England Beat Papua New Guinea 34-12, and Now Need Tonga to Beat Samoa by 47 Points
England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Friday night, but it was not enough on its own. To reach the semi-finals they now need Tonga to beat Samoa by 47 points on Sunday, nrl.com calculated.
They scored four tries in the first 21 minutes and made 20 errors across the night.
A fast start
England started the night 68 points behind Samoa on points difference. Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young and Harry Smith all scored inside 21 minutes, and it was 22-0 after 22, according to the BBC.
England then made nine errors in the rest of the first half and only added a Hugo Savala penalty goal on the stroke of half-time, to lead 24-0.
| Team | Tries | Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| England: Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young, Harry Smith, Morgan Knowles, Mikey Lewis | 6 | 5 | 34 |
| Papua New Guinea: Dudley Dotoi, Gairo Voro | 2 | 2 | 12 |
PNG came back
Dudley Dotoi out-jumped Young to score in the 45th minute. Gairo Voro then went through a gap from ten metres out, and Rhyse Martin’s conversion made it 24-12.
Morgan Knowles scored in the 69th minute. Mikey Lewis beat several defenders to score in the left corner in the final seconds, which the BBC called England’s best try of the tournament.
Ashton made 161 run metres and five tackle breaks, and Herbie Farnworth 13 tackle breaks. It was Martin’s last international, and he finished with 130 run metres and 37 tackles.
“The wheels fell off”
“We were good the first 20 and then the wheels fell off, too many errors,” captain George Williams told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. “Credit to PNG, they didn’t stop fighting.”
Robbie Hunter-Paul, on the BBC’s commentary, said England were “only falling down by their own mishandling” in the first half.
What England need on Sunday
If Tonga win, Samoa and England both finish on four points, and the combined Pools B and C table splits teams level on points by head-to-head first. England and Samoa have not played each other, so points difference decides it.
After Friday, Samoa are on +132 and England on +86. That is why Tonga need to win by 47. Tonga already beat England 30-12 in the first round, so any Tonga win puts Tonga through. Our Tonga v Samoa preview has every result. Earlier on Friday, England’s women lost 24-6 to Samoa and went out.
Tonga v Samoa kicks off at 9.05am UK time on Sunday 1 November, at CommBank Stadium in Sydney.
