The fifth week of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup saw both the Kangaroos and Jillaroos beating the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns respectively both by two points, as well as Samoa knocking the hosts out of the competition to advance to their first ever World Cup Final.
Australia vs New Zealand: Kangaroos Hold Off Kiwis in Trans-Tasman Battle
The Australian Kangaroos advanced to their fifteenth-straight Rugby League World Cup Final after an intense battle with the New Zealand Kiwis, claiming a 16-14 victory.
Australian fullback and Captain James Tedesco led his nation with an impeccable performance, running the football 33 times and making 320 run metres as a result. He also broke eight tackles and had one offload as he aimed to break down the New Zealand defence.
The Manu Touch Provides First Points for Kiwis
Contributing a full 80 minutes from the second row, Angus Crichton took a hefty eleven hit ups from which he totalled almost 80 metres and two tackle breaks. He played a major role in keeping the Kiwis to just two tries, making an impressive 34 tackles and only missing two.
Opposing Tedesco in the number one jersey was superstar Joseph Manu, who played a major role in New Zealand’s hard-fought semi-final performance.
RLWC 2021 Highlights: Australia vs New Zealand
Ten minutes into the match, Manu spectacularly leapt above the pack to catch and pass a Dylan Brown highball to Jahrome Hughes, assisting the halfback to score the game’s opening try and give the Kiwis an early advantage.
Running the ball on 31 occasions, the 26-year-old totalled a whopping 318 metres including almost 100 post-contact metres. He was a handful for the Australian defence, busting out of four tackles and offloading the ball four times.
England vs Samoa: Samoa Sink England’s World Cup Hopes
To’a Samoa have closed the curtain on the hosts’ World Cup campaign with an incredible 27-26 golden point victory, making them the first ever tier two nation to qualify for a World Cup Final.
Victor Radley closed out his first international campaign with England with a satisfactory performance, running for 152 metres and making 51 after contact. He put plenty of work in on the defensive end, making 34 tackles in his 64 minutes of play.
RLWC 2021 Highlights: England vs Samoa
Joseph Suaali’i had yet another outstanding game wearing Samoa’s no.1 jersey, running the football 20 times and gaining almost 250 metres as well as over 100 post-contact metres in the process. He was a force in attack, busting out of six tackles and breaking the line on one occasion.
Suaali’i will face off against fellow fullback and Roosters teammate James Tedesco when Samoa play Australia at Old Trafford in their first ever World Cup Final appearance.
Women’s Rugby League World Cup
The final group stage round of the women’s competition saw six Roosters take the field as Australia faced New Zealand, with three wearing the green and gold and three donning the black and white. Following their respective semi-finals matches, they are set to meet again in the World Cup Final.
Australia vs New Zealand: Jillaroos Edge Out Kiwis to Top Group B
The world number one Australian Jillaroos have beaten the Kiwi Ferns 10-8 in a nail-biting clash, remaining unbeaten in their World Cup campaign ahead of the semi-finals.
Donning the green and gold’s fullback jersey, Samantha Bremner put in plenty of hard work in the Trans-Tasman battle as she ran for 162 metres and made twelve tackles. Bremner weaved her magic in attack, busting out of five tackle attempts and breaking the line once, as well as assisting a line break.
Jessica Sergis was outstanding at centre, tallying up 168 run metres, five tackle breaks, a line break, a line break assist and an offload. She also produced the game’s most notable play, spinning into a defender and passing to winger Julia Robinson to assist the match-winning try.
Pairing her Roosters teammate in the centres was Isabelle Kelly, who was very strong in attack with seven tackle busts and a line break. She worked hard both with and without the ball, running for 170 metres and making fourteen tackles.
New Zealand halfback Raecene McGregor fought hard for her side, running for 102 metres and gaining over 450 metres off seventeen kicks. After conceding the first try of the match, she helped her nation hit back by finding the in-goal with a grubber kick which bounced up spectacularly to produce a try.
RLWC 2021 Highlights: Australia vs New Zealand
Packing plenty of punch from the bench, Mya Hill-Moana took the field for 35 minutes in which she ran ten hit ups, making 121 metres and nineteen tackles on the defensive end.
Also coming off the bench was 19-year-old Otesa Pule who ran hard, making 50 metres from just five runs and breaking two tackles in the process. She was excellent in defence, making sixteen tackles and missing none.
Australia vs Papua New Guinea: Jillaroos Jump into World Cup Final
The reigning world champion Jillaroos are one win away from a successful title defence following a convincing 82-nil semi-final victory as they scored fifteen tries against the Papua New Guinea Orchids.
Isabelle Kelly proved a handful for defenders, tallying up three tackle breaks, three line breaks, two offloads and scoring a hat-trick in the first half, while assisting fellow Roosters teammate Jessica Sergis for Australia’s first try of the second half.
Kelly's First Half Hat-Trick Against Papua New Guinea
In almost an hour on the field, star centre Sergis posted up a try and an assist, as well as 69 run metres, seven tackle busts and a line break.
Olivia Kernick had a phenomenal 80-minute performance in the back row, running for almost 100 metres and breaking eight tackles, as well as breaking the line once and assisting a try. The 21-year-old also scored Australia’s seventh try of the match as she steamrolled onto a Samantha Bremner short-ball to crash over.
Bremner had an impressive stint on the field, with the veteran fullback having eight touches of the football from which she tallied up 34 run metres, a tackle break, a line break assist and a try assist.
RLWC 2021 Highlights: Australia vs Papua New Guinea
Keilee Joseph had an astonishing impact off the bench, throwing herself into the action as she ran the football 22 times for a total of 190 running metres. She also broke eleven tackles and made 21 tackles of her own.
The Jillaroos will look to make it three World Cup wins in a row as they take on the New Zealand Kiwi Ferns in the 2021 Women’s Rugby League World Cup Final.
England vs New Zealand: Ferns Fire Against England in Semi Final
The Kiwi Ferns have triumphed over hosts England 20-6 to book a meeting with the Australian Jillaroos in the 2021 Women’s World Cup Final.
Hill-Moana Leads Rousing Ferns Haka
Playing a key role in New Zealand’s victory was Raecene McGregor, who worked hard to produce 90 run metres, three tackle breaks and a line break. When the Ferns were trailing by two, McGregor crashed over from dummy half 29 minutes into the game to score and give New Zealand the lead.
Scoring the Ferns’ next try was Otesa Pule, who got on the end of a fantastic team play to extend her nation’s lead. She also amassed 69 running metres and two tackle breaks, as well as contributing eighteen tackles to her side’s defensive efforts.
McGregor Puts New Zealand in Front
Front rower Mya Hill-Moana had an impactful 25 minutes off the bench, running for almost 70 metres from seven runs and making thirteen tackles.
The Kiwi Ferns will be looking to achieve the ultimate revenge over the Jillaroos after their narrow loss to the green and golds in the pool stage as they take them on in the World Cup Final.
