Two huge selection calls England boss Brian McDermott has to make.

England now know what it will take to keep their World Cup dreams alive, and head coach Brian McDermott faces some pressure over his selection decisions ahead of Friday’s final group-stage clash with Papua New Guinea.

McDermott’s side ran riot against France to keep their semi-final hopes alive, recording an emphatic 82-0 victory in Perth a week after their 30-12 opening defeat to Tonga left their tournament hopes hanging by a thread.

England must show the same ruthlessness against the Kumuls in Wollongong on Friday before anxiously awaiting the heavyweight Pacific showdown between Tonga and Samoa 48 hours later, with a Tonga victory required to keep their journey alive.

It was a nervy opening 20 minutes against France before the floodgates opened, with England taking a commanding 36-0 lead into half-time.

The attacking momentum was helped by the introduction of Jez Litten from the interchange bench, with his added pace around the ruck exposing a struggling French defence.

Super League Man of Steel Brad O’Neill was once again selected to start at hooker, offering defensive steel and reliability at nine.

However, with points required, Litten proved he could provide the attacking spark England needed.

The key question now is whether McDermott sticks with the same selection strategy, allowing O’Neill to lay the defensive platform before introducing Litten, or opts to hand the Hull KR No.9 a starting role against Papua New Guinea.

All eyes will be on England’s team updates next week, particularly after McDermott made changes to his original squad selection throughout the week leading into the France clash.

That included promoting Mikey Lewis from the reserves to the interchange bench, with the 2024 Man of Steel adding further attacking threat and scoring two second-half tries.

George Williams and Harry Smith combined for six try assists, while captain Williams also scored, to play crucial roles in England’s attacking dominance.

But McDermott now faces another selection dilemma: whether to unleash Litten and Lewis from the start against Papua New Guinea on Friday or retain them as impact players from the bench.