By Ahmed Abdelsalam
England's hopes of reaching the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals rest on the result of Samoa versus Tonga in Sydney on Sunday. Brian McDermott's side kept their slim chances alive with a 34-12 victory over Papua New Guinea, but they now require a heavy Tonga win to progress.
Qualification scenarios
If Samoa avoid defeat, England are eliminated because they lost to Tonga earlier in the tournament and head-to-head is the first tiebreaker. Should Samoa lose, England would be level on points with Tonga, but the second tiebreaker is points difference. England entered the final round 68 points behind Samoa on differential and only narrowed that gap by 22 points against Papua New Guinea. Consequently, Tonga would need to beat Samoa by 46 points or more for England to advance.
Historical context
In 16 previous men's tournaments, England or Great Britain have never finished outside the top four places, making an early exit unprecedented.
Pool A outlook
Australia have already secured top spot in Pool A and a semi-final berth. New Zealand will join them provided they defeat Fiji on the Gold Coast on Saturday. The World Cup final is scheduled for Brisbane on 15 November.
