Reece Walsh hat-trick — Reece Walsh marked his first international hat-trick with a backflip as Australia defeated Samoa 44-12 in Sydney to reach a 16th consecutive men’s Rugby League World Cup final. The full-back’s three tries, including two in the second half, helped the Kangaroos withstand a spirited Samoan comeback before a crowd of approximately 40,000.
A night of brilliance and blunders
Walsh opened his account on 32 minutes, exploiting a narrow gap on the left to race through and score. His celebration – a backflip – delighted the crowd but briefly worried television commentators when he lost a boot and sat down to refit it. Australia coach Kevin Walters later revealed that the acrobatics were performed at the request of children, saying the full-back had been asked to produce a backflip if he scored.
Walters confirmed at half-time that there would be no repeat in the second period, and Walsh obliged. “That’s just Reece,” Walters said afterwards. “He always brings up something you don’t expect.”
Yet the same flair came with costly errors. Two minutes before his first try, Samoa’s Stephen Crichton appeared to have grounded the ball after Francis Manuleleua beat Walsh to a high kick, only for a slow-motion replay to rule a knock-on. The let-off spared Walsh, but his struggles under the high ball continued after the break when he dropped a bomb, allowing Crichton to score. Walters defended his full-back, noting that catching high balls is difficult and expressing little concern over the mistakes.
Samoa's discipline frays as Australia pull clear
Samoa, playing in only their second World Cup semi-final, began aggressively and their pre-match Siva Tau war dance set the tone. But their discipline unravelled around the half-hour mark. A flashpoint followed a dangerous tackle on Walsh, who himself instigated the ensuing scuffle. Shortly before the break, Spencer Leniu was sin-binned for dissent by referee Adam Gee.
Samoa also had two tries disallowed – Crichton’s in the first half and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s with 10 minutes remaining after contact between Manuleleua and Liam Martin was deemed illegal. Coach Ben Gardiner offered a terse response when asked about the decisions, saying reporters had seen the game and could judge for themselves. He admitted his side did not react well to some penalties and that missed tackles in the early period made the comeback difficult.
Walsh’s second-half tries came swiftly after each Samoan score, keeping the Kangaroos at arm’s length. His hat-trick was completed as Australia maintained their 100% record in the tournament, having scored 170 points across four matches. Their last World Cup defeat was against New Zealand in the 2008 final; they have won 22 consecutive games since.
Ponga looms as final challenge
Next Sunday in Brisbane, Australia face New Zealand, whose full-back Kalyn Ponga produced a man-of-the-match display against Tonga after remarkably returning from a broken arm sustained in the opening game. Ponga had battled on for 20 minutes with the injury during New Zealand’s 24-22 defeat by Australia on 15 October, a match in which Walsh made a superb try-saving tackle on him and then scored a 60-metre try. Walsh had not played for eight weeks before the tournament because of an ankle injury and was vomiting in the changing room afterwards, according to Walters.
“We all know Kalyn,” Walters said. “He’s a world-class player; he showed that last night. For the players, it’s been about what we can do as a team.”
For Samoa, the defeat ends a campaign in which they clearly believed they could win. They matched Australia physically but were left to rue both the officiating and their own errors. Gardiner summed up the frustration: “You guys saw the game. You report on it.”
