England survive Kumul scare

England battled back from a half-time deficit to beat Papua New Guinea 32-22, as the World Cup got off to a thrilling start in Townsville.

Inspired by the evergreen Stanley Gene, the Kumuls led 16-12 at the interval thanks to tries from Rod Griffin, Jason Chan and George Kepa.

However, their tremendous efforts took their toll in the second half and England's superior fitness allowed them to make sure there would be no upset.

Debutant Lee Smith helped himself to a hat-trick while fellow winger Ade Gardner grabbed a brace. Martin Gleeson scored the other England try.

Relief

The final hooter was a relief for the England squad who will know there is work to be done, particularly in defence, before they take on Australia next week.

As expected, the Kumuls came out all guns blazing right from the kick-off though England seemed to have weathered the early storm when Gardner opened the scoring with a simple finish on the right.

Kevin Sinfield converted the effort from the touchline, but Papua New Guinea responded with a try of their own to show they were ready for a battle.

Griffin carried Paul Wellens over the line with him and although Smith's first try restored England's advantage, it was the underdogs who held the upper hand by the end of the half.

Hull KR's Gene, rolling back the years, though no one is quite sure how many, exposed a sizeable gap left by Keith Senior coming out of the line looking for an intercept to set up Jason Chan.

If the fans inside the Dairy Farmers Stadium were delighted to see the underdog bite back, they were contemplating what might be when Kepa seized on Smith's inability to deal with a high bomb to dive over on the right.

The shock seemed to be well and truly on the cards when David Moore scooted over, but referee Shayne Hayne harshly ruled out the score for a dubious forward pass.

Crucial let-off

The let-off was crucial. Refusing to panic when facing an embarrassing result, England rolled up their sleeves to battle back and take control.

Jon Wilkin set up Smith's second when he caught Papua New Guinea short of numbers on the blindside and Gleeson's effort on the same left flank put England ahead again on the hour mark.

The centre then combined with Leon Pryce to set up Gardner, before Smith sealed his treble, and the result, thanks to the benefit of the television official.

Fittingly, Papua New Guinea had the last word when Paul Aiton got on the end of Keith Peters' well-weighted grubber kick. It was no more than they deserved for a heroic performance that will have delighted their fans, as well as the Australian media who will be more than ready to write off England's chances.