HOPES of a Warrington trio representing Ireland in the World Cup quarter finals look scuppered.

Warrington Wolves’ Joe Philbin, Salford Red Devils’ Tyrone McCarthy and Widnes Vikings’ Ed Chamberlain – all born and raised in Warrington – and the Ireland team that also included The Wire’s George King fell to a 14-6 defeat against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby.

An error riddled but physically punishing confrontation in humid conditions at the Oil Search National Football Stadium was settled three minutes from time when an errant pass was kicked ahead and touched down by the Kumuls scrum half Watson Boas to spark scenes of frenzy among the PNG supporters in a sell-out 14,800 crowd.

Warrington Guardian:

The PNG crowd. Picture: NRLPhotos

To progress, Ireland would have to defeat Wales by a considerable margin in next weekend’s final pool game while also banking on USA pulling off a huge upset against PNG. The American side lost 46-0 to Italy earlier today.

It now seems almost certain the Kumuls will face England, if they defeat France next weekend, in the last eight.

There had been no score for 52 minutes in Port Moresby when it seemed inevitable an error would lead to the decisive score.



 

McCarthy’s long looping cut-out pass from dummy half, a role he had in two spells after coming off the bench, left a tired St Helens prop Kyle Amor stretching to collect and when the ball was fumbled Boas was the most alert man on the field to strike the lethal blow.

Ireland had their chances during the second half to claw back the 8-6 deficit that had been in place since the 25th minute.

The nearest they came to getting back in front was when Saints back rower Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook was milli-seconds too late to pounce on Liam Finn’s grubber kick over the try line.

A scruffy Micky McIlorum try after a kick from former Hull and St Helens full-back Shannon McDonnell had been allowed to bounce put the Wolfhounds in front in the fourth minute.

That, plus the huge hit from Amor in the second set of the game, announced to the Kumuls that Ireland would not be the pushovers their Celtic cousins Wales had been a week earlier.

And it proved to be so.

PNG’s bullet-type ball carriers had to work much harder to get through Irish armour.

They did so twice in the first half.

Castleford Tigers-bound winger Garry Lo, the darling of the terraces in PNG, slipped centre Chamberlain’s tackle attempt and took loose-forward King over the line with him to cut the arrears to 6-4 in the 16th minute.

Warrington Guardian:

George King is unable to stop Garry Lo's try. Picture: NRLPhotos

The Wolfhounds were living dangerously and hanging on at times with scrambling defence from half a dozen Kumuls breaks before errors relieved the pressure.

Chamberlain came to the rescue with a try-saving tackle on Lo but moments later the ball was shifted to the right where centre Nene MacDonald was able to step inside the cover for the last points until Boas’ late winning effort.

Warrington Guardian:

George King with his gift from the Kumuls after the final hooter. Picture: NRLPhotos