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England crush France 82-0 in Perth to keep Rugby League World Cup hopes alive
Fourteen tries, including hat-tricks for Herbie Farnworth and Dominic Young, gave England a record winning margin. Their fate still rests on Tonga beating Samoa.
Key points
- England beat France 82-0, scoring 14 tries, their record winning margin.
- Herbie Farnworth and Dominic Young each scored three tries.
- England need Tonga to beat Samoa and a big win over Papua New Guinea to reach the semi-finals.
England kept their Rugby League World Cup alive in Perth on Saturday, running in 14 tries to beat France 82-0, the biggest winning margin in their history.
Herbie Farnworth scored a hat-trick in the first half, when England had six converted tries by the break, and Dominic Young also finished with three. France, beaten heavily by Samoa earlier in the tournament, never got on the scoreboard.
The rout was exactly what England needed after losing their opening game 30-12 to Tonga. Samoa have already beaten Papua New Guinea 64-6 and France 78-4, which left Brian McDermott’s side chasing points as well as wins. Samoa’s points difference after those two games stands at plus 132.
“What we’ve done today is enormous; given the context, I think it’s just enormous,” McDermott said. “We knew we had to win big and we’ve done it without getting distracted.”
France captain Benjamin Garcia did not hide from the result. “It’s just not good enough. We just have to keep working and come back,” he said. France are out of contention for the semi-finals.
What England need
England’s last group game is against Papua New Guinea in Wollongong, and it is do-or-die. A big win there will still not be enough unless Tonga beat Samoa in Sydney. If the Samoans win, England go home.