England beat Papua New Guinea 34-12 in Wollongong, Australia, but the win almost surely will not be enough to keep them in the Rugby League World Cup, The Guardian and BBC Sport report.

After an opening loss to Tonga, England needed to make up a 68-point gap on Samoa to stay in the race, the outlets report. They led 22-0 early, with tries from Matty Ashton, AJ Brimson, Dominic Young and Harry Smith, BBC Sport says.

But England then gave the ball away again and again and gave up penalties, the BBC reports. They made 21 errors, and Papua New Guinea scored twice. It would take England another 50 minutes to score a fifth try, The Guardian says.

England can now reach the semifinals only if Tonga beat Samoa by more than 46 points on Sunday, BBC Sport reports. That looks highly unlikely. Tonga lost 34-6 to Samoa a year ago, the BBC says, and The Guardian notes Tonga's biggest-ever winning margin over Samoa is 32 points.

England's women's team is also out of the tournament after a 24-6 loss to Samoa, The Guardian reports. It is the first time the women's side has failed to reach the final stages of a Rugby League World Cup.

The Guardian called it a dark day for the sport in England. Head coach Brian McDermott wants to stay on through the next World Cup in 2030, the outlet says.

What we know: England won but need Tonga to beat Samoa by more than 46 points.
What we don't: Whether McDermott will stay on as head coach.