Matches in Pictures: England 104-12 Spain & Australia 76-18 Ireland

England defeated Spain to sew up a semi-final spot before Australia got their search for a last-four place back on track with a 76-18 win over Ireland

6 Nov 2022

Matches in Pictures: England 104-12 Spain & Australia 76-18 Ireland

England defeated Spain to sew up a semi-final spot before Australia got their search for a last-four place back on track with a 76-18 win over Ireland

By Milly McEvoy at the Copper Box Arena

England secured a place in the semi-finals with a 104-12 win over Spain thanks to five tries from Rob Hawkins and a hat-trick to Declan Roberts.

Spain responded to Jack Brown’s two early tries, first through Raphael Monedero and then Theo Gonzalez but would not cross again as England's defence kicked into gear.

Nine of England's players scored with Brown selflessly setting up Wayne Boardman for the first of his two tries.

Meanwhile, Australia responded from their defeat to England in the opening round to beat Ireland 76-18, making their final group game against Spain an a-winner-takes-all affair.

Bayley McKenna was the star of the show scoring three tries and assisting one on his way to the Player of the Match award.

Raphael Monedero scored Spain's first try of the day, dotting down in the corner (Getty Images)

England brought out the flicks and tricks as they put over 100 points past Spain to take all the pressure off their final group game against Ireland (Getty Images)

Declan Roberts scored three tries as an interchange player for England as the Copper Box Arena welcomed 3,268 fans a new world record for a wheelchair rugby league game (Getty Images)

Rob Hawkins was named player of the match for his five-try display (Getty Images)

Bayley McKenna caught everyone's attention, including the camera, as he crossed three times in Australia's win against Ireland, including a sprint to the tryline (Getty Images)

Tom Martin was Ireland's brightest player, drawing in desperate tackles from the Australia defence as he looked for a way to the try line (Getty Images)

Liam Luff scored his first tries at the World Cup, expertly set up both times by Diab Karim (Getty Images)

James McCarthy got two of Ireland's three tries, one being assisted by his fellow try-scorer Phil Roberts who could face his son Declan in the next game as he represents England (Getty Images)

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets