England 34 Papua New Guinea 12

England’s World Cup is over. Only the most pedantic mathematician would disagree after Brian McDermott’s men dismally failed to capitalise on a blistering start and give themselves a realistic chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.

They beat Papua New Guinea in Sydney, but still it verged on the embarrassing. Needing a 68-point margin of victory in their final pool game to wipe out Samoa’s points-difference advantage, England burst into a 22-0 lead by racking up four tries after only 20 minutes.

The Kumuls were being pummelled and at that stage it seemed that Samoa would need to beat Tonga on Sunday to stop England from advancing. But then the momentum crashed into a heap, as England spurned opportunities and even allowed plucky Papua New Guinea back into the contest.…