League greats savage Kangaroos after 115-year humiliation

Rugby league greats have let Australia have it after a horrendous performance was labelled an “embarrassing result for Australian rugby league.”

What happened?!? Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images

Rugby league legend Greg Alexander blasted the Kangaroos’ performance against New Zealand, branding the 30-0 defeat as an “embarrassing result for Australian rugby league.”

Mal Meninga’s side rarely posed a threat against New Zealand, if at all, as they were comprehensively shut-out by the hosts at the FMG Stadium in Waikato, New Zealand.

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The sobering result was Australia’s heaviest defeat in history and the first time they had been shut-out since 2005.

Alexander felt the return of Payne Haas, Liam Martin and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui would have provided a positive impact for the Kangaroos, but the Kiwis’ fast start meant the visitors could never get into the contest.

“The Kiwis needed to make a good start, they needed to be strong and aggressive and they needed to keep it going because this is Australian side is a fantastic side,” Alexander said.

“But the Kiwis embarrassed them (Kangaroos) this afternoon. It’s an embarrassing result for Australian rugby league.”

Cooper Cronk, who made 38 appearances for the Kangaroos, pointed to the collective effort from the Kiwis that proved pivotal in the victory.

“You’ve got a contribution from everyone for New Zealand and they just absolutely handcuffed Australia at different stages,” Cronk said.

“Tremendous performance.”

The Kangaroos were humbled by their Kiwi rivals. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

One glance at the statistics from the game is enough to tell the story of what exactly went wrong for the Australians.

Per the Fox Sports Lab, Meninga’s troops missed an alarming 47 tackles compared to the Kiwis’ 23, while not one Aussie forward ran for more than 100 metres.

Add in the Kiwis’ nine linebreaks to Australia’s one and the fact they outran the Aussies by over 700 metres, it’s clear as day the visitors were never at the races.

The Kiwis have completely bullied the Kangaroos. I know we've won some pretty big games in the past, but this has to be one of the most dominant performances of recent memory. And this is by no means an under strength Australian team. #PacificChampionships

— Sam Hewat (@samhewat) November 4, 2023

What a drab performance. It's like the Kangaroos showed up expecting the result. #PacificChampionships

— Julian King (@JulianKing15) November 4, 2023

Embarrassing performance from the Kangaroos. Shambles. #PacificChampionships

— John Dean (@JohnDean_) November 4, 2023

While Alexander knew the Aussies struggled to get going, he also pointed to the element of revenge as another factor behind the Kiwis’ staggering performance after the Kangaroos won 36-18 in Melbourne last Saturday.

“Mentally they weren’t prepared for what the Kiwis were going to throw at them,” Alexander said.

“They would have known, they knew it was coming after beating New Zealand last week. I’m sure Mal spoke that the ambush was coming.

“They barely had the ball in the second half.”

Cronk pointed out that the Kangaroos were perhaps a little guilty of taking their foot off the gas.

“Maybe after the performance last week, there’s a little bit of complacency,” Cronk said.

“Under Mal, they’ve played 26 games and that’s only his third loss as Australian coach. He’s had a lot of success that the playing group has probably been used to.

“It was a dominant NZ performance, but maybe there was a little bit of complacency after last week.”

Originally published as League greats savage Kangaroos after 115-year humiliation