England thrash France to keep alive World Cup hopes
England kept their Rugby League World Cup semi-final hopes alive by beating France 82-0 in Perth, after losing their opening match to Tonga. The emphatic result gives England a chance to recover on points difference, but qualification remains uncertain.
Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young each scored three tries, while England crossed the line 14 times. Hugo Savala kicked 13 goals from 14 attempts, contributing 26 points. England must beat Papua New Guinea on Friday and hope Tonga defeat Samoa; despite the win, early errors and a large points-difference gap leave little room for setbacks.
In short
- England beat France 82-0 to revive their semi-final hopes.
- Farnworth and Young both scored hat-tricks.
- England need another win and favourable results elsewhere.
Explained simply
The Rugby League World Cup is an international tournament in which national teams compete for the title. England, France, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea are among the teams in this group, where results help decide who advances to the semi-finals.
Teams earn points for wins, and points difference—the points they score minus the points they concede—can help separate teams with similar records. England’s opening defeat to Tonga has made that calculation important, so their route to the semi-finals depends on both their own results and other teams’ results.