England smash France 82-0 to keep World Cup hopes alive

England have kept their World Cup semi-final dreams alive after a dominant 82-0 victory over France in Perth ^[1]. The 14-try performance, including hat-tricks from Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young, came after a nervy start and a 30-12 opening loss to Tonga.

After a sluggish opening quarter, England surged into form with three tries in four minutes, building on a breakthrough by George Williams, who set up Young with a clever behind-the-back pass ^[1]. AJ Brimson was a constant threat with his direct running, leading a break that saw Matty Ashton score his seventh try in six Tests.

Farnworth completed his hat-trick by half-time, while Williams added a try under the posts, and England’s best move of the tournament saw Young set up Farnworth for his third ^[1]. The second half saw Young score his hat-trick after chasing down a grubber, followed by tries from Jez Litten, Victor Radley, Mikey Lewis, and Jack Welsby in quick succession.

Brimson capped the scoring with a final try, while Hugo Savala landed 13 of 14 goals, contributing 26 points ^[1]. England made six errors in the first 20 minutes, but France—unbeaten in the tournament until now—failed to capitalise on mistakes.

The win improves England’s points difference, but they still need to beat Papua New Guinea in Wollongong and hope Tonga defeat Samoa next Sunday to secure a semi-final berth ^[1]. A win over Papua New Guinea would be crucial, as Samoa’s 62-6 win over France has left England 150 points behind on points difference. The story was first reported by BBC News.