England vs. Samoa live score, updates, highlights & lineups from Rugby League World Cup

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The 2021 Rugby League World Cup kicks off this weekend as hosts England get their campaign underway against Samoa at St James’ Park in Newcastle.

One year ago, when this tournament was set to originally take place, Shaun Wane’s side would have been the likely favourites to get things off to a winning start.

But following a series of high-profile NRL defections to represent the country of their heritage, their opponents have emerged as not just a fearsome challenger in Group A but as a potential outright winner.

Can Matt Parish’s side back up the bookmakers and claim an early scalp? Or will England buck the odds and ensure they make early in-roads as they look to go one better than the 2017 final?

The Sporting News is following the match live, providing score updates and commentary below.

England vs. Samoa live score

  1H 2H Final
England — — —
Samoa — — —

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England vs. Samoa live updates, highlights from Rugby League World Cup

10 mins to KO: It is a wonderful pageant of colour in Newcastle. Now, the trophies themselves will be delivered to the field. Kevin Sinfield is back on hand with Wigan legend Jason Robinson to deliver the Paul Barriere Trophy. There’s a delay for what appears to be technical difficulties – but now, they walk on!

15 mins to KO: Well, that was a pleasingly raucous one-song performance. Now it is time for the official tournament flag presentation. Representatives from all three tournaments that make up this Rugby League World Cup – women’s, wheelchair and men’s – are taking to the pitch, waving the national flags. Andy Gregory, a giant of the game, carries the England flag.

20 mins to KO: Things are really hotting up at St James’ Park – we’ve now got a musical performance from Leeds stalwarts Kaiser Chiefs! (For our non-British readers, they were very big the best part of two decades ago, then had a surprisingly effective rival after frontman Ricky Wilson moonlight on daylight television.) They are playing their hit Oh My God to a fanfare of flames.

30 mins to KO: The Samoa team is now confirmed, but we’re afraid there’s no fancy graphics to provide in this instance. You can find it below though, and it is as expected. Jarome Luai holds it up in the halves with Anthony Milford, while Sydney Roosters teenage winger Joseph Sua’ali’i will play at fullback. Catalans Dragons utility option Tyrone May is an eye-catching inclusion on the bench.

35 mins to KO: Speaking of Rob Burrow, the former half-back is on his way to St James’ Park.

40 mins to KO: So, who are the danger-men? We’ve picked out two players who can win this game for each side – and they’re both set for brilliant tournaments on paper. In the England camp, Dom Young got the world talking when he helped orchestrate a pre-tournament rout against Fiji. For Samoa, Panthers half-back Jarome Luai is possibly the most creative half-back at the World Cup. He’ll be lethal.

45 mins to KO: England are in the house and soaking it up. A few famous faces from World Cup squads past – legendary Leeds Rhinos loose-forward and captain Kevin Sinfield is in attendance alongside former team-mate Rob Burrow. The pair are likely better known for their fundraising efforts these days, as the latter fights MND. Expect a major reception for them pre-kick-off.

50 mins to KO: Early hopes for a sell-out crowd at St James’ Park look set to fall short, but a fine atmosphere is already building on Tyneside. There are hopes this can become the most-attended edition of the RLWC in tournament history – and if this one gets off to a flier, they may be well-founded.

55 mins to KO: We’re still waiting on final squad confirmations before kick-off – Samoa are running a little late, it seems – but the news is in for England. Having named all three of his half-backs in his 19-man party, Wane has given the nod to St Helens maverick Jack Welsby – one of the game’s most exciting young talents – to partner Warrington veteran George Williams over Salford’s Marc Sneyd. Dom Young and Herbie Farnworth form a new-look left edge at the back, and Sydney Roosters’ Australian-born Victor Radley starts at loose-forward.

60 mins to KO: We’re an hour out from kick-off and we haven’t talked about the hosts, have we? England enter this tournament as something of an unknown quantity, stripped of several long-term stalwarts through either retirement or injury. But former Wigan Warriors boss Shaun Wane has gambled the dice on some intriguing new faces – so can they emulate 2017 with a run to the final?

65 mins to KO: Five years on from a lacklustre 2017 RLWC campaign, Matt Parish’s side have recruited the cream of the crop from the National Rugby League to bolster their squad, including a slate of faces who played in this year’s NRL Grand Final for winners Penrith Panthers. They claim they are underdogs – but they are anything but.

70 mins to KO: We’re live from St James’ Park – the home of Super League’s Magic Weekend and Premier League football club Newcastle United – for this opening clash, with hosts England set to square off with Samoa. A year ago, this could have been a more one-sided affair. Now? it is a different story.

75 mins to KO: Hello, one and all, and welcome  to the 2021 Rugby League World Cup! At last, we’re here — and The Sporting News is going to be keeping you up to date from the first kick to the final whistle of this tournament.

England vs. Samoa lineups

England: Tomkins, Makinson, Watkins, Farnworth, Young, Welsby, Williams; Burgess, McIlorum, Hill, Whitehead, McMeeken, Radley.

Replacements: Thompson, Knowles, Lees, Cooper. 

Samoa: Sua’ali’i, Tabuai-Fidow, Tago, Crichton, To’o, Luai, Milford; Papali’i, Levi, Paulo, Su’a, Aloiai, Tuilagi.

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

How to watch England vs. Samoa: TV channel, live stream

  UK Australia New Zealand
TV channel BBC One Foxtel Spark Sport
Streaming BBC iPlayer Foxtel Go Spark Sport
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