Kangaroos Thrash Cook Islands 66-6 to Finish Pool A Unbeaten
Australia beat the Cook Islands 66-6 on Saturday in Townsville, finishing the Rugby League World Cup group stage unbeaten and winning Pool A. The Kangaroos, the hosts and defending champions, now know they will play either Samoa or Tonga in the semi-final next week.
The result was never in doubt for long. Australia scored 12 tries to the Cook Islands' one, according to the official tournament website. A try is worth four points in league and is the main way to score, so a 12-try night leaves little room for doubt.
Reece Walsh was involved in almost everything. He scored a try himself and recorded five try assists, meaning he made the pass that led directly to a team-mate's score. Jack Bostock finished off one of his passes, and Tom Trbojevic also crossed the line. Harry Grant scored a late try in the 79th minute, taking an inside ball from Walsh, a short pass to a runner cutting back on the inside of the playmaker.
The Cook Islands had their moment too. Hooker Rua Ngatikaura, who plays in the middle of the front row, created a try that was also converted, meaning it was followed by a goal kick worth two more points. Val Holmes played at fullback, the last line of defence, and 37-year-old Brad Takairangi ran the game from halfback. Their one try was a reminder that the smaller side still had something to offer.
Australia's sharpness was less consistent. The Kangaroos committed 15 errors across the match, according to The Guardian's match report. An error is a mistake such as a dropped pass or a knock-on, where the ball goes forward off a player's hands, and it hands possession to the other side. Fifteen is a high count, and it is the kind of number a team will want to bring down before a semi-final.
The conditions were kind to the players. The NRL Match Centre listed the ground as good and the weather as fine. Gates opened at 5:30pm and kick-off was at 7:05pm, with 19,172 fans attending, according to NRL.com's match report. Nine's live coverage also reported that two Australian players scored hat-tricks, three tries each, in the win.
For Australia, the group stage ends with the scoreboard in their favour and a clear week to prepare. The Cook Islands leave the pool having shown flashes of attacking menace, even if they were outscored heavily. Next week the semi-final will bring a far harder test, and the Kangaroos will be looking to turn a dominant win into a tighter, cleaner performance.
