England boss McDermott urges patience in PNG points chase

England boss Brian McDermott has urged his players not to panic as they chase points against Papua New Guinea in Wollongong on Friday in a bid to keep alive their Rugby League World Cup hopes. England have never previously failed to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup England boss Brian McDermott has urged his players not to panic as they chase points against Papua New Guinea in Wollongong on Friday (09:05 GMT) in a bid to keep alive their Rugby League World Cup hopes. For the second successive week, England will have an eye on the scoreboard as they aim to claim a handsome win over the Kumuls.

England need two things to go their way to avoid missing out on the World Cup's last four for the first time ever. They require a points difference swing of 68 on rivals Samoa – who they need to lose to Tonga on Sunday. And McDermott is keen for his side to stick to the blueprint that helped them thrash France 82-0 last weekend to keep slim prospects of a semi-final berth within their sights. "I suppose [it's a case of] whatever timescale it is before the arm wrestles starts to open up the game for each team… I'm not sure, it could be 15 [minutes], it could be 20,