England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong but remain on the brink of a group-stage exit at the Rugby League World Cup. Tries from Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young and Harry Smith gave England a strong start, with Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis adding late scores. Despite the victory, England’s qualification hopes depend entirely on Tonga beating Samoa by over 46 points. The defeat to Tonga in their opener and the subsequent 82-0 win over France left them needing a 70-point margin to overtake Samoa on points difference. PNG limited England to a penalty goal in the first half and scored two converted tries in the second half, sparking a comeback. England went 48 minutes without a try before Knowles scored in the 69th minute. Mikey Lewis added a consolation try in the final play, but the 22-point winning margin is unlikely to be enough. Captain George Williams admitted the team’s errors cost them the match, stating the wheels fell off after a good start. England now face their first group-stage exit in World Cup history.
PNG outscored England in the second half, with Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro crossing for tries. England captain George Williams said the team was good in the first 20 minutes but then fell apart due to too many errors. He praised PNG for not stopping their fight and admitted the team was not good enough. Williams expressed disappointment and reliance on Tonga to achieve a massive victory over Samoa to keep their hopes alive.
England need Tonga to beat Samoa by over 46 points to reach the semi-finals. The slim chance of qualification adds to the disappointment of a potential first group-stage exit in their World Cup history.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing