Kangaroos record tough win against England at RLWC

The Australian Kangaroos have shaken off a rusty start to open their Rugby League World Cup defence with a gritty 18‑4 win over England last night.

But in a major blow to England's tournament hopes, star forward Sam Burgess limped from AAMI Park with a first‑half knee injury and may not play again for the rest of the tournament.

Veteran, Billy Slater continued his dream comeback to the game with a powerful return to the international arena, scoring a crucial go‑ahead try for a four‑point lead at the break.

The game remained on a knife's edge for most of the second half, and England couldn't convert their rare raids on the Australian line into points.

In front of a crowd of 22,724, England interchange hooker James Roby almost reduced the lead when he burrowed his way from dummy‑half but was held up over the line.

Slater, who finished with a game‑high 200 metres in his first test since 2014, also helped save another possible England try late in the game by pushing Ryan Hall into touch.

Cameron Smith kicked the advantage to eight points with a penalty goal in the 76th minute, before Josh Dugan sealed the win with an 80‑metre runaway try in the closing minutes.

In today’s matches, PNG will face Wales at 5pm, New Zealand will take on Samoa at 7.10pm and the Vodafone Fiji Bati will face USA at 9.40pm.