By Andrew Lawton at The Halliwell Jones Stadium

Two tries from Rodrick Tai helped Papua New Guinea get the better of the Cook Islands to keep their Rugby League World Cup hopes alive in Warrington.

After an opening defeat to Tonga, The Kumuls knew that there was no margin for error against The Kuki's and they were made to work hard in the opening 40 minutes, leading 10-8 at the break.

But they were able to pull away in the second half on the way to a 32-16 win, Tai crossing in each half, while Kyle Laybutt, skipper Rhyse Martin, Lachlan Lam and Justin Olam also grabbed tries.

READ MORE: Papua New Guinea power past Cook Islands

And despite the Kuki's getting three tries of their own, in the end, they could not live with their opponents as they failed to follow up their opening win over Wales with a second success.

Here's the story of the Group D contest in pictures...

There was no shortage of colour in The Halliwell Jones Stadium with the Kumuls fans out in force (Getty Images for Rugby League World Cup)

And they also provided a spectacle on the pitch with their dancing (Getty Images for Rugby League World Cup)

Before the game, the Kuki's performed the Maori Ura (Getty Images for Rugby League World Cup)

Following early tries from Rodrick Tai and Kyle Laybutt, the Cook Islands struck back through Paul Ulberg (Getty Images for Rugby League World Cup)

The second half belonged to the Kumuls though, celebrating Lachlan Lam's try here (Getty Images for Rugby League World Cup)

Justin Olam finished off the scoring for PNG, although the Kuki's had the final say through Kayal Iro (Getty Images for Rugby League World Cup)

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets