Australia beat New Zealand 24-22 in the opening match of the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, in a contest BBC Sport described as as good as sport gets. The game was played in front of more than 40,000 fans, the biggest Test match crowd in Sydney for 50 years.
New Zealand's powerful pack dominated much of the match, and Casey Mc Lean's early try gave the Kiwis the early momentum. Australia trailed 6-0, 16-10 and 22-16 at various stages, with New Zealand pressing for another score late on. The defending champions responded with late tries from Reece Walsh and then Jack Bostock, who scored his third try in a stunning Kangaroos debut to decide the contest.
The individual battle between full-backs Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh was one of the match's main subplots. Ponga scored twice, but Walsh produced a superb long-range try to set up Australia's last-gasp win. Ponga left the field injured with a suspected broken arm and had his arm in a sling at full time.
At 10-10 at half-time, Australia had been comprehensively outplayed for much of the first half, but two errant New Zealand passes allowed Bostock and Tom Trbojevic to score from distance. New Zealand will find the result hard to accept, and Australia will need a similar performance if they are to lift the trophy for a 13th time in the final on 15 November.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing