England offer up right royal RLWC triumph

England have demonstrated again why they represent a genuine threat to Australia's World Cup domination, making mincemeat of Papua New Guinea's quarter-final challenge with a ruthless first-half display in a 46-6 win.

In front of the watching Princess of Wales, winger Tommy Makinson headlined their right royal performance on a wet Saturday in Wigan, becoming the first Englishman to score five tries in an international.

Coach Shaun Wane called their opening salvo at the DW Stadium the best half-hour of his coaching career as his players ripped the heart out of the Kumuls' expected formidable challenge with a seven-try blitz.

And though they couldn't maintain their dreamy standard after the break, two second-half tries from Makinson in the left corner underlined their domination, taking the St Helens' flyer to a new English World Cup record of 30 points in a game, thanks to five conversions.

"I do genuinely believe that we can get better. Our start was faultless and that was probably the best 30 minutes I've had in my career, but we can play better for longer - and we'll need to," warned Wane, revealing he'd extended his contract to lead England to at least the end of next year.

For once, Dom Young was overshadowed on the other wing from Makinson, but the Newcastle Knights' speedster still went over for a simple first-half score to take his tally to nine tries in his first four England appearances.

He's now just two behind the tournament-leading 11 of the Roos' Josh Addo-Carr.

Young wasn't the only NRL luminary to shine in the nine-try display as South Sydney prop Tom Burgess put in a barnstorming performance, barrelling over for the first score after just five minutes to set the platform for England's dizzying first-half show.

With Makinson's treble and other scores for George Williams and Kallum Watkins, the power and pace of the hosts proved irresistible as they raced into a 38-0 lead after just 24 minutes.

Makinson's third came with a successful captain's challenge when referee Liam Moore failed to spot a knock-on on his own line by Kumuls' star fullback Alex Johnston.

"It is a dream to score five. It's a day I will remember and I will hang the shirt up - but I'm sure there will be more special days," said Makinson, described by Wane as "a dream to coach".

Burgess would have been player of the match if not for Makinson's record-breaking day, as he racked up a remarkable 108 metres and 11 tackle breaks by halftime alone.

But outgunned Papua New Guinea rallied well, with winger Jimmy Ngutlik earning cheers from the 23,179 crowd - the biggest to attend any World Cup quarter-final - as he went over for a second-half consolation try.

Still, the cold, damp conditions felt a world away from the stifling heat of Port Moresby where the Kumuls humbled Great Britain in 2019, and the underdogs looked a long way from home.

There was enough in that dazzling first-half from England to believe that either Tonga or Samoa, who meet in the last-eight in Warrington on Sunday (Monday AEDT), will be serious long shots against the hosts in next week's semi-final at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in London.

England, who've amassed 242 points in four matches, look set for a potential dream final against the Kangaroos, and are increasingly fancying their chances of avenging their loss to the hosts in the 2017 final in Brisbane.