England's message ahead of France game: no playing for points difference

England Rugby League hooker Brad O'Neill said they will not risk everything against France in their second World Cup match. The game will be played in Perth on Saturday.

England began the tournament with a 30-12 defeat to Tonga. The result put their semi-final hopes in jeopardy. The possibility that points difference will decide who comes through the group is growing stronger.

Head coach Brian McDermott did not change his 19-man match squad. This means they will not make sweeping changes against France, who lost 78-4 to Samoa.

O'Neill, who was named Super League Player of the Year, said: "We talked about what we need to, but the mindset can't be any different from the Tonga game. We can't go out there thinking about points difference. We have to play as hard as we did against Tonga. If we do our job well, the win will come."

For England to progress in the tournament, Tonga must beat Samoa in the final group match. If the other results go as expected, the last semi-final place will be decided between England and Samoa on points difference. O'Neill said they know the French players well thanks to Catalans and Toulouse, and added that they have been working on the quality of execution that was missing in the Tonga game.