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Australia vs Samoa, Rugby League World Cup 2017 updates

AUSSIE NRL legend Mark Geyer has accused officials of hurting the game with a call that’s created a “bored” slaughter.

8 min read
November 17, 2017 - 11:32PM
Valentine Holmes had a night.
Valentine Holmes had a night.

Live Rugby League World Cup

Australia is through to the semi-finals of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup after a regulation quarter-final win over Samoa.

AUSTRALIA is through to a likely semi-final showdown against New Zealand after blowing Samoa away in a one-sided contest in Darwin.

In the first international rugby league game in the Top End, Australia smashed Samoa off the park 46-0 in a result where the hosts never appeared under pressure.

The game was heavily criticised as one of the more disappointing of the tournament as Samoa failed to trouble Australia despite the quarter-final occasion.

The dour affair was brightened by Kangaroos winger Valentine Holmes’ record-setting five-try performance.

Australia will now play the winner of New Zealand and Fiji at Suncorp Stadium next Friday night.

Here’s how the game unfolded.

10.40pm

Full time

Five times.
Five times.

VALENTINE Holmes has scored a record five tries for the Kangaroos who have sounded an ominous warning to rival nations with a 46-0 trouncing of Samoa in their Rugby League World Cup quarter-final.

Coach Mal Meninga wanted his team to entertain on Friday night, and Australia treated the sellout 13,473 crowd in Darwin with an impressive eight-try rout to move into the final four.

The Kangaroos will move to Brisbane to face New Zealand or Fiji. Holmes broke the Australian record for most tries in a Test, surpassing eight players on four, including teammate Wade Graham who achieved the feat two weeks ago.

Michael Morgan scored a first-half double, while Billy Slater also went on the scoresheet in what was easily Australia’s best attacking display of the tournament.

Samoa bow out after a disastrous campaign, having failed to win any of their pool games and showing little resistance to Australia’s full force at a humid TIO Stadium.

The Kangaroos’ highlights reel will be led by Holmes’ 90-metre effort for his first try, as well as him finishing a team 60-metre movement for his fourth. The right winger etched his name in the record books with a dazzling run on the opposite side of the field in the 76th minute.

The avalanche began in the ninth minute, when Holmes was the beneficiary of a dubious Josh Dugan tapback from a Cooper Cronk kick.

Holmes’ second was far more impressive, breaking out of a tackle on his 10-metre line and offloading for Cronk before getting the ball back and racing away for a long-range try.

Slater rejoined Jarryd Hayne as leading tryscorer in World Cup history off a set play. Morgan clinched his two tries in the space of five minutes. First, the Kangaroos’ five-eighth sliced through some soft defence in the 31st minute, before he won the race to a Cameron Smith grubber with no Samoan defender in sight.

— AAP

10.25pm

Valentine Holmes creates World Cup history

Valentine Holmes has become the first player in the Rugby League World Cup to score five tries in a game.

His 74th minute try came off the back of a simple pass from David Klemmer, who threw the ball wide to Holmes when returning the ball from a line drop-out.

Australia 46 Samoa 0, 80mins.

10.05pm

Holmes joins the four-try club

Valentine Holmes was again in the right place at the right time when he raced up in support of Michael Morgan during a Kangaroos linebreak early in the second half.

Holmes got a perfect ball from Morgan after the former Storm star had attracted the Samoan defender to give Holmes a clear run under the posts to give Australia a 42-point lead.

Morgan was able to skip past some tired Samoan defenders after Billy Slater got a clever offload away which eventually led to Holmes’ fourth try of the match.

10pm

Hat-trick Holmes

Valentine Holmes continued the slaughter in the second half when he completed a hat-trick in the 50th minute.

Tyson Frizelle sucked in a number of Samoan defenders with determined run before the Kangaroos shifter the ball wide where the Smoan defence was again caught coming too far in-field.

Cameron Smith’s conversion from the sideline gave him six from six for the night.

9.30pm

‘Woeful’ Kangaroos walloping turns into ‘bore’

Australia is on track to put a cricket score on Samoa with a 30-point lead at half time.

The Kangaroos scored five tries with Michael Morgan and Valentine Holmes each recording first-half doubles.

Australia has been clinical in the Darwin heat, but the ease at which they have put Samoa to the sword has led to commentators declaring the result is beginning to harm the reputation of international rugby league.

Australian rugby league legend Mark Geyer said Samoa were woeful in the first half — and should never have been there after advancing through to the quarter-finals despite failing to win a match in the group stage.

A draw against Scotland was enough for Samoa to progress, despite Ireland winning two matches.

Under Rugby League World Cup 2017 tournament rules three teams from Group A and three teams from Group B advanced to the final eight, while the weaker Groups C and D had only one team progress.

Geyer said the structure was wrong to allow Samoa to advance to play Australia, making them sheep to the slaughter.

He said Ireland would have put up a better fight.

“Samoa just haven’t turned up. Simple as that,” Geyer told Channel 7.

“There was a lot of outcry why aren’t Ireland here instead of Samoa because of the fact that they won a couple of games and almost beat Papua New Guinea.

“I tell you what, Ireland would have put up a much better fight than Samoa. They’re woeful.

“Australia’s in third gear. It’s a training run for them.”

9.20pm

Morgan scores five-minute double

Australia extended its lead to 30 points on the back of two simple tries to Michael Morgan.

Morgan pounced after Billy Slater got an offload away camped on the Samoan try-line before the Cowboys star split Joey Leilua and Ben Roberts.

Four minutes later he was able to dive onto a Cameron Smith grubber into the in-goal after Kangaroos halfback Cooper Cronk had been taken out behind play.

9.10pm

Slater scores

It’s getting ugly in Darwin after Billy Slater scored Australia’s third try in the 24th minute.

Slater was able to run onto a sweet outside-inside play from Cooper Cronk and Matt Gillett that opened a hole for Slater to run through on the Samoan try-line.

9.05pm

Holmes scores twice in 10 minutes

The Kangaroos went 90m for their second try after Billy Slater produced a miracle to escape out of his own in-goal.

Two plays later Valentine Holmes cut through the tiring Samoan forwards before producing a sweet give and go with Cooper Cronk.

Holmes then ran 60m untouched with Matthew Wright in close pursuit.

8.50pm

Holmes puts Australia in front

Valentine Holmes dived over in the corner off a sweet tap down from Josh Dugan to give the Kangaroos an early lead in Darwin.

Dugan jumped above Samoan winger Matthew Wright to tap a Cooper Cronk kick down to Holmes, who only had to fall over the try-line.

8.40pm

Teams sweat through Samoa’s Cultural challenge

8.10pm

Heat rule rejected

Rugby League World Cup 2017 officials have chosen not to put the “heat rule” into effect despite the mercury rising to 32C in the evening in Darwin.

The historic Top End quarter-final was expected to be played in 20-minute quarters to allow players extra opportunities to rest and consume water to deal with the humid conditions.

However, Kangaroos playmaker James Maloney made a final plea to officials to let the match unfold under regular rules in an interview with Channel 7 before the game.

The only change to the standard rules of international rugby league has been an allowance for each team to have one additional runner on the field to distribute more water.

The heat forced the Kangaroos to conduct their warm-up inside their Darwin Stadium sheds in a bid to avoid the outdoor heat for just a few extra crucial minutes.

“It will be a shock for them,” Kangaroos great Gary Belcher told Channel 7.

“In the first five to 10 minutes they are going to be sucking in some deep breathes.”

The rule is expected to boost the Kangaroos’ fortunes in the quarter-final with the Australian backline expected to be given more opportunities to cut holes in the Samoa backline by taking advantage of tired forwards late in both halves.

7.30pm

Teams confirmed

7pm

Meninga promises to entertain in the Top End

Are you not entertained?

Mal Meninga may not exactly be carrying a sword and shield like Russell Crowe in Gladiator but it’s the war cry he wants his Kangaroos to adopt as they surge through the Rugby League World Cup.

To that end, he’s revealed meeting with referees boss Tony Archer to urge a more free-flowing game ahead of Friday’s quarter-final against Samoa after being upset with the officiating in last week’s win over Lebanon.

Despite his team conceding just 10 points through three pool games, Meninga voiced his displeasure at referee James Childs’ policing of the ruck against the Cedars.

Childs has been put in charge of the England and Papua New Guinea final. “I had a bit of a yarn to (Archer). That’s what it was all about, the four best referees to take control of some very crucial games,” Meninga said. “It’s all knockout now so we want to make sure it’s all well-reffed, fair and the ruck speed is how it should be. That’s all we’re after.” The Kangaroos boast some of the game’s best showmen in Billy Slater, Michael Morgan and Valentine Holmes, while Samoa also have some class in Joseph Leilua and Tim Lafai.

Meninga pleaded with officials to ensure a more open game.

“That’s all we ask, be allowed to play footy really. That’s what we want to do, we want to entertain. That’s what the World Cup’s all about,” he said. “It’s a showpiece for our game so I just want an entertaining game.” Samoa coach Matt Parish also appealed for an open match but was more focused on trying to draw an improved performance from a side that failed to win any of their pool games.

The minnow nation only just qualified after a draw with Scotland last week. “Everyone brings up wrestling and slowing up the ruck. It’s same with us, if we get quick play-the-balls, we’ll be away too but certainly we don’t want to give them too many,” Parish said.

“We’ve been pretty disappointed with the way we’ve played but we’re still in the contest. We’re still in the tournament and I’m sure there’s plenty of fight left in the boys yet.” Asked whether it was mission impossible, Parish said: “I wouldn’t say that. “Obviously we’ve got a huge task ahead of us but if we can play well, we can compete against anyone.”

— AAP

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