Kiwi Ferns Routs Samoa 32-0 to Reach Women's Rugby League World Cup Final

New Zealand's women have reached the Women's Rugby League World Cup final after beating Samoa 32-0 in the semi-final in Newcastle, New South Wales.

The Kiwi Ferns, New Zealand's national women's league team, were in control from the start. Stacey Waaka scored a hat-trick, which means three tries in one match. A try is worth four points and is scored by grounding the ball over the opposition's line. Mackenzie Wiki, Mele Hufanga, Kaiyah Atai and Raecene McGregor also went over, and Kiria-Ratu kicked two goals, each worth two points, from the posts after a try.

New Zealand led 8-0 at half-time, the break between the two halves. Samoa, known as Fetu Samoa, struggled to get into the game after the interval, and the Ferns pulled away. The match kicked off at 5.45pm AEDT on Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium, and the result was confirmed by the BBC.

The win means the Ferns will play in the final for the seventh successive time. New Zealand won the first three Women's Rugby League World Cups, held between 2000 and 2008, and have been a fixture in the decider ever since.

Waaka has made a fast impression on this tournament. On her debut for the Ferns against Fiji in October, she scored a double and was named player of the match. Her hat-trick against Samoa adds to a strong start for a player still new to the side.

The Ferns had already booked their place in the last four with a win on the Gold Coast. The World Cup is being staged across nine cities in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and it has given the women's game a prominent stage in the build-up to the knockout rounds.

For Samoa, the result ends their run at this World Cup. For New Zealand, the focus now moves to the final, where the Ferns will be looking to add to their long record in the tournament.