England’s 34-12 win leaves semifinal hopes to Tonga-Samoa

England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 on October 30, but the win did not secure a place in the Rugby League World Cup semifinals. England’s remaining route depended on Tonga’s scheduled match against Samoa on November 1, with reports differing on the winning margin Tonga would need to open a path for England. England began the match in Wollongong strongly, racing to a 22-0 lead after 20 minutes. Papua New Guinea replied with second-half tries from Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro, narrowing the contest as England made errors while seeking to increase its score. Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis scored late tries for England, but the final margin fell short of the 69-point victory one report said England needed to improve its position substantially. Captain George Williams said England’s performance deteriorated after its opening spell and described the result as disappointing despite the win. Commentators also criticized the team’s second-half display, though those assessments were opinions rather than evidence of the players’ intentions. Papua New Guinea captain Rhyse Martin praised his side’s effort after it had lost 64-6 to Samoa in its previous match. Tonga had already qualified for...