James Graham states who should start in the halves for England in the knockout stages

England’s record 94-4 win over Greece saw a number of players stand out for Shaun Wane’s side.

One of those was Marc Sneyd, who followed up his solid showing against France with another fine display of skill and precision against the Greeks – adding a try and the Player of the Match award to his name too.

However, BBC pundit and former England captain James Graham believes the Salford playmaker has still not done enough to start in the knockout stages of the tournament.

“Williams and Welsby should be the halves combination, absolutely no doubt,” said Graham.

“I think you could look to put Sneyd on the bench as a utility.”

Williams partnered Welsby in the halves in England’s opening game of the tournament against Samoa, a game the host nation won at Newcastle’s St James’ Park 60-6.

Graham elaborated on his previous points by stating that Sneyd still has a part to play, and the condition of England’s forward will keep the door open for him on the bench.

“I think we have got enough strike power in the forwards, enough conditioning in the forwards and players who can play long minutes.

“That gives you the luxury of having one of the outside backs on the bench in case one of the halves goes down.

“If you have got Sneyd on the bench, he can fill a role and then you can have a bit of a rejig if you need it.”

The victory at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane sees England top Group A after winning all three of their pool matches, scoring 196 points in the process.

They will now await their quarter-final opponents next weekend, with Papua New Guinea expected to be the team that stand between Wane’s side and the semi-finals.