England beat PNG but World Cup semi-final hopes rest on Tonga
A 34-12 victory in Wollongong leaves England needing Tonga to beat Samoa by at least 47 points to reach the semi-finals.
England remain only a mathematical chance of reaching the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals after beating Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong. Their progression now depends on Tonga defeating Samoa by at least 47 points.
Brian McDermott’s team built a 22-0 advantage while chasing the points needed to move ahead of Samoa in the combined standings for Pools B and C. But errors and disciplinary lapses disrupted England’s second half, while Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro scored tries for PNG.
Morgan Knowles added an England try in the 68th minute, and Mikey Lewis scored in the closing seconds.
England captain George Williams said mistakes had undone a strong opening 20 minutes. He praised PNG’s persistence but said England’s performance was disappointing despite the victory, leaving the team with only a slim chance of advancing.
Retiring PNG captain Rhyse Martin said he was proud of his side’s response to their 64-6 defeat against Samoa in Port Moresby. He said the players could leave the tournament proud after making England work for the win.
