AUSTRALIA 44 SAMOA 12
EMMA KENNEDY, Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Sunday

SOMETIMES it’s just not your night.

And it certainly wasn’t Samoa’s as Australia produced their best performance of the tournament to book their place in yet another World Cup decider.

In what was a repeat of the 2022 final – which Australia won 30-10 at Old Trafford – Samoa had started strongly but never recovered from losing their discipline after a series of controversial decisions in a first half in which everything seemed to go against them.

It means this year’s tournament will end how it started, with Australia taking on New Zealand, who handed them their last World Cup defeat in the 2008 final, next Sunday.

A spine-tingling Siva Tau set the tone for a hot and heavy semi-final in the driving rain.

Samoa broke the deadlock in the fifth minute when Stephen Crichton knocked over a penalty-goal, but it didn’t take long for the Kangaroos to reply with the first of five first-half tries.

After an error from Crichton – which resulted in Samoa losing their captain’s challenge – the lively Tom Dearden profited from a show-and-go from the scrum, the first of Cameron Munster’s six conversions putting Australia 6-2 in front.

Francis Molo pulled off a miracle play to prevent Tino Fa’asuamaleaui from reaching a Tom Trbojevic grubber, but the resultant drop-out did not go the distance, opening the door for Preston to sidestep his way through on the quarter-hour and extend the Kangaroos’ lead.

And with errors and ill-discipline creeping into Samoa’s game, they gave up field position at will.

Trbojevic saw an effort chalked off for a knock-on, but did get his try on 25 minutes, keeping up his record of scoring at every game of the tournament as he strolled over out wide.

Samoa thought they had hit back when Francis Manuleleua beat Reece Walsh to a spiralling Jarome Luai bomb and Crichton picked up the loose ball to score next to the posts, but their celebrations were halted by a controversial knock-on call.

Instead, Walsh added insult to injury by dummying his way through on the left to open up a 20-2 lead, and with Australia seeing the rub of the green, referee Adam Gee offered a warning after Luai’s crunching tackle on Jack Bostock saw tensions continue to spill over.

And when Preston sent Bradman Best over out wide to make the score 26-2 after another decision had gone in the Kangaroos’ favour, Spencer Leniu was sin-binned as Samoa’s half went from bad to worse.

Down to twelve, Samoa needed to come out of the blocks firing in the second half and they did just that.

Neither Walsh nor Trbojevic could take in a spiralling bomb, with Crichton finally getting his try, which he also converted, in the 44th minute.

Walsh quickly atoned for his error with his second try before Samoa hit back just after the hour when Izack Tago slid into the left corner as a decision from the bunker finally went in their favour.

And they looked to have closed the gap again through Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow – minutes after Walsh had completed his first international hat-trick from a stunning Kangaroos move – only for Manuleleua to be penalised for obstruction.

Bostock instead continued his scoring spree, adding the cherry on top for Australia with eight minutes remaining.

GAMESTAR: Reece Walsh grabbed a first international hat-trick and had every inch of the x-factor he has become known for – including celebrating his first try with a backflip.

GAMEBREAKER: Stephen Crichton’s disallowed try, which would have closed the gap, with Australia quickly going down the other end of the field to extend their lead.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: The flowing team move that resulted in Reece Walsh’s hat-trick try was a thing of beauty.

MATCHFACTS

AUSTRALIA
1 Reece Walsh
2 Jack Bostock
3 Kotoni Staggs
4 Bradman Best
5 Tom Trbojevic
6 Cameron Munster
7 Tom Dearden
10 Tino Fa’asuamaleaui
9 Harry Grant
15 Keaon Koloamatangi
11 Jacob Preston
12 Liam Martin
13 Isaah Yeo
Subs
8 Patrick Carrigan
14 Ethan Strange
16 Cameron Murray
17 Reuben Cotter
18 Latrell Mitchell (not used)
21 Sam Walker (not used)

Tries: Dearden (8), Preston (15), Trbojevic (25), Walsh (32, 47, 66), Best (37), Bostock (72)
Goals: Munster 6/8

SAMOA
1 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
2 Brian To’o
3 Izack Tago
4 Stephen Crichton
5 Sualauvi Fa’alogo
6 Ronald Volkman
7 Jarome Luai
8 Francis Molo
14 Jazz Tevaga
10 Junior Paulo
11 Connelly Lemuelu
12 Jermaine McEwen
13 Francis Manuleleua
Subs
9 Benaiah Ioelu
15 Spencer Leniu
16 Shawn Blore (not used)
17 Ata Mariota
18 Clayton Faulalo
19 Deine Mariner (not used)

Tries: Crichton (44), Tago (61)
Goals: Crichton 2/3
Sin bin: Leniu (38) – dissent

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-2, 6-2, 12-2, 16-2, 20-2, 26-2; 26-8, 32-8, 32-12, 38-12, 44-12

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Australia: Reece Walsh; Samoa: Jermaine McEwen

Penalty count: 9-4
Half-time: 26-2
Referee: Adam Gee
Attendance: 41,529