England crush France 82-0 to keep Rugby League World Cup hopes alive

England kept their Rugby League World Cup semi-final hopes alive with an 82-0 demolition of France in Perth, but still need another big win and favourable results elsewhere to reach the last four.

After losing 30-12 to Tonga in their opening match, England needed a substantial victory over France. They must now beat Papua New Guinea in Wollongong on Friday and hope Tonga defeat Samoa next Sunday.

England were held scoreless for the opening 23 minutes, then scored three tries in four minutes. Herbie Farnworth completed a first-half hat-trick as England went into the break 36-0 ahead. Dom Young also scored three times, and England finished with 14 tries. Hugo Savala kicked 13 goals from 14 attempts.

The scale of the win mattered because Samoa had beaten Papua New Guinea 62-6 earlier, leaving England 150 points behind Samoa on points difference. If Tonga beat Samoa, that measure could determine which side advances.

England made six errors in the first 20 minutes, according to BBC Sport, and France threatened at times. But the 82-point margin surpassed Samoa’s 74-point win over France. England have not missed the World Cup semi-finals before, the BBC reported.