Tonga's 20-18 win sends England out of the Rugby League World Cup

England are out of the Men's Rugby League World Cup, and they went out on points difference after Tonga beat Samoa 20-18 in Sydney on Sunday evening.

England needed a much bigger result. According to The Guardian, Tonga had to win by 47 points or more for England to go through. Points difference is the total points a team has scored minus the total it has conceded across its group games. When teams finish level on points, it is the tiebreaker that decides who goes through.

England had started the group with a loss. Tonga beat them in October, their first win over England in seven attempts, according to Reuters. England then beat France, and by BBC Sport their points difference stood at +64 before the final round. That left them relying on Tonga to beat Samoa by a wide margin, with the head-to-head rule otherwise deciding the matter between England and Samoa.

Tonga did win, but not by enough. The 20-18 scoreline meant England's campaign ended on points difference rather than on the field.

The Guardian reports that it is the first time England or Great Britain have failed to reach the semi-finals of the Rugby League World Cup. Rugby league is the 13-a-side code, where teams try to advance the ball through a set of six tackles before they must hand over possession. Those six tackles are the reason field position matters so much, and why a single attacking set can change a whole game.

The format has drawn criticism. Former England forward Jon Wilkin said the tournament structure is fundamentally flawed, as England faced the prospect of going out, Sky Sports reported. Wilkin's point was that a team can win its games and still be knocked out on a number that depends on other results.

For Tonga, the win is a moment to celebrate. They beat England and then beat Samoa, two results that will be talked about for a long time in the Pacific and beyond. For Samoa, the defeat ends a round that had been built up as a meeting between two Pacific nations with long rivalries in the sport.

For England, the questions now move on. Coaches and players will look back at the loss to Tonga, which handed the group its shape, and at the margin they needed from the final round. The tournament carries on without them, and the semi-finals will be missing a team that has been there for most of the competition's history.