Mike Cooper has praised his England teammate Chris Hill after they bashed Papua New Guinea 44-4 in the World Cup quarter-finals.

England did a number on the Kumuls in Wigan, with Hill helping lay the platform early.

“He was absolutely outstanding,” Cooper said.

“100 per cent [I knew he’d come back]. You can’t write him off. You should never underestimate him.

“He’s just shutting everyone up. He’s been outstanding. He’s consistently been one of the best front-rowers in the world.

“If he was in the NRL, he’d be on the multi-million dollar contracts if he’d have gone over there. And the more this competition goes on, the better the English lads are going to get.”

Hill’s selection for England before the World Cup had been questioned by some, the same as Cooper’s had.

But the front-rower believes he and his teammate have silenced many critics.

 
“I hope so,” Cooper said.

“I don’t really think about that or take on board what people say. It’s what the coach thinks that matters and your teammates.

“There’s a couple of old boys in the team who have been around a long time but if people are questioning it, hopefully it’s answered now.

“The boys that started [against PNG] started really well and it set a platform for the game.

“We were just relentless. Everything we stand for as a team, we were just tough, hard-working and we put it on.

“We are so proud to play for our country. Everyone can see how much it means to us.

“Credit to PNG. They didn’t stop trying all the way through. But we were just too much for them.”