Rugby League World Cup organisers were forced into an embarrassing apology after a technical failure cut short the tournament’s opening ceremony, before England delivered a stunning performance to dismantle Samoa.
The 43,000-plus crowd inside St James’ Park were expecting to see a pre-match set from Kaiser Chiefs before the tournament kicked off. However, the stadium’s public address system failed, leaving the lead singer, Ricky Wilson, sprinting up and down the touchline to raise spirits among supportersminutes before the tournament began.
