England fail to hold Eels

England exceeded all expectations by reaching the final of the World Sevens in Sydney, only to be thrashed 42-18 by Parramatta.

A squad weakened by an agreement that no Super League club would supply more than one player defied the odds by winning its group and then accounting for France and Manly in the knockout stages.

However, the Eels, who won the Sevens when they were last staged in 1997, proved too strong and slick in a final watched by 26,000, with the trophy already clinched when they led 28-6 at half-time.

England's only try came from the Leeds centre, Keith Senior, although it could have been closer if he and Huddersfield's Marcus St Hilaire had not had other scores disallowed. They fared better in the second half, with tries from Hull's Richard Horne and from Senior – his eighth of the tournament, making him its joint leading try-scorer.

The English players now face a dash back to link up with their clubs to prepare for this weekend's Challenge Cup ties, but the Sevens – watched by 50,000 over their two days – will go down as a worthwhile exercise.

In the Plate final, Canterbury beat the New Zealand Warriors, whilst North Queensland beat Fiji to take the Bowl.