England rugby league team on the brink of their earliest ever World Cup exit

England's fate lies in the hands of Tonga and Samoa

England risk their earliest ever exit in Rugby League World Cup history: the outcome will be decided by the final round of group-stage matches, AFP reports. Defending champions Australia are the only team already guaranteed a semi-final spot, while France, Lebanon and the Cook Islands have been eliminated from the ten-team tournament.

Scenarios for Groups B and C

In Group A, New Zealand will face Fiji on Saturday on Australia's Gold Coast, with the winner joining the Kangaroos in the semi-finals. Groups B and C present a more complicated picture: only two of the six teams in the combined standings will advance. England, the world's third-ranked side, need a convincing win over Papua New Guinea on Friday in Wollongong, and then must wait for the head-to-head meeting between Tonga and Samoa in Sydney on Sunday. If Samoa win, Brian McDermott's side will leave the tournament at the group stage for the first time in World Cup history — on the head-to-head result against Tonga with points level. If Tonga win instead, they will top the table, and England's fate will be decided on points difference with Samoa, whose position is currently noticeably stronger.

Mood in the camps

England halfback Mikey Lewis of Hull KR said: 'We have a real chance, and we believe it. We can feel it within these four walls.' Tonga lost to Samoa 6-34 at the same Sydney stadium last year in the Pacific Championships, but coach Kristian Woolf pointed to the team's progress and their 30-12 win over England in this World Cup's opening match. 'There is no doubt that Australia, New Zealand and England remain the tier-one nations... But we are closing the gap. In this tournament we consider ourselves equals,' Woolf said.

New Zealand v Fiji and the women's tournament

New Zealand have restored centre Dane Gagai and prop Moses Leota, who rested last round, to their side for the crucial clash with Fiji. Fiji captain Apisai Koroisau, after a hard-fought 22-36 defeat to Australia, expressed confidence in the young squad: 'I think in the first half we really had the ascendancy... the belief is very high.' Meanwhile, the women's World Cup is under way: Australia are already through to the semi-finals after big wins over Samoa and England. On Friday Samoa and England will contest the second spot, a New Zealand win over Papua New Guinea would also send them through, and Fiji will likely need only a victory over France to advance — though if Papua New Guinea pull off an upset, everything could come down to points difference.