Walsh hat-trick powers Australia past Samoa 44-12 into Rugby League World Cup final
Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick as Australia beat Samoa 44-12 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday night to reach the men's Rugby League World Cup final. The defending champions ran in eight tries in front of a big Sydney crowd and will now face New Zealand in Brisbane next weekend.
Australia led 26-2 at half-time after five first-half tries, with Tom Dearden, Jacob Preston, Tom Trbojevic, Walsh and Bradman Best all crossing before the break, and Jack Bostock adding the eighth try late on. Cameron Munster kicked six goals. Samoa's points came from tries to Stephen Crichton and Izack Tago, with Crichton also kicking a goal and a penalty. The win was Australia's sixth in six Test matches against Samoa. The judiciary charged Samoa's Spencer Leniu with grade-three contrary conduct and Jarome Luai with a grade-one dangerous throw, while Australia's Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was charged with a grade-one careless high tackle.
New Zealand had booked the other place in the final a day earlier, beating Tonga 34-10 in Newcastle on Saturday. Kalyn Ponga starred on his return from a broken arm, running for 198 metres with three try assists just 23 days after suffering the injury against Australia, while Jahrome Hughes produced 397 kick metres as the Kiwis came from 10-6 down just before half-time to run away with the match. The final is a repeat of the 2022 decider at Old Trafford, which Australia won 30-10, and of the round-one meeting between the two sides in Sydney.
The NRL's own wrap of the semi-finals confirms the 44-12 scoreline, the 26-2 half-time lead and Walsh's hat-trick, and the same figures are carried by AAP, the BBC, Sky Sports and AFP, so the result is not in doubt. The 34-10 New Zealand win over Tonga is likewise reported across those outlets, with Ponga's return from injury and his 198 metres and three try assists stated in the NRL account. The final is set for 7.35pm AEDT on Sunday, November 15, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, and Australia are chasing a fourth consecutive title and a 13th overall, both points the NRL wrap states directly. Nothing in the reporting disagrees on any load-bearing fact.
The final carries real history. New Zealand's only World Cup title came at the same ground in 2008, when Benji Marshall inspired a 34-20 upset of Australia, and the Kiwis are the last team other than the Kangaroos to lift the trophy. Australia have won the past three tournaments and would make it four in a row with a win on Sunday, extending a dominance that stretches back to 2013.
The decider kicks off at 7.35pm AEDT on Sunday, November 15, at Suncorp Stadium. Before then, the judiciary outcomes from the semi-final will settle who is available: Leniu faces a two-match ban on an early guilty plea, while Luai and Fa'asuamaleaui were both offered warnings.