England vs PNG result: England win 34-12 but need Tonga to beat Samoa by 47 points

England vs PNG result: England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong on Friday, but their Rugby League World Cup semi-final hopes now depend on Tonga beating Samoa by at least 47 points on Sunday.

Brian McDermott’s side scored four tries inside the opening 21 minutes before their pursuit of a substantial winning margin stalled. PNG recovered from 24-0 down at half-time to win the second half 12-10.

England have completed their group fixtures with two victories and one defeat. Their fate will be settled when Tonga face Samoa on Sunday 1 November.

England vs PNG result: fast start gives way to frustration

Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young and Harry Smith crossed during England’s opening surge at WIN Stadium, according to the NRL’s official match report.

England had entered the match needing to improve their points difference substantially. For the opening quarter, their attacking return gave them hope of doing so.

But they could not sustain that scoring rate. Hugo Savala’s penalty just before the interval was their only addition after Smith’s try, leaving England 24-0 ahead at the break.

The NRL report records nine England errors in the first half and 20 across the match. Those mistakes interrupted the points chase and helped PNG work their way back into the contest.

PNG fight back before Knowles and Lewis score late

Dudley Dotoi scored in the 45th minute and Gairo Voro followed in the 51st. Rhyse Martin converted both tries, cutting England’s lead to 24-12, as recorded in Sky Sports’ match centre.

Morgan Knowles ended England’s long wait for another try in the 69th minute, with Smith converting. Mikey Lewis added the final try in the closing seconds, bringing the score to 34-12.

The late scores secured a 22-point victory. England needed a far bigger win to ease their reliance on Sunday’s result.

Team	Half-time	Full-time	Try scorers
England	24	34	Ashton, Brimson, Young, Smith, Knowles, Lewis
Papua New Guinea	0	12	Dotoi, Voro

Williams admits England were not good enough

Captain George Williams acknowledged England’s performance had fallen away after their productive opening.

“Too many errors. Credit to PNG, they didn’t stop fighting. We weren’t good enough today,” Williams said in his post-match reaction, carried in Sky Sports’ match report.

In the same report, McDermott accepted that England should have handled the scrappy second half better. He said chasing a large winning margin made the situation different from a game in which victory alone would have been sufficient.

Are England out of the Rugby League World Cup?

Not yet, but England’s fate is out of their hands. They need Tonga to beat Samoa by at least 47 points to move ahead on points difference, according to the NRL’s match report.

England began Friday’s game 68 points behind Samoa on points difference. Their 22-point victory reduced that gap to 46, meaning their winning margin and Tonga’s must total at least 69 to put England ahead. A 46-point Tonga win would leave the teams level on points difference.

Tonga face Samoa at CommBank Stadium in Sydney on Sunday 1 November, with kick-off at 9.05am GMT, according to the International Rugby League fixture listing. The match is listed on Premier Sports 2 in the UK.

The top two teams in the combined Pool B and Pool C table advance to the semi-finals, as confirmed in the official tournament announcement.

England’s opening 30-12 defeat by Tonga left them chasing, while an 82-0 victory over France kept a route open. Neither that result nor Friday’s win has secured progression.

Read our England Rugby League World Cup qualification guide for the background to the points-difference calculation.

Read our England v PNG team-news report for the selection background, including Knowles’ return to the starting side.

England vs PNG result: your questions answered

What was the England vs PNG score?

England won 34-12 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Friday 30 October, having led 24-0 at half-time.

Have England qualified for the World Cup semi-finals?

Not yet. England need Tonga to beat Samoa by at least 47 points on Sunday 1 November to finish ahead of them on points difference.

Who scored England’s tries against PNG?

Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dom Young, Harry Smith, Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis scored England’s six tries.

When will England’s World Cup fate be decided?

Tonga face Samoa on Sunday 1 November, with kick-off at 9.05am GMT. England have finished their group matches and must wait for that result.