New Zealand's women booked their place in the Rugby League World Cup final with a commanding 32-0 victory over Samoa at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium. The Kiwi Ferns will contest their seventh successive final next Sunday, seeking a fourth title after winning the first three editions (2000-2008) but suffering three consecutive losses since, including a 54-4 thrashing by Australia at Old Trafford four years ago.
Stacey Waaka starred with a hat-trick, opening her account after capitalising on a Samoa handling error before adding two more tries from pinpoint Raecene Mc Gregor kicks. Mackenzie Wiki crossed inside two minutes, while Mele Hufanga and Kaiyah Atai also touched down as New Zealand's defence conceded just 24 points across the entire tournament.
Samoa, despite spirited performances from lock Fanua Rimoni and debutant winger Anastasia Leatupue, were undone by handling errors and an inability to convert field position. New Zealand now await the winner of the other semi-final between Australia and debutants Fiji, with the Jillaroos heavy favourites to set up a blockbuster trans-Tasman decider.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing