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Tonga Beat England 30-12 In Rugby League World Cup Opener In Perth
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Tonga beat England 30-12 in Perth to start the Rugby League World Cup. England trailed 10-0 at half-time after Stefano Utoikamanu try and Katoa goals.
Tonga stun England 30-12
Tonga beat England 30-12 in the Rugby League World Cup opener in Perth after England trailed 10-0 at half-time. Stefano Utoikamanu scored for Tonga after a pass from Isaiya Katoa, and Katoa added two penalty goals to extend the lead.
Haumole Olakau'atu pounced on a loose kick to restore Tonga's advantage, and Tolutau Koula scored as England's comeback hopes faded. Dom Young pulled one back for England, but Utoikamanu sealed the victory late on as Brian McDermott said, "They're a big team, a strong team."
McDermott points to errors
Brian McDermott told his post-match media conference that England's defeat came down to "the errors we made," after Tonga controlled momentum through handling errors, needless offloads, and sloppy penalties. McDermott said England had to keep hold of the ball, telling reporters, "You cannot play with freedom at international level, you have to keep hold of the ball."
The BBC described Tonga's supporters celebrating in their thousands in Perth as England faced the possibility that their World Cup hopes could already be over. England now needed Tonga to beat Samoa in round three and also needed to score enough points themselves against France and Papua New Guinea to better Samoa's points difference, which stood at +74 after Friday's 78-4 massacre over France.
Must win next two
England had to win their next two games against France next Saturday and Papua New Guinea on 30 October to stand a realistic chance of progressing to the semi-finals. The BBC said England must win the next two games and that McDermott insisted, "We have to win the next two games."
The Guardian said England were now relying on favours elsewhere, with England needing Tonga to beat Samoa on 1 November while England piled on the points against Papua New Guinea and France. Stuff said England's challenge could be over just 80 minutes after it started, and it noted that England must beat France and Papua New Guinea in their remaining two matches, then pray that Tonga can beat Samoa in the last group match.