Brian McDermott’s side needed a commanding win to improve their points difference and keep pace with Samoa in the race for the remaining semi-final place. However, despite racing into an early lead, England could not maintain their scoring momentum and now need a remarkable result from Sunday’s meeting between Tonga and Samoa.
England make flying start against PNG
England began with real attacking purpose and established a 22-0 advantage after just 21 minutes.
Matty Ashton opened the scoring in the seventh minute before AJ Brimson crossed for England’s second try. Dom Young and Harry Smith added further tries as the visitors appeared capable of producing the huge winning margin they required.
However, handling errors and determined defending from Papua New Guinea slowed England’s progress. A penalty goal just before half-time extended their lead to 24-0.
PNG fight back after the break
Papua New Guinea returned from the interval with renewed energy and quickly put England under pressure.
Dudley Dotoi scored before Gairo Voro added another try, with both converted to reduce the deficit to 24-12.
The Kumuls continued to threaten, while England struggled to reproduce their first-half attacking performance. It took the English side 48 minutes to score again, with Morgan Knowles eventually crossing to ease the pressure.
Mikey Lewis added another try with the final play of the match to complete the 34-12 victory.
England now need a huge Tonga victory
The result leaves England dependent on the outcome of Sunday's clash between Tonga and Samoa.
According to the NRL's qualification assessment, Tonga must defeat Samoa by at least 47 points for England to have a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
A Samoa victory would end England's campaign, while a smaller Tonga win would not provide the required points-difference swing.
England had already suffered a 30-12 defeat to Tonga in their opening match before responding with an 82-0 victory over France. Their failure to secure a much bigger margin against Papua New Guinea has left them needing an extraordinary favour from their Pacific rivals.
McDermott admits England need something remarkable
England captain George Williams acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, praising Papua New Guinea for refusing to give up after falling behind heavily.
Head coach Brian McDermott also recognised that his side had allowed the game to become more difficult after their impressive opening spell.
England must now wait for Sunday's Tonga-Samoa encounter, knowing that their place in the last four is no longer in their own hands.
Match details
• Competition: 2026 Rugby League World Cup
• Result: England 34-12 Papua New Guinea
• Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong, Australia
• Date: Friday, 30 October 2026
• England's next step: Hope Tonga defeat Samoa by at least 47 points