Ashton

With England’s points difference currently 92 worse than Ben Gardiner’s Samoa team in a combined Pool B and C table, they will almost certainly also need to defeat Papua New Guinea on Friday, 30 October (09:05 GMT), to have any chance of reaching the last four.

The format of this tournament features an unbalanced group stage, which has not helped England’s prospects.

Pool A has four teams – Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Cook Islands – fighting for two semi-final places in a round-robin format.

But Pools B and C are combined into one six-team league, from which only the top two will make the semi-finals. England, drawn in Pool B, are playing the three Pool C teams – Tonga, France and Papua New Guinea.

Tonga are currently in pole position to make the knockout stages after adding to their win over England with a 36-0 victory over Lebanon on Friday.

Sione Katoa and Jojo Fifita scored two tries each against a spirited Lebanon side who had chances themselves before fading in the final 20 minutes.

Lebanon might reflect on a key moment towards the first half when, trailing 10-0 and chasing a try to bring them back into the match, Alex Conti tried to kick towards the corner for Jason Saab, who was unable to collect and only batted it back for Tonga centre Tolutau Koula to run the length of the field and score at the other end.

Paul Alamoti and Leka Halasima scored the other Tonga tries against opponents playing only their third game since the previous World Cup and with only a couple of a youthful squad that lost to Italy in 2025 still involved.

“We had 12 debutants last week, so we just need more footy,” said Lebanon coach Michael Cheika.

“We tried to get a warm-up game here. We weren’t allowed, but I don’t know who [which governing body] it was [that stopped us]. We need to have a warm-up game.

“We can prepare and start to get ready. It’s not easy for us. We haven’t played a game since the last World Cup.

“Last year we tried to get the spot against the team who had the bye in the second tier of the Pacific Championships, so either a Papua New Guinea or [someone of that ilk] another. They put a line through it.

“They said: We’re lining it up with the teams individually. They put a line through it. I don’t even know why. We never got an answer. So it’s really out of our hands.”