England women exit Rugby League World Cup as men's hopes fade despite PNG win

England's women were knocked out of the Rugby League World Cup on Friday, while the men's team remained in danger of elimination despite beating Papua New Guinea 34-12. BBC Sport reported that the men now need Tonga to beat Samoa by more than 46 points to reach the semi-finals. The women's campaign ended with a 24-6 defeat by Samoa in Wollongong.

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The men had entered their final group match needing another large victory after losing to Tonga and then defeating France 82-0. Four early tries, scored by Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dominic Young and Harry Smith, put England 22-0 ahead after 22 minutes. That start offered a chance to reduce the 68-point gap they needed to close on Samoa.

England could not maintain that pace. BBC Sport recorded 21 errors and a completion rate of 57%, with lost possession and penalties helping Papua New Guinea recover. Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro scored for the Kumuls before England finished with second-half tries from Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis.

The women's result was decisive: England missed the semi-finals after reaching that stage at each of the previous four World Cups. Stuart Barrow had selected a squad featuring 11 players aged 23 or younger. Their opening 70-6 win against Wales was followed by defeats against Australia and Samoa.

According to BBC Sport's report, Freedom Crichton Ropati scored three tries before half-time to establish Samoa's control. Mercedez Taulelei-Siala then added another shortly after the interval, extending the lead to 16-0 and leaving England with a substantial deficit to overcome.

England responded through Evie Cousins, whose try followed a break by Hollie-Mae Dodd. Isabel Rowe converted, but the comeback stalled. A forward pass prevented another opportunity from producing a try, and England subsequently failed to find touch from a penalty.

Fanua Rimoni's late try secured Samoa's semi-final meeting with New Zealand. The defeat also marked the end of Jodie Cunningham's playing career, with BBC Sport reporting that the 34-year-old finished with 38 caps across four World Cups.