That’s all for today. England roll on into the semi-finals. New Zealand v Fiji and Tonga v Samoa are the remaining quarter-finals.
Here is the report from last night of Australia’s win against Lebanon:
Bye!
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Stanley Tepend, the PNG coach, speaks to the BBC: “We took some pride from the second half, we showed we can match England. Not the start we wanted, but we will take a lot out of this.
“Yes, their start caught us out … we didn’t have the ball there for the first 20, 25 minutes … they caught us and they jumped ahead really quickly there.
“After half time the boys reacted to it which is a pleasing sign. I wouldn’t say it’ll do damage [to rugby league in Papau New Guinea]. Everyone back at home will be disappointed, but I know deep inside they’ll be proud of the boys.”
Aaron Bower is our man at the DW Stadium, and here is his match report, hot off the press:
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Herbie Farnworth speaks to the BBC now: “That first 30 minutes, we were pretty good … it set the tone for the game, really.
“I always practise hard, all my little skills, and footwork is one of those.
“I’m loving it here [back in England, after his move to Australia and the Brisbane Broncos].
“We’ve got no egos in the [England] team. It’s being a good person first … that’s our guide … hopefully we’ll go on to win it.”
It being the Rugby League World Cup.
Tom Burgess speaks to the BBC: “It was a really good start for us … we had a big emphasis on starting well … we wanted to run hard and defend well. We knew PNG were going to come out hard, and that’s what they did. Credit to the boys, we got some points on them early.
“It wasn’t really about PNG. It was more about us. We wanted to start well, to be relentless, to be England.
“I’m older now, probably a bit wiser. It’s my third World Cup now, I know how much it means, I don’t take anything for granted … this is very special, a home World Cup … I just want to make every performance my best.
“Waney just likes us to be urgent … get in there and do it together … we held Papua New Guinea in their own half for the first few sets, and we got the first few tries off the back of that. Waney said, it was the shortest half-time speech he’s ever done. He’s a perfectionist like most coaches … we knew we had another 40 minutes and we wanted to be tough, relentless and clinical.”
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The England coach Shaun Wane speaks to the BBC: “I thought we did really well, our first half was faultless … Second half a bit scrappy, but against a team like Papua New Guinea, to get to the semi-finals of a World Cup, I’m really impressed.
“He [Makinson] has done it for years and years … fair play to him, all our back field was good today.
“I was really impressed with Burgess, really really good … I’ve got good players on the bench, we’re in a good place.”
“I’m going to the Tonga v Samoa game, and I hope they rip into each other, it should be a great game. We’ll show them the respect they deserve [in the semi-final next week] and we’ll give it our best shot.
“We’ll keep improving, every time we train, hopefully we can improve.”
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Makinson, who scored a quite incredible 30 points, speaks to the BBC: “It’s nice isn’t it [scoring a record five tries], a special achievement, but going to London for a semi-final is going to be even bigger.
“As a soon as you pull on those England colours on it’s special … I want to be a World Cup winner and we are working towards that.
“There’ll be bigger games and hopefully I can do it in them.”
Full-time! England 46-6 Papua New Guinea
That, in truth, was over after 20 minutes. Perhaps even 10 minutes. England were simply unstoppable in the first half and they will go on to face either Samoa or Tonga in the semi-finals next weekend.
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79 min: There is a captain’s challenge by PNG for an incident in a tackle, but it’s unsuccessful, as England get a scrum. Makinson sprints down the left wing again looking for No 6.
77 min: The players find time to squeeze in a quick fight before full time. Martin, the PNG skipper, ends up with a bloody nose after a big tackle on Morgan and everyone piles in.
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Try! 74 min: England 46-6 Papua New Guinea (Makinson)
That’s FIVE tries for Makinson, which is a record, the first player to surpass the four-try mark in one match for England’s rugby league team. It’s a marvellous jinking finish in that left corner, too. He has no hesitation in holding up his hand, four fingers and a thumb, to demonstrate his feat. He hits the post with the conversion from out wide. Makinson has scored 30 of England’s points, with five tries and five conversion. Amazing scenes.
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Try! 69 min: England 42-6 Papua New Guinea (Ngutlik)
Johnston angles a low kick for the corner and Jimmy Ngutlik sprints on to it and touches down. His main problem then is that he finds himself sliding towards the advertising hoardings a rate of knots … but he manages to protect himself in the impact. The extras are added by Rhyse Martin with a brilliant conversion.
The attendance is over 23,000 at the DW Stadium today, a record for a RLWC quarter-final, says the commentator.
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67 min: PNG have the feed at a scrum on halfway. Shaun Wane is pictured looking displeased with a decision by the video referee after a captain’s challenge from England over a previous tackle. This is fizzling out a bit after the heady moments in the first half when tries were raining down like, er, the rain in Wigan.
64 min: Young is nearly in yet again on the right after a mix-up between Johnston and MacDonald, both trying to catch the same high ball by the try-line. That was a shabby bit of play by PNG. They’ve had a tough afternoon but they did get to meet the Princess of Wales.
🤝 We're privileged & honoured that the Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) is in attendance at today's @RLWC2021 Quarter Final!
— England Rugby League (@England_RL) November 5, 2022
🏴 #EnglandRL pic.twitter.com/g4D1XVSWz6
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61 min: England turn the ball over and stream down the left wing. PNG aren’t doing themselves many favours here. They must be desperate for the final whistle but they have almost all the final quarter to deal with yet.
Try! 58 min: Engand 42-0 Papua New Guinea (Makinson)
He’s been threatening in this second half and he finally gets there. Makinson saunters over after good work by Mike McMeeken, on from the bench, and that is four tries for Makinson. Makinson himself pulls the conversion slightly and the score stays at 42-0 after the latest try, England’s eighth of the match.
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56 min: Makinson is nearly in yet again on the left wing but he is narrowly bundled into touch by two PNG defenders.
The rain seems to have stopped in Wigan, but the pitch is still very slippery.
53 min: Williams launches a long, high kick to the left corner that Makinson chases, but it bounces out. The fluency England showed in the first half isn’t quite there – and PNG are competing better in defence.
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49 min: England move to within striking distance again, but a grubber from Williams is slightly overhit and bounces out of play.
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47 min: No, Simbeken now goes off after that HIA, which absolutely looks to be the right call.
46 min: England build an attack which ends with a drop-out under the sticks for PNG. Jeremiah Simbeken takes a fearsome hit in the side of the head during a tackle but it looks like he is OK to continue.
44 min: The Princess of Wales is pictured smiling during a (relatively) uneventful beginning to the second half. England, if you needed reminding, won the first half 38-0.
Second-half kick off!
Let’s go.
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Half-time! England 38-0 Papua New Guinea
Utter domination. Seven tries. Nothing for PNG to cling to.
Makinson speaks: “It’s job half done … we started well … hopefully we can continue our dominance. They’re a great team, the scoreline doesn’t show that … we’ll go again.”
See you in a few minutes for more.
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38 min: PNG have a little more ball, but they still look dazed and confused by the barrage of tries that England have scored. The question for Wane is: how best to use the second half as preparation for the semi-final and final, with the match long since won?
It’s not the kind of luxury a coach at any World Cup generally has …
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33 min: PNG build a meaningful attack for the first time, and they are nearly in on the right wing. They try a grubber kick with the last play but no one can get on the end of it and England have repelled the danger.
30 min: PNG have made just 49 metres to England’s 694 up to this point. This is unprecedented, surely. It’s an absolute humiliation at the moment and you have to sympathise with all on the PNG side.
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Try! 26 min: England 38-0 PNG (Makinson)
An up and under is sent into the PNG in-goal area. Alex Johnston fails to gather it under pressure from Welsby. Makinson dots it down, and England challenge the referee’s decision that the ball was caught cleanly. It goes upstairs, and after checking all the chasers were onside, the TMO decides it’s clearly a try for England.
“They’re in shock, I think, they’re in a little bit of freefall,” says the BBC co-commentator of PNG’s afternoon so far. Stanley Tepend, the coach, is pictured looking shell-shocked up in the stand.
Try! 23 min: England 32-0 PNG (Watkins)
A long looping pass bounces out to Young on the right wing. There is a weak attempted tackle which he shrugs off, and he offloads inside to Watkins, who barrels over.
Utter, utter dominance. And that was probably the first try you’d say was down to visibly shoddy defence.
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Try! 26 min: England 26-0 PNG (Williams)
England cut through the PNG defence, straight through the middle, with a beautiful passing move. Williams is tackled short of the line, but his considerable momentum sees him slide over on the soaking wet pitch and he touches down. Makinson converts. This is almost unbelievable.
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Try! 18 min: England 20-0 PNG (Makinson)
Makinson snatches a kick forward and jinks and powers over. He converts.
England are unstoppable. PNG simply have no answer, and it doesn’t feel like they are playing particularly badly.
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Try! 14 min: England 14-0 PNG (Young)
A cute kick from Makinson is patted back by Tomkins, and that sets up a yawning overlap on the England right after the ball is sent through the hands of Bateman and Watkins. Young flops over for a regulation try. Makinson misses the difficult kick.
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12 min: England are massed near the PNG line again. You feel for their opponents, thus far, because they have not had a sniff. And when they do get the ball the England defence is absolutely relentless. England are not in the mood to let this opportunity slip away.
Try! 8 min: England 10-0 PNG (Makinson)
England have numbers again, this time attacking on their left wing. A stunning little grubber kick by Tomkins is arrowed towards the corner. It’s perfect for Makinson to run on to, and he dives over the line. Can he convert his own score? He can’t, he pulls it slightly from out on the touchline, and it remains at 10-0.
Worrying signs for PNG early doors though. They are being overpowered.
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Try! 5min: England 6-0 PNG (Burgess)
There were one, two, three, four defenders in attendance near the try-line but the power and evasiveness of Burgess at close range proves too much. He first barges into contact and then twists to his right and over the line. The extras are added by Makinson. England are up and running.
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5 min: Tom Burgess smashes up the middle and prompts an England attack.
2 min: Makinson gathers a smart kick near the try-line and attempts to offload to McIlorum but PNG’s defence holds firm.
1 min: The early physical exchanges are as crunching as you’d expect. The surface is greasy and wet, but both teams trying to play.
First-half kick off!
Here we go. England get things started.
A stirring rendition of God Save the King, there, and we’re ready to go.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Clare Balding are pictured in the crowd.
It’s anthem time. Papua New Guinea first, as they are the guests.
How’s this one going to go? Email me here
The Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, is currently meeting the players. She is holding a black umbrella.
Kick-off is going to be a few minutes late, clearly.
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The teams are heading out on to the rain-soaked pitch, with five minutes until the scheduled kick-off.
The BBC’s on-pitch reporter, Kevin Brown, is certainly not shy in getting close to the players during their warm-up while he does a piece to camera. He delivers an assessment of a couple of the England player’s various qualities while standing about three feet away from them as they do some stretching. Luckily, it was all positive.
It’s very wet at the DW Stadium in Wigan.
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Stanley Tepend, the Papua New Guinea coach, speaks: “We don’t want the occasion to get to us. We just want everyone to do their role, and if we do, the outcome will be good.”
The England coach Shaun Wane speaks to the BBC: “These are the best days. Sudden death. We have to win. This is why I coach. This is why the players play. It means everything.”
On the challenge posed by Papua New Guinea: “They’re very, very strong, very physical in contact. We need to be very good with our detail. But hopefully the best of us will beat the best of them.
“I’m a proud Englishman. I come from 200 metres away from this ground. The chance to coach England in the quarter-final of a World Cup is an absolute dream. I’ve been ready for this day for a while.”
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Teams
Here are today’s lineups, courtesy of the official Rugby League World Cup Twitter:
🔒 Here are your line ups for the quarter final between England and Papua New Guinea. #RLWC2021 | #ENGPNG pic.twitter.com/0yhUQcnrRj
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) November 5, 2022
Pre-match reading – Aaron Bower speaks to England’s Jack Welsby:
“For the first time in his rugby league career, Jack Welsby will feel at home on Saturday in the town which is so close to his heart. The 21-year-old, arguably the most mercurial talent to play for the national side for a decade, is as proud a Wiganer as you are likely to find despite the fact he has become a star for their great rivals over the Billinge Hill, St Helens.”
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Preamble
England amassed 196 points in three group wins against Greece, France and Samoa. Impressive, but Shaun Wane’s side now arrive at the more demanding and nerve-wracking business of knockout rugby.
Today’s opponents Papua New Guinea won three out of four in Group D, losing only to Tonga, achieving a points difference of +46 on the way to today’s quarter-final against the host nation. (England’s points difference in Group A was +168, but even that was surpassed by Australia’s +178 in Group B.)
The assessment of the England coach Wane before today’s match at the DW Stadium? “It’s knockout rugby, so someone is going to be disappointed - but it can’t be us.” That sums it up nicely.
There will be power, there will be pace, and it being 5 November, there will no doubt be fireworks references, too.
Kick-off: 2.30pm
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