England Edge Closer to World Cup Exit Despite Victory Over Papua New Guinea

England’s hopes of reaching the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals are hanging by a thread despite securing a 34-12 victory over Papua New Guinea, following a disappointing and error-filled performance.

England needed a convincing win to improve their points difference after losing their opening group match against Tonga. Their qualification hopes depended on winning their remaining fixtures by significant margins.

They responded impressively against France with an 82-0 victory, raising expectations ahead of their meeting with Papua New Guinea.

However, Friday’s performance was far less convincing, with repeated mistakes and penalties allowing their opponents back into the contest.

England initially looked comfortable, racing into a 22-0 lead within the opening 22 minutes through tries from Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dominic Young and Harry Smith.

The early advantage suggested another dominant performance was possible, but England struggled to maintain their momentum as Papua New Guinea gradually found confidence.

Papua New Guinea fight back

Despite falling behind, Papua New Guinea refused to surrender and began taking advantage of England’s mistakes.

Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro scored tries for the Kumuls, reducing the deficit and putting pressure on the English side.

England repeatedly lost possession and conceded penalties, allowing Papua New Guinea to regain control of important periods of the match.

Head coach Brian McDermott had urged his players to remain patient before the game, but England struggled to follow that approach as the contest became increasingly chaotic.

A particularly costly moment came when England centre Herbie Farnworth lost possession while running towards the try line.

Although Mikey Lewis later scored another try, the incident highlighted England’s lack of control and inability to maintain consistent attacking pressure.

Morgan Knowles also crossed the line in the second half, while additional contributions from Lewis and the other scorers helped England secure the victory.

The final score stood at 34-12, but the performance left serious questions about their chances of progressing.

Costly mistakes threaten qualification

England finished the match with 21 handling errors and a completion rate of just 57%, statistics that reflected their struggles throughout the encounter.

The performance was a significant contrast to their emphatic victory over France, where they demonstrated the attacking quality and discipline needed to compete for the title.

The result means England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals now depend on the outcome of the remaining group fixture between Tonga and Samoa.

England need Tonga to defeat Samoa by more than 46 points to have a chance of progressing.

However, that scenario appears highly unlikely given Tonga’s recent record against their neighbours.

Samoa defeated Tonga 34-6 in Brisbane 12 months ago, while Tonga have not beaten Samoa since 2018.

Despite securing two victories in their remaining group matches, England now face the prospect of an early World Cup exit because of the damage caused by their opening defeat and insufficient points difference.

For McDermott and his players, attention will turn to the final group result, which will determine whether their tournament campaign continues.