England to meet Australia in RLWC final after beating Tonga

England to meet Australia in RLWC final after beating Tonga

By Rusiate Baleilevuka
26/11/2017

England has dodged a bullet in the shape of a brilliant late comeback from Tonga to scrape into the Rugby League World Cup final with a 20‑18 victory in last night's semi‑final in Auckland.

Trailing 20‑0 with eight minutes remaining, Tonga produced an incredible comeback to score three tries in five minutes, and were denied a fourth on the final siren, to fall agonisingly short of booking a historic World Cup Final berth.

Four‑pointers to Tevita Pangai Junior, Siliva Havili and Tuimoala Lolohea sent the 30,003‑strong crowd at Mount Smart Stadium into mayhem and very nearly saw Tonga continue their incredible unbeaten run.

Andrew Fifita lost ball in a last‑gasp charge at the line – before regathering and planting the ball in the England in‑goal – was ruled a lost ball rather than a strip, despite protests from the Tongan players.

 
0% buffered00:00Current time00:00

For England, it ends a two‑decade absence from the World Cup Final, booking them a place against defending champions Australia in Brisbane.

Spurred on by another brilliant performance from fullback Gareth Widdop, England scored three tries and up until the final 10 minutes had defended their line brilliantly.

 
0% buffered00:00Current time00:00

The final between the Kangaroos and England will be held at 10pm next Saturday.

FNRL
FEATURE NEWS
Emotional Wainiqolo dedicates Flying Fijians win to late father, mother and wife
An emotional Jiuta Wainiqolo has dedicated the Fiji Water Flying Fijians 29-14 win over Scotland, to his late father. Wainiqolo also dedicated it t...
3 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Savea calls for clinical execution as All Blacks prepare for second Test against France
Stand-in All Blacks captain Ardie Savea says his side needs to be more clinical and play in the right areas of the field when they take on France in ...
6 hours ago

Nadi set to celebrate Bula Festival next week with culture, charity and youth empowerment
Nadi is looking forward to the Bula Festival next week, with a focus on showcasing Fijian culture, providing entertainment, and raising funds for ...
6 hours ago

Fiji Museum receives 130 artifacts from the late David Gilmour’s collection
130 artifacts of 108 photographs, 16 traditional war clubs and 6 tabua have been donated by the Wakaya Perfection Trustees to the Fiji ...
7 hours ago

Fiji is stronger when everyone stands together - SODELPA
In the wake of the recent attack on the Shiv Mandir in Samabula, members of the SODELPA Party have visited the temple to personally express their ...
7 hours ago

Arya Pratinidhi Sabha calls for stronger protection of places of worship
The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji has also strongly condemned the recent shameful and despicable act of sacrilege at the Samabula Shiv Temple and is ...
7 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Professor Prasad on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
The show will focus on the 2025/2026 National Budget.
4 days ago

Tui Nayau and Tui Lau Installation
The ceremony for the installation of the Tui Nayau Sau ni Vanua o Lau will be held tomorrow, while the installation ceremony of the Tui Lau will be held in Tubou on Thursday.
6 days ago

CFL 40th Birthday
CFL’s 40th Anniversary celebrations to culminate with free concert at Albert Park on ...
8 days ago

TOP