With England already qualified for the knockout stages, and likely to finish at the top of the group, there was just the matter of despatching Greece in the remaining group stage game and sending them home pointless.
England coach, Shaun Wane, could be forgiven for resting some of his players for next weeks endeavours, but that´s not the way he rolls, and he named a string outfit capable of doing some real damage on the Greeks.
For the second time in this World Cup a female referee had been appointed to the game, Belinda Sharpe from Queensland.
England opened their account early when after just three minutes Matty Lees took a Marc Sneyd pass to go in for an easy try. Tommy Makinson added the conversion for 6-0. The perfect start for Wane´s boys.
The second try for England came on thirteen, Dom Young taking a John Bateman pass to slide over in the right corner. This time Makinson was off target with his conversion attempt, but Greece had no answer to England.
Incredibly Greece were next to cross the whitewash with Siteni Taukamo making the most of an extra set of tackles following a charge down to cross to great applause. Lachlan Ilias was off target with his conversion attempt. Greece trailing by just six as the game hit its quarter time.
On twenty-eight, and just as England started to become frustrated, Dom Young got his second of the game as he took a looping George Williams pass to drop over the line. Sneyd added the conversion from near the touchline for 16-4, but you could guarantee that Wane would be unhappy with what he´d viewed so far.
Three minutes later Ryan Hall collected a Sneyd kick through and collected two Greek defenders as he went for the line to ground. Sneyd was again off target with the conversion, not having the best afternoon with the boot.
On thirty-two Williams found Tom Burgess on his inside to crash over the line from ten metres out as the Greek defenders flapped at him. This time Sneyd was on target for a 26-4 England lead.
On the kick-off return Young completed his first half hat-trick after taking a Kai Pearce-Paul tap pass and come in off his wing to cross. Sneyd hit the mark with the kick, Greece looking exhausted.
Once again, on the kick off return, Young was on the end of a flowing England move to exploit the right-hand Greek weakness and run in before improving the angle. Sneyd was on target again, England two short of the forty.
England were scoring at ease, and as the clock ran down to the interval George Williams was on hand to take a Chris Hill pass and sprint for the posts. Sneyd added the conversion and England had a 44-4 lead at the break, the only blemish being the loss of Victor Radley with an arm injury.
A minute after the restart a pack of players chased a speculative Sneyd kick through, most missing the bouncing ball, but Makinson was on hand to collect and drop to the ground. Sneyd added the conversion to bring up the fifty.
A fifty-metre Williams break set the stage for Sneyd to carry the ball for forty-metres off a Bateman pass and score under the sticks to give himself a simple conversion for a personal haul of twenty points.
On fifty-three Burgess grabbed his second thanks to a deft pass from Sneyd to run the angle and score without a Greek hand on him. Sneyd added the conversion for 62-4.
Just before the half hour mark Ryan Hall joined the fun with his second thanks to another terrific, floated pass from Sneyd to find his wing man with a walk-in try. Sneyd added the goal from the touchline for his tenth goal of the game.
On sixty-two the England score went up to seventy-two with Andy Ackers and Sneyd combining to give Joe Batchelor his first try of the game. Sneyd pushed his kick across the posts to show that he is human.
Ackers became the ninth individual try scorer with a scoot from dummy half to score from ten metres out. Sneyd was again on target, England within two of the eighty.
Kai Pearce-Paul crowned his debut with a first try after a repeat set for England allowed Williams to find an acre of space to send his centre through. Sneyd hit the upright with his conversion.
In a flowing move Hall and Batchelor combined to give Ackers his second from close, Sneyd kicked the goal again for 88-4 with five minutes of the game remaining.
A break down the win from Young saw he free-scoring winger fling a pass inside and into the hands of Mike McMeeken to run in from ten metres. Sneyd was on target from wide for 94-4, Greece managing to keep the tally below a hundred after a comprehensive and devastating performance.
A number of players wearing the three lions put their hand up for a quarter final place based on today’s performances. There are several ´shoe-in´ players to return to the line-up, including the skipper Sam Tomkins, but Wane now has a real headache over who he will pick across the park. Greece will take a lot from their inclusion in the World Cup, almost unthinkable just a few years ago. But it´s England who move on to bigger and better things.
England: Makinson (T), Hall (2T), Pearce-Paul (T), Welsby, Young (4T), Sneyd (T, 13G), Williams (T), Cooper, Ackers (2T), Lees (T), Batchelor (T), Bateman, Radley. Subs: McMeeken (T), Knowles, Burgess (2T), Hill.
Greece: Taukamo (T), Mougios, Vrahnos, Constantinou, Mitsias, Ilias, Meads, Mamouzelos, Rousoglou, Zampetides, Kambos, Flocas. Subs: Nake, Sell, Nianiakas, Katsidonis.
Half-Time: 44-4.
Full-Time: 94-4.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 10-0, 10-4 14-4, 16-4, 20-4, 24-4, 26-4, 30-4, 32-4, 36-4, 38-4, 42-4, 44-4 : HT : 48-4, 50-4, 54-4, 56-4, 60-4, 62-4, 66-4, 68-4, 72-4, 76-4, 78-4, 82-4, 86-4, 88-4, 92-4, 94-4 : FT .
Lead Exchanges: England.
Referee: Belinda Sharpe.
Attendance: 18,760 at Bramhall Lane, Sheffield.