Rugby League World Cup: England 60-6 Samoa - Welsby, Young, Watkins, Farnworth score

Hosts England opened the delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup by ruthlessly taking isolated a desperately mediocre Samoa astatine St James' Park.

But England shook disconnected immoderate fears of a losing commencement to the tourney by dominating the contention and moving successful 10 tries successful their toughest radical game.

They had adjacent calls earlier converting their opener courtesy of Jack Welsby moving through. Dominic Young added a quickfire 2nd pursuing a superb run, earlier diving into the country for his second.

Izack Tago pulled a effort backmost for Samoa by intercepting a escaped walk connected the halfway enactment and moving wide but they ended the fractional with a 18-6 deficit.

Kallum Watkins helped England tally riot successful the 2nd half, arsenic chap centre Herbie Farnworth, Elliott Whitehead - doubly - Tommy Makinson, George Williams and Tom Burgess allowed England to implicit a resounding win.

England caput to Bolton adjacent Saturday erstwhile they look France (17:00 BST), earlier rounding disconnected Group A against Greece successful Sheffield connected 29 October.

• Relive England's 10-try triumph implicit Samoa
• Fixtures, results and BBC sum times

Clinical England commencement with connection win

The opening ceremonial got disconnected to an embarrassing commencement for organisers arsenic a "technical issue" meant the PA strategy faltered and nary euphony was played for the dancers connected the pitch.

Brit Award-winning set the Kaiser Chiefs, the header enactment earlier kick-off, were besides chopped abbreviated and could lone execute 1 of their deed songs.

The tourney was pushed backmost a twelvemonth due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic, portion the opening crippled besides started respective minutes aboriginal than billed.

Once the enactment did yet get nether way, England astir got disconnected to the cleanable commencement but Farnworth spilled the shot erstwhile attempting to interaction down from Williams' grubber kick. St Helens winger Makinson, though, slotted implicit a punishment which was awarded for obstruction.

England had each the momentum and skipper Sam Tomkins was held up underneath the posts portion Tom Burgess could not support a clasp of the shot erstwhile looking to crushed it.

The unit yet told arsenic halves Williams and Welsby linked up, with the Saints subordinate moving done for a archetypal people from a abbreviated walk to ignite a subdued St James' Park.

Then 6ft 7in winger Young showcased his spot and powerfulness by cutting successful from the right, evading a fig of Samoan challenges earlier sliding successful betwixt the sticks and acrobatically diving into the country for his second.

Salford centre Watkins stretched the people to 24-6 and Samoa fell isolated erstwhile Anthony Milford was sin-binned for a precocious deed connected Sam Tomkins, conceding six tries successful the past 16 minutes with Farnworth and Whitehead some benefitting.

And determination was much arsenic Makinson slid implicit successful the near country - ending the lucifer with a tally of 24 points which included 10 conversions - and Williams and Burgess added to a rampant scoreline.

The Samoans person reached the quarter-finals astatine the erstwhile 2 World Cups and had been tipped arsenic 1 of the favourites to triumph the contention for the archetypal time.

Although they were fixed a acquisition erstwhile Penrith centre Tago intercepted Welsby's walk to propulsion a people backmost earlier the break, a operation of injuries and a full capitulation maintained their unwanted grounds of ne'er beating England.

England: Tomkins, Makinson, Watkins, Farnworth, Young, Welsby, Williams, Burgess, McIlorum, Thompson, Radley, Whitehead, Knowles.

Replacements: Lees, Cooper, Hill, McMeeken.

Samoa: Suaalii, Tabuai-Fidow, Tago, Crichton, To'o, Luai, Milford, Papalii, Levi, J. Paulo, Su'a, Aloiai, Tuilagi.

Replacements: Taupau, Leniu, Harris-Tavita, T. May.

Sin-bin: Milford (62).

Referee: Ashley Klein (Aus)