England will hope they can book their last-four spot with minimal fuss when they face off with Papua New Guinea in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals at the DW Stadium in Wigan this weekend.
Shaun Wane’s hosts are unbeaten so far this tournament, and have reeled off a slate of impressive performances to suggest this could finally be the time they break their hoodoo.
But after an undercooked Samoa proved a lesser test, they will face something quite fearsome in the Kumuls, led by coach Stanley Tepend, who will fancy their hopes of an upset.
PNG previously defeated an England-dominated Great Britain side on the 2019 Lions Tour – so will they get lightning to strike twice?
The Sporting News is following the match live, providing score updates and commentary below.
England vs. Papua New Guinea live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| England | — | — | — |
| Papua New Guinea | — | — | — |
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England vs. Papua New Guinea live updates, highlights from Rugby League World Cup
KO: Tommy Makinson steps up, swings the ball off the tee and we are underway in this RLWC2021 quarter-final!
5 mins to KO: Both are belted out with some gusto, and there’s then a further round of applause. This weather might favour the English ever so slightly – but we’ll see.
10 mins to KO: The red carpet has been rolled out – quite literally, at Wigan. The Rugby Football League’s patron, Catherine, Princess of Wales, is in attendance today. The rain is bucketing it down, but she’s on hand with an umbrella to shake the hands of both squads before we get the national anthems underway
15 mins to KO: So, the bookies have England to progress here – but will it be as easy as some of those odds suggest? PNG have form – at least, against Great Britain, beating them on the 2019 Lions Tour. This is a different era, of course – but there’s still plenty of chances for an upset.
👊 Warm-ups are underway…
🤝 @MovemberUK pic.twitter.com/Kxyi0LNQZ7
— England Rugby League (@England_RL) November 5, 2022
30 mins to KO: The teams are in, and Wane looks to have reverted to expectation; despite a man-of-the-match performance against Greece, Marc Sneyd bows out, with Jack Welsby and George Williams reunited in the halves. There’s just one swap from the side that faced Samoa in Newcastle – John Bateman is in, and Luke Thompson is out.
45 mins to KO: Stanley Tepend’s Kumuls on the other hand were perhaps the best second–place finisher in the competition’s opening rounds. Beaten in the closing minutes by Tonga in a thrilling opener, they’ve recovered with wins over the Cook Islands and Wales – and might just fancy a sensational upset in Wigan.
60 mins to KO: Shaun Wane’s side are unbeaten so far, with three particularly striking victories in the group stages – including an astonishing 60-6 demolition job against Samoa. Now, they will face their most physical test to date; have they been sufficiently prepared for it?
75 mins to KO: And then there were seven. Last night, Australia became the first side to book their place in the semi-finals of RLWC2021, with a ruthless result against Lebanon in Huddersfield. The favourites are through – but who will join them next?
90 mins to KO: Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup quarter-finals, as hosts England face off with Papua New Guinea at the DW Stadium in Wigan!
England vs. Papua New Guinea lineups
🔒 Here are your line ups for the quarter final between England and Papua New Guinea. #RLWC2021 | #ENGPNG pic.twitter.com/0yhUQcnrRj
— Rugby League World Cup 2021 (@RLWC2021) November 5, 2022
How to watch England vs. Papua New Guinea: TV channel, live stream
| UK | Australia | New Zealand | |
| TV channel | BBC One | Foxtel | Spark Sport |
| Streaming | BBC iPlayer | Foxtel Go | Spark Sport |
Credit: sportingnews.com