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World Cup overnight: England make flying start; History for PNG

Here’s what you might have missed overnight at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in England.

The main takeaways

  • It was England's biggest win since 2008, when they crushed Russia 72-0.
  • The crowd of 8621 was the largest attendance ever for a women's rugby league match in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • Brazil scored their first World Cup try through fullback Natalia Momberg. 

Star performers

Former cricketer Courtney Winfield-Hill stole the show with three tries, while the playmaker set up a further two tries as well. Experienced centre Amy
Hardcastle also scored three for England, while her work in yardage was impressive, with 190 run metres to her name. Off the bench Vicky Whitfield made 145 metres in 39 minutes. 

What the result means

England are in control of the group, with a handy differential advantage over the other first-up winners, Papua New Guinea. For Brazil, the result was as expected in their first outing at this level, and they'll look for improvement up next against Papua New Guinea. 

Recap

Match Highlights: England v Brazil

The main takeaways

  • Papua New Guinea won their first ever World Cup game, after debuting at the tournament in 2017. 
  • The Ravens enjoyed scoring chances aplenty but struggled to execute.
  • It was the second time the two sides have met at World Cup level, with Canada having won the clash in 2017. 

Star performers

Martha Molowia scored two sensational tries from fullback and was PNG's biggest threat in attack. She got through plenty of work too, with 238 run metres. Dragons prop Elsie Albert was a pillar of strength in the middle for the Orchids, carrying for 168 metres, while Essay Banu impressed with a hard-running performance which included a try in the second half. In a losing side Megan Pakulis was enormous, carrying the ball for 300 metres and scoring a try in the second half. 

What the result means

It was a game likely to go a long way to deciding which of these two sides qualifies from Group A, and Papua New Guinea are now in the driver's seat. While Canada face an uphill battle to qualify, they'll know they had more points in them and if they can improve their execution anything is possible. 

Recap

Match Highlights: Papua New Guinea v Canada

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.

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