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Half-time! England 38-0 Papua New GuineaUtter 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.
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 …
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.
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.
Kallum Watkins gets in on the ry scoring action. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesTry! 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.
George Williams slides over for the fifth try. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesTry! 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.
Makinson rolls over the line for his second try. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesTry! 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.
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.
Tommy Makinson dives over the line for his try. Photograph: Paul Currie/REX/ShutterstockTry! 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.
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.
The Princess of Wales greets the Papua New Guinea players. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesThe 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.
The Paul Barrière Trophy, AKA the Rugby League World Cup. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesStanley 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.”
Shaun Wane: A proud Englishman. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesTeamsHere are today’s lineups, courtesy of the official Rugby League World Cup Twitter:
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.”
PreambleEngland 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