Tonga's 20-18 victory over Samoa in Sydney was not completed within the regulation eighty minutes, organisers confirmed, but was extended by the tournament committee until the margin required by England's qualification rule had been reached, a process that took eleven days of uninterrupted play. Brian McDermott's squad spent the period in a hotel lobby near the stadium, where staff said the team had asked for a whiteboard and a stopwatch.
Stadium managers closed the venue to all other events and installed a second scoreboard in the car park so that supporters queuing for the gates could follow the tally. Tonga's coaching staff were issued matching blue tracksuits, and the Samoan squad was housed in a converted warehouse on the harbour where the kitchen ran around the clock to keep both teams fed.
A committee spokesperson said the decision had been made in the interests of fairness. "A points difference is a points difference, and a rule that says 47 points must be secured has to be honoured whatever the clock says," he said. "If that takes Tonga another week, the referees will simply keep the whistle in their hands."
By the eighth day, the Sydney Harbour Bridge had been closed each morning for a single lap of exercise by the Tongan forwards, and a parade of Samoan supporters walked the length of George Street carrying cardboard cut-outs of the scoreline. Officials said the parade would continue until the margin was final.
England's players were asked to remain in the hotel as well, to witness the result. Their remaining kit was packed on the eleventh morning, and a short ceremony at the airport marked their departure, with the baggage handlers applauding in the arrivals hall.