next to you.

"It's a big thing. You can't force it and tell people to like each other. What I'm seeing is that everyone has a level of humility."

England have had to get to know each other quickly in Australia. (Photo: Peter Keleman/SWpix.com)

placeholder image — England have had to get to know each other quickly in Australia. (Photo: Peter Keleman/SWpix.com)

This weekend's opener appears to be a clash of styles between Tonga's power and England's athleticism.

McDermott expects his side to be tested physically but believes their durability could prove key.

"Tonga are also athletic and mobile," he said. "I think they're powerful as well and have got a lot of explosive and dynamic players.

"But the game today has got a tremendous amount of fatigue in it. Physically you get a lot more questions asked tackling the Tongan players and Pacific Islanders.

Brian McDermott is preparing for his first game as England boss. (Photo: Peter Keleman/SWpix.com)

"It fatigues you quicker. If you're doing that for two or three sets, there's another level of fatigue. The levels of fatigue are something that we've never seen before.

"We do like size and everyone wants to have a big pack and be dominant physically but I'm more interested in how effective we are after 14, 16 and 18 tackles. And I think that could be one of our strengths."