England make it to half time without any more damage.

You cannot fault the effort, but Samoa have more quality and deservedly lead.

Image source, Getty Images

Izzy Rowe kicks one out on the full from around the half-way line.

Samoa will have the final attack in a first half they have dominated.

Matthew Elliott
Former Bradford Bulls head coach on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

That offload lets the English team off the hook. They're defending well but they're conceding so much possession and field position.

Excellent scramble defence from England, forcing the knock on.

You cannot fault the effort.

Oh no.

Evie Cousins drops one out of the sky right on the England line. She looks absolutely devastated.

Samoa scrum 10 metres from the England line.

Three minutes remaining in the first half.

England have to get to the break without conceding again.

Matthew Elliott
Former Bradford Bulls head coach on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

What about that?! Their right-hand side is just so slick, a beautiful bit of ball movement.

Evania Isa'ako plays a dangerous grubber kick into the scoring zone. Evie Cousins gathers it, but is forced to ground behind her own line.

That means a try line drop out from England and another attacking chance for Samoa.

England advance again into the Samoan half, but their kick for territory is brilliantly taken again by Mercedez Taulelei-Siala on the dive.

Samoa are on the hunt again now...

Matthew Elliott
Former Bradford Bulls head coach on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

That's the first time they've really had some good field position. One of the things when you're throwing longs balls on a windy day, you have to zoom it over there or it will go off course - and that's what happened there.

England have spent the whole half pushing off the back fence.

Argh!

England's first move into decent field position ends when Georgia Roche fumbles the ball forward.

She regathers the ball then slams it into the turf in sheer frustration.

Image source, Paul Eastwood

England are having to defend hard in this first half, says Paul Eastwood, the British High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, who is watching all three matches in Wollongong today. He has already seen the wheelchair team begin their World Cup defence with a 98-18 victory over Wales, and later on, he will be taking in the men's crucial Group B-C game against PNG. That's a 09:05 GMT kick-off.

Another promising Samoan attack falls apart following a sloppy forward pass.

If Samoa had been sharper through the hands, they could have been out of sight already.

Matthew Elliott
Former Bradford Bulls head coach on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

This is a dangerous time of the game for England.

Image source, Getty Images

Evie Cousins with a superb take under pressure, she then does well not to ground behind her own try line.

England are playing well here. They are having to defend so hard, and hope they get more chances when the wind is in their favour in the second half.

England have had to make 95 tackles already, showing how much they have had to defend. Samoa have made eight tackle breaks and two line breaks.

Since the opening seconds, it has been all Samoa.

Matthew Elliott
Former Bradford Bulls head coach on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I think England are playing really well but it's three times on last play where they've come up with poor decisions. That kick out on the full is not helpful. You've giving Samoa field position.

England are playing into the wind in this first half, it is clearly having an impact. They will need to batten down the hatches.

But this won't help, as Georgia Roche sends a kick out on the full. Another good chance for Samoa.