So far, so good at Rugby League World Cup - but England will be defined by what happens next

The old scoreboard would have come in handy on Saturday afternoon as Shaun Wane's ruthless side ran riot against World Cup debutants Greece.

Cricket fans are used to seeing England 94-4 but it is a noteworthy feat at Test level in rugby league.

Indeed, the 17-try demolition eclipsed England's previous record World Cup score, a 76-4 victory over Russia in 2000.

The host nation's perfect start to the tournament was never likely to come under threat against a part-time team already running on fumes after bruising defeats by France and Samoa.

Whether the game was a worthwhile exercise for either side, or indeed rugby league in general, will be determined by what happens next.

Fresh from a first-ever World Cup appearance, Greece have a golden opportunity to grow a sport that was banned in the country up until a couple of months ago.

If the Greeks can capitalise on the groundswell of support back home, the same players humbled by England in Sheffield may be in a better position to trade blows at the next World Cup.

England's challenge is to go from third gear to fifth in time for next week's quarter-final against the Group D runners-up, likely to be Papua New Guinea.

The hosts did what they had to do against Greece and played with a swagger as the game opened up.

But there is a fear England could be caught cold by a physical PNG team in Wigan on the back of three comprehensive wins.

While Wane's men have been tested at various times across the group games, they have not yet been under the pump for a sustained period.

The same could be said of Australia and to a lesser extent New Zealand, which makes the knockout stages so intriguing.

Wane felt England were in a lose-lose situation on Saturday.

“It was an awkward one to deal with,” he said.

“The record doesn’t interest me. I was looking for habits and certain things that will help us beat Papua New Guinea if we get them.

“I thought we did a lot of good things. The skills we displayed were superb and I love the quality of tries but the score doesn’t interest me.

“It was a very tough one to give any positive thoughts on. If we win easy, we should have won easy and if they'd pushed us close, we would have got hammered.

"It was just one of those where we had to win. We will go into next week with some confidence.”

Once again, electrifying winger Dom Young stole the show to cement his status as the breakout star of the World Cup.

The 21-year-old needed just 37 minutes to double his tally from four to eight, leaving him on course to finish as the tournament's top tryscorer.

Rugby league, so often accused of lacking national superstars, may just have found a new icon.

Young has made himself undroppable, meaning Wane must effectively choose between Ryan Hall and Tommy Makinson for the left wing spot.

Hall has scored four tries in two outings after helping himself to another double at Bramall Lane – extending his record to 39 in 40 games in the process – and his work out of backfield can't be ignored.

Makinson is still waiting for his chance to light up the tournament but he has been Super League's best winger for years and is a proven big-game player for all-conquering St Helens.

Wane is in an unenviable position as he turns his attention to assembling his best team for the quarter-finals.

“I’m fairly close,” he said. “Everybody has played now but I will pick the 17 players who can get us a win against Papua New Guinea.

“Dom’s playing really well and he trains well. He’s quiet off the field but he knows how to score and how to carry out of yardage. He’s a talent, no doubt about it.”

If settling on two wingers is Wane's toughest decision, his half-back dilemma is a close second.

The smart money was on George Williams and Jack Welsby teaming up in the knockout stages after engineering the rout of Samoa but Marc Sneyd gave Wane food for thought with a 30-point haul in a man-of-the-match performance in Sheffield.

Sneyd – a two-time Lance Todd Trophy winner – would not be overawed by the occasion and has the tools to unlock the PNG defence, yet it would be considered a big call by Wane to go with the former Hull FC half-back.

Wane rotated his squad throughout the group stage with an eye on the workload of the players but it could potentially mean his first-choice halves have played together only once going into a knockout game.

Although he has undeniably had a good tournament to date, Wane knows he will be defined by what comes next.

England won't truly know until they get there, but they look in good shape for the business end of the World Cup.