Australia dominated Samoa 44-12 at the Sydney Football Stadium to reach the Men's Rugby League World Cup final, with Reece Walsh scoring a hat-trick. The match began with a tense pre-match confrontation during Samoa's Siva Tau war dance, but Australia quickly took control, scoring eight tries. Samoa, frustrated by refereeing decisions and their own errors, struggled to keep pace. Australia will face New Zealand in the final in Brisbane next Sunday.
Samoa took an early lead through a Stephen Crichton penalty, but Australia soon surged ahead with tries from Tom Dearden, Jacob Preston, and Tom Trbojevic. Walsh added his first two tries, celebrating with a backflip, while Bradman Best scored before half-time. In the second half, Crichton and Izack Tago scored for Samoa, but Walsh responded quickly to maintain the lead, completing his hat-trick. Bostock sealed the victory late on.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing