Reece Walsh’s hat-trick sends the Kangaroos past Samoa 44-12 and into a World Cup final against the Kiwis

The Kangaroos saved their best for the knockout rounds. Australia beat Samoa 44-12 in the second men’s Rugby League World Cup semi-final at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday night, in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 40,000, to book a place in next Sunday’s final against New Zealand in Brisbane.

The match finished at 7.10pm AWST (10.10pm AEDT). It was effectively over by half-time, when Australia led 26-2.

How did it unfold?

Samoa took the first points, a penalty goal in the fifth minute. Australia then scored five tries in under half an hour. Tom Dearden opened the scoring off a scrum in the eighth minute, and Jacob Preston, Tom Trbojevic, Walsh and Bradman Best followed before the break.

Samoa’s discipline did not help. Spencer Leniu was sent to the sin bin just before half-time for abusing referee Adam Gee after a try, leaving his side a man down until early in the second half, and Jarome Luai was placed on report for a dangerous tackle in the first half.

Stephen Crichton crossed for Samoa soon after the restart, after Walsh dropped a high ball. Walsh answered within minutes for his second try, and Izack Tago scored a second for Samoa midway through the half. Walsh completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute, and Jack Bostock finished the scoring late. A further Samoan try was ruled out for obstruction.

Cameron Munster kicked six goals from eight attempts.

Why does Walsh’s night matter?

Coach Kevin Walters had split the fullback role between Walsh and Tedesco during the pool games, before handing Walsh the No. 1 jersey for the semi-final. Three tries in a semi-final make a strong case for keeping it for the final, though one error led directly to a Samoan try. He has also played through the tournament on the ankle he had surgery on late in the NRL season.

For Australia, the performance came at the right time. The Kangaroos had been made to work in some pool games, including against New Zealand in the opener. Against Samoa they looked sharper with the ball and harder to break down without it.

What was at stake for Samoa?

Samoa reached the 2022 final, the first in their history, and wanted a second shot at the team that beat them there. They came into the semi-final after a narrow 20-18 loss to Tonga in their last pool game, and Sunday’s match got away from them early: they trailed by 24 points at the break. They scored two tries to Australia’s three after half-time, but by then the final was out of reach.

What happens next?

The men’s final against New Zealand will be played in Brisbane next Sunday, 15 November. It is a trans-Tasman decider on both sides of the draw: the Jillaroos, who came from 8-0 down to beat Fiji 30-14 earlier on Sunday, meet the Kiwi Ferns in the women’s final the same weekend.

Australia are the defending men’s champions, having beaten Samoa in the 2022 final. The match review committee will look at Sunday’s incidents, including the tackles placed on report, before the teams are named for the final.