A brand new-look England aspect have narrowly averted defeat by the hands of Tonga of their first of three Test matches performed on their house soil.
Shaun Wane’s aspect gained 22-18 at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens, with Kristian Woolf mounting a late cost that really feel desperately quick.
Midway by the primary half, Tonga held a 12-6 lead courtesy of tries to Tigers exterior again Starford To’a and Knights backrower Tyson Frizell.
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Earlier, England had opened the scoring by centre Toby King who crossed within the seventh minute.
But the hosts then stored Tonga out for 53 minutes, with a attempt to Mikey Lewis and a Tom Johnstone double handing England a lead their opponents couldn’t claw again.
Fullback and stand-in captain Jack Welsby delivered a second of brilliance for Johnstone’s first, with an enormous cut-out ball leaving To’a flat-footed.
The winger was capable of burn his reverse man and stun the Tongan aspect because the scores sat stage at 12-all.
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Johnstone’s second match-sealing attempt got here from a horror error, with Will Penisini placing down a cross which landed within the winger’s fingers.
He was then capable of cost away handy his aspect an unreachable 10-point lead, regardless of a late Tonga cost.
Manly flyer Tolu Koula scored within the 76th minute but it surely wasn’t sufficient to reel in England, who had solely six gamers left from their semi-final defeat towards Samoa finally 12 months’s World Cup.
Woolf’s aspect will now be determined to take the collection to a decider, with the subsequent conflict scheduled for John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield at 12:30am AEST on October 29.
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
