RLWC21: Round three round-up with Quarter-Finals confirmed

After 24 games, 1414 points and some unbelievable moments of sporting class, 16 teams have been narrowed down to eight as we have reached the Quarter Final stage of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Round three had some of the highest scoring games, continuing the previous trajectory of point scoring increasing as the rounds progressed and saw some record-breaking performances as rugby league spread itself around the country.

Group A:

 On Saturday, England were inches away from making a century against a whole-hearted Greece side as four tries from Dom Young saw Shaun Wane’s side win 94-4 at Bramall Lane.

It was almost 98 and with the form of Mark Sneyd, possibly 100 when England crossed with a minute to go but the try was ruled out by the video referee for an offside In the build up meaning England had to set for 94.

It still saw records broken with it being the first international rugby league test to be played at the home of EFL Championship side Sheffield United whilst Dom Young threatened to break the amount of tries scored in a single game (six set by Australia’s Valentine Holmes in 2017) but had to settle for equalising the record for an English player which was four by Martin Offiah.

The heavy 17-try win confirmed England’s spot at top of Group A and they now prepare to face Papa New Guinea at the D.W. Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Elsewhere in Group A, Sunday evening saw Samoa and France go head to head with the winner earning a place in the final eight.

But despite France showing glimpses in their encounter against England, a bruised-looking French side struggled to contain the power of the Samoans as they ran away 62-4 winners to knock France out and set themselves up with a knock-out tie with Kristian Woolf’s Tonga side next Sunday.

Group B:

 Group B was completed on Saturday evening, firstly with Fiji who were victorious against Scotland in Newcastle and earnt themselves a place in the last eight of the tournament with a tie against New Zealand.

A score of 30-14 was enough to see off the Scots who failed to win a game at the tournament and are still awaiting a World Cup victory since their last back in 2013.

But given the injuries Scotland suffered during the build up to their final game, head coach Nathan Graham felt his side ‘did themselves proud’.

The other fixture in Group B saw Australia continue their impressive attacking displays with another heavy victory, this time winning 66-6 against Italy at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

In front of 5586 spectators, wingers Murray Taulagi and Campbell Graham both grabbed try-scoring doubles to stake their claim for a spot in the squad which next faces Lebanon in the final eight, the first of the Quarter-Final ties at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Group C:

 In Group C, New Zealand put on a show against a spirited Ireland side attempting to keep themselves in the competition but the Irish unfortunately didn’t quite have enough to beat the Kiwis a they fell to a 48-10 defeat at Headingley.

A healthy crowd of over 14,000 in Leeds saw the Kiwis top the group with Ireland needed a shock win or a Jamaican miracle against Lebanon in order to progress in the competition.

A scintillating performance from Jahrome Hughes earnt the half-back the ‘Player of the Match’ award with New Zealand scoring ten tries on the night, giving themselves momentum ahead of their quarter final clash with Fiji.

In the other Group C game, the Jamaican miracle didn’t quite come to light as the Reggae Warriors left the competition without a win after falling to a 74-12 loss at Leigh Sports Village.

Wigan Warriors’ Abbas Miski ran over two tries on a sunny afternoon in Leigh which saw Lebanon confirm their progression with ease and stand them in as good stead as possible with a tough challenge against the Australians next time out.

It was just the 13 Tries for the Cedars who took a 42-0 lead into the interval and carried on their clinical edge right through the entire 80 minutes.

Group D:

Finally Group D saw a new venue used in the tournament as Tonga absolutely demolished the Cook Islands by a score of 92-10 at Middlesborough FC’s Riverside Stadium.

Kristian Woolf’s side win ensured they remained unbeaten so far in the competition after scraping past Papa New Guinea before cruising past Wales and Cook Island respectively.

Tonga will now ready themselves to face Samoa at the Halliwell Jones which will be the final fixture in the Quarter Finals.

The last fixture in Group D saw Wales who have put in spirited performances for the entirety of the World Cup need a huge upset win against Papa New Guinea to stand a chance to qualifying for the Quarters. But as expected, the class of the Kumuls shone through as they ran out 36-0 winners at the Eco Power Stadium.

A memorable try from Jimmy Ngutlik along with scores from Kyle Laybutt, Nixon Putt and Dan Russell in the first half set PNG well on their way to cruising into the quarters where they will now face England on Saturday at the D.W. Stadium.

So, with the Quarter Final line up now confirmed, the competition reaches its most tense moments yet as teams are now at full fitness, on form, in sync and ready to create history at this year’s rugby league World Cup.

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