Kiwis win 30-0 over Kangaroos, NRL to intervene in Tests after embarrassing Pacific Championship final crowd
If the Kiwis beat the Kangaroos but no one was there to see it, does it count? The NRL is set to intervene, after Australia were thrashed in front of an embarrassing Pacific Championship final crowd.
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Australia has long been the green and gold standard of international rugby league, but they produced their worst ever performance as the Kiwis claimed the Pacific Championships with a stunning 30-0 upset in Hamilton to hand the World Cup winners their biggest loss in Test history.
A week after the Kangaroos breezed past their biggest rivals, New Zealand exacted revenge when it mattered most with an utterly dominant display against an Australian side that had all the weapons but fired blanks on Saturday afternoon.
Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has long spoken about growing the international game, and this result will do just that with New Zealand, Tonga, England and Samoa smelling blood in the water three years out from the next World Cup.
“Everyone loves to see us lose, so we did that and made everyone happy,” Meninga said.
“We’re competitive as well and we’re no less passionate about putting our colours on.
“It’ll shock the rugby league world in the manner we lost and the scoreline, but we’ll come back with redemption next year.”
The world champions were outplayed in all departments, missing a whopping 34 tackles in the first half while only breaking the line once as their stars went missing in their final game of the year to evoke memories of the 24-0 shutout in 2005.
Losing Cam Murray to injury before the game was a setback but he isn’t worth 30 points, with no Australian forward running for 100 metres as their winless streak against the Kiwis in New Zealand stretched to 11 years.
“You don’t see those sorts of games coming, but we’ll reflect on it and we’ve got to accept it,” Meninga said.
“Credit deservedly goes to the other side.
“It hurts. No one likes losing. But it is what it is so we have to move forward.
“We’ll keep it in the back of our minds if we hopefully play again next year.”
GOLDEN BOOTS AND ALL
In the same week Lionel Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or, Golden Boot hopeful Ronaldo Mulitalo stole the show in Hamilton with a gentle reminder that he is one of the best wingers in the world.
While teammate James Fisher-Harris thought he was playing soccer in the first half when he put in a stinker of a kick on the fourth tackle, Mulitalo torched the Aussies with 111 metres, six tackle busts, two line-breaks and the all-important first points of the afternoon, all before halftime.
It was fitting that Mulitalo got the hosts on the front foot with a dazzling kick return and he was rewarded a few plays later when Dylan Brown – who was kept quiet last week – hit him with a peach of a pass to open the scoring.
The always aggressive Mulitalo then whacked Valentine Holmes with a brutal shot before fellow winger Jamayne Isaako continued his incredible try-scoring record to give the Kiwis a 12-0 lead at the break.
Isaako then produced the telling blow seven minutes into the second half when he somehow planted the ball a blade of grass inside the paint, before emerging stars Matt Timoko and Griffin Neame piled on the pain.
“New Zealand, stand up, this is our time,” skipper James Fisher-Harris said after the win.
BLUE BADGE FOR MADGE
Any doubts over Michael Maguire’s representative coaching credentials were quashed on Saturday, with the 2014 premiership-winner all but securing the NSW gig.
With Brad Fittler no longer at the helm, Maguire is now the unbackable favourite to become the next Blues coach, with the only question whether he’ll stay on with the Kiwis and serve as an assistant to Ricky Stuart at the Raiders.
It was a coaching masterclass from Maguire who can expect much bigger crowds for State of Origin next year after a disappointing crowd rocked up for Saturday’s final.
“You never think a Test match will finish 30-0, but there’s something special in this group that I’ve always believed,” Maguire said, revealing fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad ran for 212 metres and scored a try while playing with a broken rib.
“I’m just really proud of them.”
TEST MATCH BACKLASH: NRL INTERVENE TO FIX CROWD FARCE
The NRL will take back control of Test matches in New Zealand in the wake of an embarrassing Pacific Championship final crowd on Saturday of 13,269.
The Kangaroos versus Kiwis final was played at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium Waikato on the North Island of New Zealand.
The stadium is regarded as the spiritual home of rugby union in Hamilton.
In a match that featured the world’s best rugby league players, the amount of empty seats that were visible led to a vocal backlash across social media from fans watching the broadcast on TV.
One of the major factors behind the decision to play the match in Hamilton was due to the unavailability of Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium.
The organisation and promotion of the clash was also run by the NZRL.
This masthead understands the NRL will regain control of all Test matches in New Zealand next year.
Media inside the stadium also explained that the majority of fans had chosen to sit out of the sun and on the opposite side to where the TV cameras were facing.
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