So that is the end of day one of the 13th Rugby League World Cup - England have won but only just. Please join us again on Sunday for commentary on the Trans-Tasman clash between Australia and New Zealand.

80 FT - And that is the end of the action, England get the win but it is the Kumuls who deserve all the praise. Neither New Zealand or Australia will be too concerned with what they have seen today from Smith's Lions.

80 England drive the ball deep into PNG territory to kill time before the end comes - they can breath a sigh of relief after this scrappy performance.

78 England continue to keep the game alive by giving away penalties. If, as now expected, they escape from Townsville with a win, you can be certain the Australians will quickly write off their chances of claiming the trophy.

74 TRY! Hold on to your hats folks, this ain't over yet. After barely getting out of their half for so long the Kumuls work a short re-start and Paul Aiton gets on the end of Keith Peters' well-weighted grubber kick. Wilshere converts and the gap is down to 10.

71 TRY! Smith seals a hat-trick thanks to a Senior moment. His centre partner decides to pass the ball on with the line at his mercy and after a long look by video ref Steve Clarke (not the West Ham assistant manager) the try is awarded. Sinfield is unable to add the extras.

69 TRY! England are over again as Gardner digs in for a second. A neat move involving Gleeson and Pryce, who comes back on the inside, sets up the winger and although the final pass looked forward, official Hayne awards the score that Sinfield converts to make it a 12-point gap.

65 Gene coughs up the ball but I can hardly say age is catching up with him seen as no one is quite sure just how old he is. He was inspirational in the opening half, driving the Kumuls forward to help them take a shock lead. Now those efforts are beginning to take their toll.

62 McGuire nearly works some magic, setting up Smith for what would have been a hat-trick had his flicked pass not gone half-a-metre forward. The Kumuls try and come out but barely reach halfway, the England line must look a mile away at the moment.

60 Danny McGuire has recently been thrown into the action after waiting nearly an hour for his chance. He's on in place of James Roby and is likely to play at hooker. The extra pace should help England expose some of the growing gaps in the PNG line.

57 TRY! England are in again and this time it's Gleeson who has got his name on the scoresheet. Like your local bus and baldness in males over 55, it was always coming. The centre takes Burrow's pass after Graham had been held up over the line by no less than six defenders. Sinfield kicks the two points and the chances of the shock result has, for the time at least, gone away.

56 A penalty comes when Smith is man handled for about five minutes after the referee had called 'held'. England don't go for the posts and instead opt to tap and go to try and keep the momentum in their favour.

55 England keep the ball alive as the Kumuls look like their starting to fade. A set of six in their own territory sees them barely make five metres forward and the kick gives their opponents great field position that nearly twice result in a fourth try.

50 TRY! Smith scores again and England fans suddenly find their voices. Again the PNG defence is caught short of numbers on the blindside, Wilkin spotting the extras to his left and handing on to the Rhino. All three of England's tries have now come from wingers. This time Sinfield is unable to add the extras from out wide.

46 PNG are thinking they've scored again when David Moore dives over on the left. However, the celebrations are shortlived when the referee rules it out for a forward pass that it seems only he saw in the build-up. England breath again but they are allowing their opponents to make good yards every time they have the ball.

45 Pryce shows his skills with a storming run down the middle that leads to a drop out for PNG from their own line. England have certainly upped the tempo but still trail on the board.

43 Gardner goes up for a bomb to the right corner from Sinfield but fails to come down with the ball despite being well above his opponent in the aerial challenge. Despite the miss England have made a positive start to the second half.

41 The game is back underway with England receiving the kick-off close to their own line. Immediately there's a penalty in their favour for a flop.

Sean is the first to get in touch, he's wondering if the Kumuls can keep up at this pace or whether England will capitalise on tired bodies. It must be remembered that around half of the PNG 17 play either in their country's domestic league or in junior rugby league in Queensland.

So at the midway stage we have a shock on our hands, the Kumuls have impressed thanks to England's poor discipline and there is work to do after the interval. If you want to have your say on the action then e-mail Rob.Lancaster@bskyb.com. Seen as I get paid by the e-mail, all correspondence will be gratefully received.

40 HT - Wilshere's missed conversion brings to a close the opening 40 minutes and England have work to do, trailing by four points at the halfway stage after a ragged performance that will have left coach Tony Smith tearing his hair out.

40 TRY! Papua New Guinea go in front as England once again pay a heavy price for giving away a penalty. The Islanders surge down the field and the high, high bomb out to the right is missed by Lee Smith, allowing George Kepa to pounce on the loose ball and dive in at the corner flag.

36 TRY! The Kumuls have crossed again! Nevermind Guinea Pigs, they are more like Guinea Horses with the way they are running the ball. Jason Chan goes in for their second score, racing through a massive gap made when Keith Senior steps out of the line looking for the interception. Wilshere converts and we're all square again.

35 A forward pass stops Wilkin running away as Gleeson is perhaps slightly harshly penalised for the ball out wide. Now England are stuck on their own line again looking to keep the Kumuls out.

32 Morley falls foul of referee Shayne Hayne, who is looking pretty in pink tonight, though he may say it's salmon, when he has hands in at the play-the-ball. At times England have been a little loose in defence, missing some tackles up front and giving away some needless penalties to surrender territory.

28 TRY! England are back in front and after being denied twice before it's third time lucky for Smith, who just has to take the looped pass from Wellens on the left and fall over the line. Sinfield shows he's as good from either side, knocking over a tough kick with ease to make it 12-6.

27 PNG are producing some fancy stuff, a flicked pass through the legs delighting the spectators while Gene steamrollers over little Rob Burrow.

26 A knock-on sees another opportunity go begging, Roby coughing up the ball after sub Morley had managed an offload near the line. Jesse Joe is leaking claret after making the crucial tackle on the Saints hooker.

23 Smith is once again denied as a fierce tackle sends him into touch, PNG are all over patting the back of the defender and telling the floored Rhino exactly what they think about him. The Kumuls are fired up and finding some gaps in England's defences.

20 TRY! PNG peg back England with a try that is heartily cheered by the crowd, the majority of which are supporting the underdogs. Loose forward Rod Griffin takes Wellens over the line with him to get the score after England were caught on their heels. The easy conversion by Wilshere makes it six apiece and game on again.

18 Stanley Gene is rolling back the years, though no one is quite sure how many when it comes to his age, with some clever kicks to keep England pinned back. His latest effort forces a second goal-line drop out.

15 Lee Smith is held up just short of the line after England had spread the ball well to the winger James Graham then bombs the ball trying to charge through the gap. In case you had an interest in the over/under line on Stevo's first cliche, he's just given 'full credit' to Tony Smith's side for the way they are playing in the opening exchanges.

12 TRY! - England are in for the first try of the 13th World Cup. After being denied earlier it's Gardner who digs deep to get it, diving over in the corner after Saints team-mate Pryce had gone close just before. Sinfield swings the kick in between the sticks to make it 6-0.

10 PNG give away a penalty inside their own half when debutant Neville Costigan plays the ball incorrectly. Senior has been patched up, looking a little like a bald Mark Knopfler with a bandage around his head.

8 England are forced into some goal-line defence after a careless trip by Gareth Hock gave away a penalty. In the end Wellens drops on Gene's grubber to give away a drop out under the sticks.

6 David Moore denies Gardner the opening try as he pushes his opposite winger into touch just short of the line. The Papua New Guinea team celebrate like they've just secured the trophy.

4 The blood is already being lost out on the field - Keith Senior sporting a nasty cut over his eye that would be enough to stop a boxing bout. But they breed them tough up in Yorkshire and he's expected to return.

3 Jesse Joe seems to catch Paul Wellens with a swinging arm as he chases down the England full-back. However, the set of six finishes with a good up-and-under from Kevin Sinfield that Jon Wilshere does well to take under pressure.

1 The PNG kick and chase is outstanding as five defenders mount poor Ade Gardner as he tries to run the ball back. Expect some early fireworks as both teams leave it to the forwards to fight out territory.

1 And we're underway as Kevin Sinfield gets things started with a deep kick-off to the left corner.

The Dairy Farmers Stadium is the home of the North Queensland Cowboys normally but today it's all about the England Lions and the PNG Kumuls. There is a good crowd inside and the players are heading out onto the field.

Teams: As for England, there is a debut for Lee Smith on the wing following his MOTM display in the Grand Final while Adrian Morley starts on the bench with Gareth Hock named in the second row. Here's the team in full: Wellens, Gardner, Gleeson, Senior, Smith, Pryce, Burrow, Peacock, Roby, Graham, Hock, Ellis, Sinfield - Replacements: McGuire, Morley, Fa'asavalu, Wilkin.

Teams: PNG listed Stanley Gene at loose forward but it's now looking likely he'll start at stand-off in a half-back partnership with scrum-half Keith Peters. Here's the team in full: Wilshere, Kepa, Parker, Maori, Moore, Griffin, Peters, Aizue, Aiton, Exton, Costigan, Nightingale, Gene - Replacements: Pora, Moni, Chan, Wabo.

Coach Tony Smith says the players are "ready to go" after several weeks of preparation. As for PNG, he's expecting an enthusiastic approach and a physical battle.

The game is being staged in Townsville, a city on the north east coast of Queensland known for 'The Strand' (apparently a long tropical beach) and a large aquarium about the Great Barrier Reef. What matters most to the players is it's hot and humid.

This opening game could well prove to be a cracker - England have headed Down Under full of confidence and hopeful of ending Australia's dominance of the trophy. Meanwhile, PNG are a little bit of an unknown quantity, except for the timeless Stanley Gene.

Good morning (or good evening) to you all joining us for commentary on the opening game of the 2008 World Cup. It's been eight long years since the last tournament, so I reckon we're due one.