Rugby League World Cup: Six standout moments from opening round of group fixtures

From England's stunning victory over Samoa through to Wales' brave defeat at the hands of the Cook Islands, there were thrills and spills aplenty in the opening round of group fixtures.

Here, The Yorkshire Post takes a look at six standout moments.

England's false start

All anybody will remember in years to come is the way England dismantled the highly-fancied Samoans but for a while it looked as if a technical failure would steal the headlines.

Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson eased the tension by sprinting up and down the touchline to generate some noise inside St James' Park and Shaun Wane's side took on the mantle to ensure the opening ceremony was a mere footnote.

'Fastest man on the planet'

Australia speedster Josh Addo-Carr has long since been regarded as the fastest man on the planet by NRL pundits but he had strong competition from an unlikely source in referee Chris Kendall at Headingley.

The Yorkshire-born official had a head start but appeared to be running within himself, perhaps saving himself for a rematch.

Keary's pride

Sydney Roosters superstar Luke Keary stole the show at Headingley the following evening after finally getting the chance to represent Ireland.

The three-time NRL champion was equally impressive in the post-match press conference, declaring his Ireland debut one of the proudest moments of his decorated career and doing a good job of selling the international game in the process.

Magical Manu

Joseph Manu is predominantly used as a centre by the Roosters but proved that he could be one of the best full-backs in the game in New Zealand's win over Lebanon.

The match was still in the balance when Manu scooped up the ball from dummy-half, chipped a kick over the top and regathered before seeing off several defenders to score one of the great World Cup tries.

Athens goes rugby league mad

Greece – one of two tournament debutants along with Jamaica – may have lost to France in Doncaster but they won new fans along the way, here and back home.

The scenes in Athens when Siteni Taukamo scored the nation's first-ever World Cup try will live long in the memory, even if Nick Mougios did trump his team-mate's effort with a sensational late score.

Tonga channel Saints spirit

After a series of one-sided matches, Group D delivered two thrilling encounters on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tonga's clash with Papua New Guinea was the pick of the first round, with Kristian Woolf's side producing their own 'Wide to West' moment at the home of St Helens to win it late on through Keaon Koloamatangi.