'Wrong' call costs Fiji in World Cup thriller

New Zealand confirmed a semifinal showdown with Australia astatine the Rugby League World Cup lone aft surviving a large scare from Fiji connected Saturday.

Jordan Rapana's precocious effort sealed a 24-18 triumph for the Kiwis successful their quarterfinal successful Hull.

Meanwhile, England defeated Papua New Guinea 46-6 successful Wigan with winger Tommy Makinson scoring 5 of their 9 tries.

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In a semifinal successful London adjacent Saturday, England volition look Samoa oregon Tonga, who conscionable successful the past quarterfinal connected Sunday astatine Warrington.

Fiji led the Kiwis for overmuch of their quarterfinal but Rapana kicked a precocious punishment to enactment his broadside up for the archetypal clip past claimed the clinching try.

Viliame Kikau portion connected Joey Manu. (FOX Sports)

The punishment extremity crippled erstwhile Joseph Manu was primitively ruled to person mislaid the shot for the Kiwis successful Fiji's half, but a captain's situation saw the bunker overturn the archetypal determination and alternatively grant a punishment for a portion from Viliame Kikau.

The precocious determination to penalise Fiji proved costly to the extremity effect and galore felt it was the incorrect determination with nary clear-cut grounds that Manu hadn't mislaid power of the shot himself.

"It was a large call...we past saw a 1000 replays to travel to a decision," Greg Alexander said connected Fox League post-match.

"We ticker endless replays to travel up with a determination and I consciousness they went with the incorrect 1 there."

The Fijians ended the archetypal fractional 12-6 successful beforehand with tries from Maika Sivo and Kevin Naiqama, some converted by Brandon Wakeham.

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New Zealand pulled a effort backmost precocious successful the fractional erstwhile Ronaldo Mulitalo touched down and Rapana converted arsenic they struggled to enforce themselves connected the game.

Naiqama scored his 2nd effort aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional but New Zealand rapidly replied done Briton Nikora.

Joseph Manu's effort and a 3rd conversion from Rapana meant it was each to play for with 15 minutes remaining.

"There's a batch of pridefulness down these jerseys — heritage, culture, household — particularly with the Pacific Island nations," Manu said. "That's wherefore Fiji crook up, and besides us, too.

"It was ever going to beryllium a body-on-the-line benignant of game. It was awesome. It was bully to spot 1 of those matches. From a fans' constituent of presumption I conjecture it was bully to spot a adjacent match, but from a players' constituent of presumption it was truly pugnacious and fatiguing."

New Zealand and Australia, winners of the past 9 World Cups, volition conscionable connected Friday successful Leeds.

England manager Shaun Wane described the archetypal half-hour against PNG arsenic the finest of his coaching career.

England completed 13 consecutive sets and led 38-0 aft 24 minutes. The Kumuls rallied to debar full humiliation successful beforehand of a assemblage of 23,179 which included the Princess of Wales.

Makinson added 5 conversions to his 5 tries — an England World Cup grounds — to decorativeness with 30 points.

"I bash genuinely judge that we tin get better," Wane said. "Our commencement was faultless."