England defeat Papua New Guinea but still need big win elsewhere to stay alive
England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong, with early tries from Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young and Harry Smith and later scores by Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis. Despite the win, England remain 68 points behind Samoa on points difference and can only improve the gap by 22 points, meaning they must rely on Tonga beating Samoa by at least 46 points to stay in contention for the semi‑finals.
Key facts
- England coach is Brian McDermott.
- Papua New Guinea scored tries through Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro.
- The World Cup final is scheduled for 15 November in Brisbane.
- England needed a victory margin of 70 points or more to overtake Samoa on points difference.
- England require Tonga to beat Samoa by over 46 points to have any chance of reaching the semi‑finals.
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Why it matters
England's chances of reaching the World Cup semi‑final depend on another match’s outcome.
What changed
First published from Sky Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Guardian and The Independent