Rugby league: Australia beat Samoa 44-12 and reach World Cup final against New Zealand

Australia beat Samoa 44-12 in the Rugby League World Cup semi-final and will face New Zealand in the final next Sunday in Brisbane.¹² Fullback Reece Walsh scored three tries. It is the hosts’ thirteenth World Cup final.¹²

How the match unfolded

The defending champions scored eight tries on a cold evening with intermittent rain in front of a sell-out crowd of 41,529. The team came into the match on the back of criticised performances in the group stage.² Halfback Tom Dearden, second-rower Jacob Preston, winger Tom Trbojevic, Walsh and centre Bradman Best scored in the first half, which ended 26-2. In the same period, Samoa had managed only a penalty goal from Stephen Crichton.² In the second half Crichton took Samoa over the line for a try, capitalising on a mistake by Walsh. Three minutes later Walsh scored his second try.² Australian captain Isaah Yeo spoke of plenty of nerves at the start and of difficult conditions, with intermittent rain and an annoying wind affecting both teams. In his view, the weather left room for the most talented players to shine.²

Who Australia will face in the final

New Zealand reached the final by beating Tonga 34-10 in the other semi-final, played on Saturday at Lang Park.² After the match Samoa also lost Leniu: the player was suspended for two matches for making a money gesture at the referees while protesting against the officiating.³

Why it matters

The Guardian had billed the semi-final as Samoa’s chance to take on an Australia side who looked vulnerable given their recent results, and to make up for the final they lost in the previous edition at Old Trafford, when the Australians had kept Samoa scoreless for much of the match.¹ The rematch of the 2022 final went the same way. A Guardian commentator attributes the outcome to the maturity and composure of Australia and New Zealand, while nerves are said to have affected Samoa and Tonga.²⁴ The scoreline and the first half show an Australia who rediscovered their attacking efficiency in the semi-final. Whether that will be enough against New Zealand, the final will tell.²

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Reece Walsh hat-trick drives Australia past Samoa and into Rugby League World Cup final, Latest news, sport and opinion from the Guardian, 2026-11-08 ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Rugby league-Australia thrash Samoa to set up World Cup final against NZ, CNA, 2026-11-08 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

3. Leniu handed two-match ban after making money gesture to referees, ABC News Australia, 2026-11-09 ↩

4. Emotion gets better of Samoa as Australia begin to resemble their old selves | Angus Fontaine, Latest news, sport and opinion from the Guardian, 2026-11-08 ↩