How the Kangaroos beat Fiji after trailing twice
The Kangaroos beat Fiji 36-22 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Sunday night, but it was far from comfortable. A crowd of 41,108 watched the Bati, who came in as 50-1 outsiders according to the ABC, lead on two separate occasions against the reigning champions.
Kotoni Staggs scored the first try after a pass from James Tedesco, then Fiji hit back through Semi Valemei and Taane Milne to lead 10-6 after half an hour. Sam Walker crossed on debut, and Australia took a 12-10 lead into half-time.
Valemei scored his second early in the second half to put Fiji back in front. A Solomone Saukuru try was called back for obstruction, and Tom Trbojevic scored straight away at the other end. He went on to score three tries in a row, and Jacob Preston sealed the result with his first try in the green and gold. Valemei still finished with a hat-trick, and Fiji five-eighth Kurt Donoghoe was named player of the match despite the loss.
Coach Kevin Walters admitted afterwards that the Kangaroos still have work to do. “I think we need more from everyone,” he said. It was the second tight game in a row for Australia, after their 24-22 win over New Zealand in the opening match.
What the Kangaroos beat Fiji result means for the semi-finals
The win locks Australia into the semi-finals, which are a double header at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on 8 November. The men play at 8:05pm AEDT, after the Jillaroos.
First, there is one more pool game. Australia play the Cook Islands in Townsville on Saturday 31 October, while New Zealand meet Fiji on the Gold Coast the same day. Fiji will still have a say in who finishes where in the group.
New Zealand run riot against the Cook Islands
Earlier in the day, New Zealand beat the Cook Islands 82-16. For a while it looked closer than that. The Kiwis led 12-0, then Brisbane Tigers winger Esom Ioka scored three tries in a row for the Cook Islands, two of them off intercepts and one off a cross-field kick.
That was as good as it got for the Islanders. New Zealand scored 12 unanswered tries to win by 66 points.
Related: Samoa and England run riot as World Cup semi-final race tightens.
Sources: NRL.com match report, ABC live coverage, Sky Sports.
