England recovered from a 12-4 halftime deficit to defeat France 34-12 in the opening match of the rugby league Four Nations tournament on Friday.
Teenage scrumhalf Richie Myler scored two tries as Tony Smith’s side ran in 30 unanswered second-half points, with Kevin Sinfield, Ryan Hall, Tom Briscoe and Lee Smith also crossing.
Sinfield added five goals, but England have plenty of work to do if they are to deny either Australia or world champions New Zealand the title in the four-team event.
Tries from Vincent Duport and Kane Bentley put France 12-4 up by halftime as they sensed a first win over England for more than 27 years.
England rallied just in time, however, in front of an 11,529 crowd at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium — the highest attendance for an Anglo-French international since 1952.
Smith said he was not concerned about France’s lightning start.
“We were just a bit excited, even before the game,” Smith told Sky Sports. “We were a bit anxious and put a bit of pressure on one another. We just had to settle down and build some pressure on the French. We knew if we did that they would struggle.”
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