- England's Rugby League World Cup semi-final hopes are all but over despite securing a 34-12 victory over Papua New Guinea in their final pool match in Wollongong, as they failed to achieve the necessary points margin to overhaul Samoa.
- Head coach Brian McDermott's side produced a dominant opening spell, scoring early tries through Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young, and Harry Smith to build a 22-0 lead within the first 22 minutes.
- England suffered a frustrating second-half slump marred by repeated handling errors and lost momentum, allowing Papua New Guinea to respond with tries from Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro.
- Although Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis crossed for late tries to extend the scoreline, England were left aggrieved by an error-strewn performance that fell far short of their target.
- Barring the highly improbable prospect of Tonga defeating Samoa by at least 46 points on Sunday, England will be eliminated from the tournament and head home.
IN FULL
