Papua New Guinea have certainly given England some food for thought. The nature of the hosts’ performances so far in the Rugby League World Cup meant that no matter what the Kumuls did here on a wet night in Doncaster, England were guaranteed to start Saturday’s quarter-final as favourites.
But Stanley Tepend’s side will have left an impression on any England supporter watching here. The talk pre-match was whether Wales could pull off an almighty shock and win by 22 points or more to usurp Papua New Guinea to the eighth and final quarter-final berth. That prospect was dispelled after only 25 minutes in emphatic fashion.