Two tries from Kallum Watkins, who moved onto six for the tournament, and a late try from Ryan Hall sealed a 36-6 victory at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. 

It sets up a last-four encounter with Tonga, who defeated Lebanon 24-22 in their quarter-final yesterday.

A brace from winger Jermaine McGillvary and Alex Walmsley's score gave England a comfortable lead at half-time.

Their advantage was further increased when Ben Currie went over after the re-start and although Garry Lo got Papua New Guinea on the board, it ultimately proved to be in vain.

Despite their win, England’s completion rate was just 56 per cent and they had an error count of 20.

"I'm very pleased with the win," England's Gareth Widdop was reported as saying by BBC Sport. 

"But we need to fix up a lot of areas of ball control.

"At the moment that is not good enough."

The Rugby League World Cup is scheduled to resume on Friday (November 24) when Australia face Fiji at the Brisbane Stadium.

England's meeting with Tonga is set for the following day at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland. 

The final is due to take place at the Brisbane Stadium on December 2.