PNG Kumuls Bow Out of Rugby League World Cup After England Defeat

PAPUA New Guinea’s Rugby League World Cup campaign has come to an end after the PNG Kumuls suffered a 34-12 defeat to England in their final pool match at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Friday night. The result leaves Papua New Guinea with one win and two losses from three matches, while England remain dependent on another result to determine their semi-final fate.

England secured the victory with six tries against PNG’s two, but the 22-point winning margin was not enough to give them a guaranteed place in the last four. They must now rely on Tonga defeating Samoa by at least 47 points in their meeting on Sunday, November 1, to have a chance of progressing. Such a result would be a difficult task for the Tongan side.

 

The Kumuls began their tournament with an encouraging 42-18 victory over Lebanon on October 17, raising hopes of a strong campaign. However, their second-round encounter against Samoa ended in a heavy 64-6 defeat on October 24, leaving them needing a win against England to remain in contention.

That opportunity slipped away in Wollongong as England controlled much of the contest and built a commanding 24-0 advantage by half-time.

Matty Ashton opened England’s scoring in the fifth minute, followed by AJ Brimson, Dominic Young and Harry Smith. Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis added further tries as England maintained their attacking pressure.

PNG responded after the break through Dudley Dotoi, who crossed in the 44th minute, before Gairo Voro added another try six minutes later. The Kumuls managed to improve their attacking performance in the second half but could not close the gap.

The final 34-12 scoreline brought PNG’s tournament participation to a close, leaving the national side with one victory against Lebanon and defeats to Samoa and England.

England, meanwhile, must wait for Sunday's Tonga-Samoa encounter. A sufficiently large Tonga victory is required to give the English side a chance of joining the semi-finalists, while a Samoa win or draw would end their campaign.

- England 34 (6 tries): Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dominic Young, Harry Smith, Morgan Knowles and Mikey Lewis. Hugo Savala kicked five goals.
- PNG Kumuls 12 (2 tries): Dudley Dotoi and Gairo Voro. Rhyse Martin kicked two goals.
Half-time: England 24–0 PNG Kumuls.