Lockyer: England are still a threat

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Tony Smith's men have been under fire since their low-key opening win over Papua New Guinea and they limped into the last four with back-to-back defeats by Australia and New Zealand.

"There's a lot of talk about the way England faded last week (against New Zealand) but their start was great and they've got a couple of guys that they rested. They'll be back," said Lockyer. "I think with their best players playing in the same positions for 80 minutes, I think they might be a little bit harder to beat."

Lockyer, who will lead the defending champions in Sunday's second semi-final against Fiji, has also given his support to the tournament format, which enabled England to qualify for the knockout stages despite losing two of their three group games.

"Going into the tournament, I think the top three nations deserved to have a few privileges," he added.

"I think it's been great, these other pools, where they've been very competitive and someone like Fiji has had a chance. They're in a semi-final and a chance of being in the final of the World Cup.

"I think that's great for rugby league and Fiji.

"England have been in the top three for a long time now so they deserve (to be) where they are at the moment."