Rugby League World Cup: Tonga 24-18 Papua New Guinea - late win for 2017 semi-finalists

New NRL broadside the Dolphins person signed half-back Isaiya Katoa, 18, for their inaugural play and helium scored 12 points

Tonga scored a melodramatic precocious effort to unfastened their Rugby League World Cup run with an entertaining 24-18 triumph implicit Papua New Guinea successful St Helens.

PNG scored 2 second-half tries to gully level with 11 minutes remaining.

Tonga, led by erstwhile St Helens manager Kristian Woolf, past managed to conjure a match-winning effort with conscionable 3 minutes near from Keaon Koloamatangi.

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PNG opened the scoring done skipper Rhyse Martin connected six minutes, with the Leeds Rhinos guardant bursting done from adjacent range.

Narrowly beaten by England for a spot successful the past World Cup final, Tonga past levelled connected 15 minutes arsenic a blistering footwear instrumentality by full-back Toluta'u Koula acceptable up Will Penisini to stroll over.

Tonga went successful beforehand arsenic Koloamatangi's wrong shot sent Moeaki Fotuaika implicit connected 35 minutes, and moments aboriginal Isaiya Katoa backed up Moses Suli's interruption to transverse untouched.

But PNG deed backmost successful the archetypal infinitesimal of the 2nd fractional arsenic Edwin Ipape made a interruption and offloaded for Leigh Centurions team-mate Lachlan Lam to score.

The video referee past denied PNG a Rodrick Tai effort successful the country but the Kumuls drew level aft stand-in winger Daniel Russell made amends for spurning a definite effort successful the archetypal half, erstwhile helium stepped connected the touchline.

Led by manager Woolf, who guided Saints to triumph successful the past 3 Super League Grand Finals earlier opting to articulation caller NRL franchise the Dolphins, Tonga past managed to support a scrappy determination going connected the past tackle earlier skipper and prop Sio Siua Taukeiaho kicked done for Koloamatangi to dot the shot down.

Wales and the Cook Islands, the different 2 teams successful Group D, play their opening crippled successful Leigh connected Wednesday.