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England face World Cup exit despite Papua New Guinea victory
England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 but need an unlikely 46-point Tongan win over Samoa to reach the semi-finals.
England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong but face elimination from the Rugby League World Cup despite the victory. Head coach Brian McDermott's side needed to win by 70 points to overtake Samoa on points difference, but fell far short with a 22-point margin. England would become the first side in World Cup history to fail to reach the semi-finals, ending a run dating back to the tournament's inception in 1954. Their qualification now depends entirely on Tonga beating Samoa by at least 46 points on Sunday, a result commentators have described as near-impossible. England started promisingly with four tries in the opening 21 minutes but then made repeated errors that allowed Papua New Guinea to score two converted tries and disrupt their rhythm.
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