• Pool B + C: England 82-0 France

• Herbie Farnworth and Dom Young grab hat-tricks

England will only really know next weekend whether this record-breaking result means anything, but when not only a win but a convincing one would keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals alive, this was a case of job done for Brian McDermott and his side.

With the shortened and controversial group stage format meaning just one defeat is near-ruinous, even the head coach broke ranks this week and admitted England’s chances of qualification are slim at best after the 30-12 loss to Tonga on the opening weekend. Samoa’s 64-6 win against Papua New Guinea earlier on Saturday meant the permutations became simple, but daunting. Samoa beat France 78-4 last week, giving them a +132 points differential; England now have a +64 points differential.

• Pool B + C: England 12-30 Tonga

• England Women thump Wales 70-6

The Rugby League World Cup began with a sense of mission improbable for England, but after one game, it already represents something more like mission impossible.

The talk pre-tournament from Brian McDermott had been about being different. Going against the grain of how the national team has played against the world’s best and falling short; having a creative spark that would be significant in crucial moments. For all the talk of change, the most important thing of all remained the same in Perth on Saturday: the result.