Samoa dudded by ‘awful’ call in Rugby League World Cup loss to Australia

Australia won the Rugby League World Cup but it could have been a different story if it wasn’t for a shocking referee call.

Blind Freddy could have seen Tedesco was in touch.

Samoa will be feeling a little hard done by after going down to Australia in the Rugby League World Cup final.

The Kangaroos claimed a comfortable 30-10 victory over Samoa at Manchester’s Old Trafford on Sunday morning (AEDT) to maintain Australia’s stranglehold on the World Cup.

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Australia got off to a flyer, putting on three first half tries to take a 14-0 lead into halftime, and the defending champions never looked back from there.

But it could have been a different story if Samoa hadn’t been dudded by a shocking refereeing oversight in the opening stages.

In just the fourth minute of the game, Samoa’s hooker Chanel Harris-Tavita launched a long bomb from inside his team’s own half in an attempt for a 40-20.

His kick was dribbling out of play when Australian captain James Tedesco flicked the ball back in play, but it was clear to everyone he had stepped on the sideline in the process.

But the touch judge somehow missed it, robbing Samoa of the 40-20 call that would have given them vital field position when both teams were yet to score.

Touch judge has missed one here.

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Fox League commentator Andrew Voss said: “I think he might have done it. Sideline official flag stays down. I thought for a moment Chanel Harris-Tavita had pulled it off.”

“He’s in touch. They got away with that one,” his co-commentator added.

Former NRL player Daniel Vidot said on Twitter there was a “massive momentum swing from this awful call”.

Australia's Angus Crichton (2L) is sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes during the Rugby League World Cup Men's final between Australia and Samoa at Old Trafford stadium, in Manchester, on November 19, 2022. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Harris-Tavita’s bad luck continued early in the second half when he was knocked out cold by an accidental stray elbow from Australia’s Angus Crichton when the ball was dead.

Clearly concussed, Harris-Tavita took no further part in the game and Samoa’s attack struggled in the playmaker’s absence.

Samoa’s Penrith Panthers stars worked their magic to save some face with two second half consolation tries.

Brian To’o scored in the corner to put Samoa on the board before Stephen Crichton plucked a pass out of nowhere and ran away with a brilliant intercept try.

But it was too little too late. Tedesco and Mitchell both scored a second try each to ice the game.

Tedesco, the Kangaroos captain, was named player of the match in the final.

“The first half was exceptional, we did what we needed to do,” Australian coach Mal Meninga told BBC after the game.

“In the second half we scrambled well, a man down but we still scored points. It’s what you do, you work for each other.”

The Kangaroos are World Cup champions again. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Samoa coach Matt Parish said: “We played a champion team and just ran out of juice.

“We just couldn’t quite get close enough to put pressure on but I’m really proud of this group. They kept trying until the end.”

The loss ruined hopes of a fairytale finish for Samoa, who had been seeking to make World Cup history and had even been wished good luck by the Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

The Pacific island nation has already achieved a new milestone, becoming the first team outside of that trio to make a World Cup final since France in 1968.

It is the 12th time Australia has lifted the World Cup trophy as the Kangaroos maintained their stranglehold on global rugby league.

It capped a dominant day for Australian rugby league after the Jillaroos thrashed New Zealand 54-4 to win the women’s World Cup.