Summary

  • England led 20-0 with seven minutes remaining

  • FT: Tonga 18-20 England

  • England: Tries: McGillvary, Widdop, Bateman Goals: Widdop (4)

  • Tonga: Tries: Junior, Havili, Lolohea Goals: Taukeiaho (3)

  • England in first World Cup final since 1995

  • You can watch the final live on BBC One - 2 December, KO 09:00 GMT

Live Reporting

Phil Cartwright

  1. 'Calm heads are key'

    Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    Kevin Sinfield
    Former England and Leeds captain on BBC One

    I don't think anyone connected with England will have seen a crowd like this, when they're so severely outnumbered.

    Tonga fansGetty Images

    I'm confident about England's chances, but I think controlled and calm heads are key. I think the problem is they've not nailed that 80-minute performance yet - they have to get the job done all the way, rather than for an hour.

  2. Get Involved - up early?

    #bbcrl

    Adele: I’m up and ready to watch the boys even though it’s snowing bad in Oldham come on #Englandrl

    Callum Brannon: C’mon @England_RL let’s get to the #RLWC2017 Final can’t wait to see both set of fans #bbcrl

  3. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    Kevin Sinfield, England's captain at the last World Cup, is being interviewed on BBC One right now - with a backdrop of huge waves of Tonga supporters.

    It's pretty noisy inside the stadium as kick-off approaches!

  4. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    Justin Morgan
    Former New Zealand assistant coach on BBC One

    It's very hard to prepare for an occasion like this, as a player.

    A lot of the Tongan players won't have played in situations like this - England have the advantage in that respect.

    There's a little bit of a breeze here, too, and that will be playing havoc for some of the kickers.

  5. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    England's players haven't been short of goodwill and good luck messages in the build-up to today's semi-final either, including one from Prince Harry...

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  6. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    Tonga playersGetty Images

    Tonga's players were given a wonderful reception in Auckland earlier this week as thousands turned up to welcome them at a fan event.

    You can hear more about it in BBC Radio 5 live's latest Rugby League World Cup podcast, which you can listen to or download here.

  7. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    It's a cloudy but dry day in Auckland, which has been turned into "Little Tonga" for this World Cup semi-final.

    Both ends of the ground are packed with supporters flying Tongan flags and decked out in red and white.

    It's been that way for at least an hour, and it's a wonderful sight whoever you follow.

    Tonga supportersGetty Images
    Tonga supportersGetty Images

  8. Get Involved

    #bbcrl

    England fansGetty Images

    Leam Fox: Yes looking forward to it. Also been watching the ashes this morning too. Come on @England_RL you can do it prove the critics wrong again.

    Chris Parr: Don't think I've been up this early since being a kid on xmas day. But we'll worth it to see @England_RL this our time #bbcrl

  9. Get Involved

    #bbcrl

    You can have your say on today's semi-final with a few taps of your smartphone screen or your keyboard.

    Join in the conversation with our television, radio and online teams by using #bbcrl on social media.

    Where are you watching? And just how pumped are you for this one? Was it an easy up and at em when the alarm went off?

  10. Watch England's semi-final live

    Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    BBC One

    If you've only just woken up, firstly where have you been?!

    Secondly, a reminder that you can watch today's World Cup semi-final live on BBC One and here on the BBC Sport website by clicking on the play button above.

    There's also live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, which is another of the coverage options you can find at the top of the page.

  11. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    Tonga celebrate beating New ZealandGetty Images

    Tonga are sure to be the neutral's favourites in today's semi-final. They've captured the imagination in this tournament like few have before.

    Their group-stage win over New Zealand catapulted them to people's attention. If they weren't contenders before that, they certainly are now.

    This is Tonga's first appearance in the World Cup semi-final, but they won't be overawed. Their players have Super League, NRL and international experience by the bucketload.

    That said, England start favourites to reach next Saturday's final.

  12. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    James GrahamGetty Images

    It feels like we've been here before.

    England are no strangers to the last four of a World Cup - they have been losing semi-finalists in each of the past three editions, losing to New Zealand on each occasion.

    The last time England made it to a final was in 1995. Is today the day?

    Unfamiliar opponents stand in their way...

  13. Tonga v England (05:00 GMT)

    I remember being sat in this very seat four years ago, writing a live text commentary when England were 22 seconds away from reaching a World Cup final on home soil.

    Then this happened...

    Shaun JohnsonGetty Images

  14. I know, I know... it's early. VERY early.

    But stifle that yawn, get the kettle on and try to relax.

    Because England are 80 minutes away from a World Cup final...