Cup

Australia dominated the first half and capitalised on the Kiwi Ferns’ errors to win 34-10 and clinch the trophy.

Winger Jaime Chapman collected a hat-trick as Australia crushed New Zealand 34-10 on Sunday with an emphatic first-half performance to clinch their fourth consecutive Women’s Rugby League World Cup title.

Two tries in the opening five minutes did the damage, and there were four more before half-time to send the Jillaroos to the break with a commanding 34-6 advantage.

Despite applying pressure, they were unable to add to their score as the humid conditions in Brisbane took their toll and errors crept in.

But Australia had done enough to ensure a fourth straight title, beating the Kiwi Ferns in the final each time, to reinforce their status as the sport’s powerhouse nation.

“I want to thank the Kiwi Ferns. It’s been such a great rivalry for so many years now, with so much respect between the two of our teams,” said Australia captain Isabelle Kelly, now a three-time World Cup champion.

“To my team … I’m just so humbled and honoured to be able to lead you guys. This has definitely been a dream come true, and I knew that we could get the job done.”

Before Australia’s global rise, New Zealand won the World Cup in 2000, 2003 and 2008.

“We didn’t quite get the job done today, but we are going to assert dominance back into this jersey,” said New Zealand skipper Raecene McGregor.

“The best of the Kiwi Ferns is yet to be shown, so stay with us.”

New Zealand had won only one of their previous 12 Tests against the Jillaroos dating back to 2017, and they were under the pump immediately.

A knock-on near the New Zealand try line just two minutes in allowed Australia to spread the ball wide, and Chapman dived over in the corner for her 11th try of the tournament.

With all the momentum, Australia pressured New Zealand into another mistake and capitalised, with Shaylee Bent crashing over for their second converted try.

Midway through the first half, they were 18-0 ahead, with another Chapman special on the back of a lightning break.

A sensational solo effort from Jessica Sergis stretched the lead further, with the five-eighth shrugging off three tackles to sprint the length of the field.

New Zealand finally got on the board when Shannon Mato barged across, but Chapman’s third came after she burst through two tackles to race away, putting Australia back in full control before Tamika Upton added a sixth before half-time.

Australia started strongly in the second half with only some desperate Kiwi defence keeping them at bay.

But it was a much tighter affair, with New Zealand’s Mackenzie Wiki crossing in the dying seconds for the only try of the half.

Australia (34) 34

Tries: Chapman 3, Bent, Surgis, Upton Goals: Southwell 5

New Zealand (6) 10

Tries: Mato, Wiki Goals: Kiria-Ratu

Jaime Chapman’s grin after acrobatically diving over in the corner said it all. Her second try of the match and Australia’s third – the World Cup final put to bed inside 15 minutes.

The red-hot Australian winning machine blew New Zealand away in the first half as they cantered to a record fourth World Cup title – and fourth in a row – with a 34-10 win in Brisbane.

Making light work of the blistering conditions, which necessitated a drinks break in either half and an extended interval, the Jillaroos ran in six tries to the Kiwi Ferns’ one in the opening 35 minutes, including an initial burst of 24 unanswered points and a hat-trick for Chapman.

Record books were consulted at the break, with Australia on course to challenge New Zealand’s 58-0 winning margin from the 2003 final. But the two sides neutralised one another during the second period, New Zealand maintaining their record of not conceding after the break at this tournament – and bagging a consolation try – albeit with Australia long out of sight.

The undisputed dominant force in women’s rugby league, Australia are now unbeaten in 16 World Cup matches – a run stretching back to July 2013.

Aside from a brief first-half scare against Fiji in the semi-finals, who became the first side for 13 years to open the scoring in a World Cup game against Australia, it has been a serene procession to the title, scoring 306 points while conceding just 30.

It was a ruthless first-half performance from the Jillaroos, who capitalised on the field position presented by a succession of errors and ill-discipline from New Zealand- combined with some sluggish defending – for their opening three tries.

Chapman overpowered three defenders on the left wing to open the scoring after just 125 seconds and produced a flying finish from a sharp offload in the same area after Shaylee Bent had sliced through New Zealand’s defence from close range for Australia’s second.

After Jess Sergis went the length of the field for Australia’s fourth, albeit with a suspected forward pass in the build-up, Shannon Mato dived over as New Zealand profited from back-to-back infringements from the hosts.

However, normal service quickly resumed, with Chapman evading multiple tackles as she ran 60 metres to complete her hat-trick before slick handling down the right wing allowed Abbi Church to feed Tamika Upton on her inside for a simple score under the posts.

Head coach Jess Skinner’s decision to select Jesse Southwell ahead of Jocelyn Kelleher at stand-off paid off, as she nonchalantly kicked five of her six conversions, including two from the left touchline.

Australia went completely off the boil in the second half, with Tarryn Aiken – denied by a try-saving tackle from Georgia Hale – producing their only scoring opportunity of note.

New Zealand, to their credit, vastly improved when defending on the front foot but remained frustrating in attack, completing barely half of their sets due to repeated handling errors, loose passing, and a consistent failure to feed stand-off Chantay Kiria-Ratu.

Mackenzie Wiki’s 70th minute try was a deserved, if futile, reward for their second-half efforts.

The New York Knicks look unlikely to advance to the NBA Cup knockout rounds after falling to the Indiana Pacers.

The shorthanded Indiana Pacers held off New York 106-104 on Friday to leave the Knicks’ bid for an NBA Cup repeat in tatters.

The Knicks won last year’s in-season tournament in what proved a curtain-raiser to their run to a first NBA championship since 1973.

But after coming up short in their bid to erase a 14-point third-quarter deficit, the Knicks fell to 0-2 in Cup play.

They are not mathematically eliminated, but in three prior editions of the Cup, no team with two group-stage defeats has reached the knockout rounds.

Pascal Siakam scored 19 points to lead a balanced Pacers attack. Aaron Nesmith scored 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr added 16, and Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard chipped in 12 apiece to lead Indiana, who were again without injured star Tyrese Haliburton.

Jalen Brunson scored 33 points and handed out 11 assists for the Knicks, who tied it at 87-87 early in the fourth quarter, only for the Pacers to pull away again with a 15-2 scoring run.

The Knicks made one last push, cutting the deficit to two, but Karl-Anthony Towns – who scored 23 points and pulled down 15 rebounds – missed a potential game-tying basket with nine-tenths of a second remaining.

“Very proud of our team. We were pretty big underdogs coming into this game,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, whose team outscored the Knicks 50-30 in the paint.

“Second half, it got difficult. New York is a championship team. They know how to make comebacks,” Carlisle said. “Our guys stuck together and kept fighting together.”

The Knicks are last in East Group B and will host the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat in their last two Cup group games.

In Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo scored 37 points each to lead the Heat to a 133-121 victory over the Cavaliers.

Adebayo added 14 rebounds, and Davion Mitchell chipped in 22 points and 17 assists to help the Heat improve to 2-0 in Cup play – top of the group – and 6-6 on the season.

Spurs thrash Warriors

The San Antonio Spurs, who fell to the Knicks in last year’s NBA Cup final before losing to them in the NBA Finals, crushed the Golden State Warriors 123-85, their 11th straight victory pushing them to 2-0 in Cup play.

Stephon Castle scored 32 points and Victor Wembanyama added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who opened the game on an 18-0 run and led by as many as 43 against a Warriors team playing without injured superstar Stephen Curry.

LJ Cryer scored 20 points to lead the Warriors as none of the Golden State starters scored in double figures.

Veteran Draymond Green finished with four points and was assessed a flagrant foul for a shove from behind that sent Wembanyama crashing out of bounds midway through the second quarter.

In the last game of the night, the Los Angeles Clippers improved to 1-1 in Cup play – just 3-8 overall – with a battling 113-112 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Darius Garland sealed the victory with a three-point play with less than a minute remaining, driving for a layup that tied it at 112-112, drawing a foul and converting the free throw.

LA’s Brook Lopez scored 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers withstood a 40-point performance from Oklahoma City’s two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – who came up empty on two attempts in the waning seconds.

England (28) 50

Tries: Coyd 4, Hawkins 2, Brown 3 Goals: Hawkins, Collins 6

France (22) 38

Tries: Bourson, L Hivernat, Dore, Guttadoro, Denuwelaere 3 Goals: L Hivernat 3, N Clausells 2

England can now paint the final rung on their dressing-room ladder gold.

On Friday in Wollongong, Australia, they became the first nation to lift the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup on three occasions with a peerless display to defeat France 50-38.

And just as they did four years ago, Tom Coyd’s wheelchair side have delivered a triumph to offset the disappointment felt by the men’s and women’s teams.

This was always going to be close. The only surprise was that 12 points separated the wheelchair game’s two powerhouse nations.

Since Tom Halliwell’s last-gasp try secured a 28-24 win in Manchester in 2022, England and France had met on four occasions, with both winning twice.

In the build-up to this tournament, and during it, England spoke of a desire to win the trophy – rather than defend it. It was a choice of language that spoke of a positive approach. They did what they set out to do on the sport’s biggest stage.

Joe Coyd – who scored four tries, including the opening two of the match – and Jack Brown, who finished with a hat-trick, will grab many of the headlines but there were heroes draped in white all over the Wollongong Entertainment Centre.

A thunderous encounter was punctuated by bruising collisions, heavy chair smashes and running repairs being made to equipment that included the reconstruction of a set of goalposts – as emotions threatened to boil over on more than one occasion.

Those facets, married to some outrageous moments of skill, all contributed to a nerve-shredding contest that delivered a super advertisement for the wheelchair game.

Hawkins, who recently became the first player in any form of rugby league to win three successive Golden Boots – awarded by the IRL to the best player in the world during the calendar year – lived up to his billing.

The Halifax wing provided some wonderful moments, including two tries, and he superbly evaded two French defenders before laying on a score for Brown as the contest swing England’s way before the break.

Having started in the ascendancy, courtesy of two Coyd tries, England were in danger of losing momentum – an early flashpoint threatening to shift the match towards France as Mason Billington was penalised for shoving Leo Hivernat to the ground.

France capitalised with a try in the corner from Jeremy Bourson. Damien Dore, Hivernat and Florian Guttadoro all crossed before a wonderful England response.

And even when Dany Denuwelaere scored to underscore France’s whirlwind start to the second half, England immediately regained control as Hawkins acrobatically grounded the ball in the right corner to restore their six-point advantage.

They never looked back from that point on. And they have a third World Cup to prove it.

FIFA says its ‘security assessments’ for the 48-team tournament remain unchanged after US Soccer pulled out.

FIFA says the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar will kick off as scheduled on November 19, despite the United States’ decision to withdraw its team from the tournament.

US Soccer withdrew its national team citing safety concerns, but the sport’s global governing body, which is hosting the tournament in Qatar, confirmed on Thursday that its plans remain unchanged.

“The safety and security of all participants and fans remain paramount. As with all FIFA tournaments and events, we are in close contact with the relevant authorities and ‌‌‌‌are looking forward to the tournament kickoff in Qatar,” FIFA told Al Jazeera in a statement hours after the USA’s announcement.

“In recent months, Qatar has successfully hosted several international events,” it added.

Qatar hosted two major international tournaments in the past two weeks.

MotoGP’s Qatar Grand Prix was successfully held on 8 and the FIP Padel World Cup 2026 concluded on the same day.

With a week until the Under-17 World Cup kicks off, FIFA confirmed that its security assessments “remain unchanged” and that no new ⁠⁠⁠⁠developments affecting the security situation around the tournament have occurred.

“FIFA understands that US Soccer’s decision was made in light of the existing US ⁠⁠⁠⁠Level 3 travel advisory,” it said.

In a letter sent to players, the US Soccer Federation ⁠⁠⁠⁠said it was cancelling the team’s pre-tournament camp and its participation in the event “in light of current circumstances”, according to the Reuters news agency.

The US State Department updated its advisory for Qatar last month, urging Americans to reconsider travel because of the risk of armed conflict.

The update referred to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian ‌‌‌‌airports and critical infrastructure.

“The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority,” the US federation’s letter said.

The 48-team Under-17 tournament runs from November 19 to December 13. USA had been due ⁠⁠⁠⁠to open against Montenegro on November 21 before ⁠⁠⁠⁠facing Chile and Algeria in Group J.

Raducanu made a gradual return to training in early September – and four months is a long time to train without any competitive action.

She may also not play any exhibitions between now and the end of the year but a spell of warm weather training is anticipated, with the Middle East a popular destination for players in the run-up to the Australian Open.

Recent practice sessions in London with head coach Andrew Richardson and LTA national coach Alex Ward have been increasing in intensity, according to observers.

But by the time Raducanu returns, she will have been on the sidelines for over six months. Playing a few tournaments in Asia would have helped her regain some match sharpness, and perhaps allowed for a faster start to 2027.

Her fellow Briton Sonay Kartal is a fine example, having enjoyed considerable success since returning from six months out with a stress fracture of the back in September.

After reaching the third round of the China Open in her first WTA Tour event back, she beat world number six Elina Svitolina and then world number 12 Belinda Bencic on her way to the Wuhan Open final.

Kartal says there were a “lot of conversations” about where she should make a return.

“I think I wanted to just go straight in. I trusted that I would be able to get my level back, I just didn’t know how quickly,” the 25-year-old said.

“But I still think there is a long way to go. I can produce the level, but can I sustain it?

“Rehab is draining, and the body is not used to a lot of matches on the tour, so I do feel the aches and the pains from that.”

There will only be 24 candles on Raducanu’s birthday cake later this week, but there is no escaping the amount of time she has missed since her stunning New York victory as a teenage qualifier.

She has averaged just 31 matches a season in the five years since that triumph. Players with aspirations to be inside the world’s top 20 would hope to play around twice that number.

Elena Rybakina, for example, played 68 matches across 20 tournaments this year as she rose to the top of the world rankings for the first time.

By contrast, Raducanu played just 21 matches, losing in the second round of the Australian Open and the first round at Roland Garros.

Last year, Raducanu contested a career-best 50 matches, and earlier this year rose to 23 in the rankings shortly after reaching the final in the Romanian city of Cluj.

But her early preparation was affected by bone bruising of the foot, and she did not play for two months between March and May because of a post-viral illness picked up in Cluj.

Raducanu said a stress fracture of the shin was only confirmed after a final scan on the night before Wimbledon. But in her desperation to play, she had continued to train at times in the run-up to the championships, when medical advice had suggested that might be unwise.

Scott McTominay has revealed he received treatment to correct an irregular heartbeat two days before Scotland’s World Cup win over Haiti in June.

The Napoli midfielder recently underwent an ablation procedure – a minimally invasive operation to correct irregular heart rhythms – in Manchester.

At the World Cup, the 29-year-old was was put to sleep to correct his heartbeat and was given the all clear to play in the opening 1-0 victory over Haiti in Massachusettes.

“I had to go and get the shock on my heart,” the former Manchester United player, who also also played the 90 minutes in the losses to Morocco and Brazil, said.

“I was two days before the Haiti game. You’ve prepared so well. I was in such good condition and then something like that happens. You’re thinking, ‘how is this happening to me’?

“You have to get on with it, that’s the cards that you’re dealt in football. Sometimes, things don’t go your way.

“I was 100% [fit], but obviously, whenever you’re sat in a hospital bed two days before the first game of the World Cup about to get put to sleep, it’s not ideal, is it?”

The 2030 edition of the World Cup will be held in the US and the Pacific Islands.

The five host cities are yet to be confirmed, but the men’s and women’s tournaments will run concurrently, as they are with this year’s tournament, which is currently being held in Australia.

World governing body International Rugby League (IRL) said the aim was to expand the sport’s reach to new countries.

“This is a strategy to maximise the interest of broadcasters, government partners and fans in the current World Cup, which has regularly broken records for crowds and the number of television viewers,” IRL chairman Tony Grant said at the board’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Sydney.

“At the same time we want to take advantage of opportunities that are opening up in new frontiers where the Rugby League World Cup hasn’t previously been played.”

Grant said the men’s World Cup would expand from 10 teams to 12, while the women’s event would consist of 10 instead of eight.

The format of the 2026 World Cup has come under scrutiny for jumping from the group stage to the semi-finals.

However, that structure appears to have been retained for the 2030 tournament, which will be played over five weeks in five cities.

Three pool rounds have been designed to mimic a ‘Magic Round’ format before the semi-finals and finals take place in different locations.

The IRL has proposed that Samoa and Tonga be promoted to Tier One nations alongside Australia, England and New Zealand.

Samoa became the first Pacific country to play in a World Cup final in 2022, while they and Tonga both reached the semi-finals of this year’s tournament.

The 2030 Wheelchair World Cup will take place at the same time, but will be held in France, while the 2034 tournament will be hosted in Europe.

Eligibility rules have also been updated so that a player may represent their nation of heritage if they, a parent, a grandparent or a great grandparent were born there, following a detailed submission from the Cook Islands.

Both men’s and women’s finals of the 2026 tournament are being contested between Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane on Sunday.

Australia’s men have won the past three World Cups, while their women are playing in their fifth successive final.

Stockport goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond is given a straight red card after a challenge on the edge of the box and from the subsequent free-kick Alex Hernandez doubles Cray Wanderers’ lead with a fantastic free-kick.

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For Samoa, a second successive World Cup ends in defeat by Australia, after being beaten 30-10 in the final four years ago.

The two nations have met six times, with Australia winning all six.

But this one hurt more. Samoa clearly felt they could win, as their ultra-aggressive Siva Tau war dance pre-match proved – getting right in the Australian faces, even forehead to forehead in some cases.

But they were aggrieved by some debatable refereeing decisions, including two disallowed tries – Crichton in the first half, then Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow denied with 10 minutes to go after contact between Manuleleua and Liam Martin was deemed illegal.

It bubbled over shortly before the break, when Spencer Leniu was sin-binned for dissent by Australian referee Adam Gee.

“You guys saw the game. You report on it,” was Samoa coach Ben Gardiner’s terse response to questions about the decisions.

On whether his side cost themselves with a lack of discipline, he said: “I’m not quite sure.

“On the back of some of the penalties that were given, we just didn’t react very well. There was one thing into another and then a try. It made it difficult to be able to fight back from that.

“And then to be down by 18 points, 20 points at half-time, to chase back from that… I thought we did well in the second half to fight back.

“But then again, we scored a try and gave up another one straight away. We bounced off too many tackles in that early period, missed too many tackles in the game in general.

“That had nothing to do with the emotion. That’s a Test match, that’s what you do. It’s physical, there’s push and shove, stand your ground.”

The tournament debutants put pressure on the Australia line from the start. Soon the entire Aussie team caught the bug with simple drops and brainless errors, and after 12 minutes Simaima Taufa conceded a penalty under the posts.

Fiji opted to kick for two points. Four minutes later, they went all the way.

Captain Sereana Naitokatoka stole the ball from Jaime Chapman 10 metres from the Australia line, and they drove through the defence for half-back Luisa Yaranamua to score. She also converted to give Fiji an astonishing 8-0 lead.

At last Australia sparked into life, and two tries in the final 10 minutes of the opening half brought them level.

Church drove over in the right corner, before Tamika Upton slipped through the defence as Australia returned pressure following a Fiji drop-out.

But Jocelyn Kelleher missed twice from the tee to allow Fiji in at half-time level. Had Upton not brilliantly tipped a Fiji grubber behind, Australia would have trailed.

Whatever coach Jess Skinner said in the changing room woke Australia up, and they took control.

Church completed her treble – the third a brilliant catch from a booming Tarryn Aiken kick to the corner and before grounding the ball at full tilt – either side of Chapman diving over.

Normal service resumed. But at last, the Jillaroos have been proved fallible – with a late Maria Paseka try providing a deserved flourish for fearless Fiji.

Church, though, had the last word for Australia – collecting Losana Lutu’s kick around 30 metres from her own line before racing clear to score.

The managers of both teams were on the touchline but even they were struggling as tactics went out of the window.

“[Notts County boss] Martin Paterson said credit to Altrincham, they were the better team in the first half and, as for the second, I couldn’t see it. He was laughing,” said Bower.

“Neil Gibson, the Altrincham manager, was saying, ‘We were trying to get down to pitchside to look tactically at what they had done after those four substitutions. Have they changed shape? Is it a back four? Have they gone to a box midfield? But we just couldn’t see’.

“So even from a tactical point of view, the players had to stop playing long diagonal passes and things like that because they couldn’t see, they were just having to play short five, 10 yard passes so the game changed in that sense as well.

“It was very, very close to getting called off.”

Bower said some of the players told him they couldn’t see both goals or the corner flags from the centre circle.

“It will live long in the memory, that’s for sure,” said Bower. “Even on the penalties, you were having to rely on the crowd’s reaction before committing to the tale.

“You couldn’t see the goalkeeper’s save, for instance, until the first replay came in.”

The penalties took place in front of Altrincham fans and, while Bower had replays to call on, the Notts County fans “couldn’t have seen anything” from the other end as they had to go on “crowd reaction”.

“Obviously, the Altrincham fans all had their phones on with the lights trying to put the Notts County players off as well in the fog. A unique evening all around.”

Playing with black protective bandaging taped to his left forearm, Ponga was directly involved in four of New Zealand’s six tries. His fancy footwork and slick handling setting up scores for Briton Nikora, Casey McLean and Xavier Willison.

He largely dominated the contest with opposite number Lehi Hopoate, notably clearing out the full-back as he fumbled a grubber kick in Tonga’s in-goal area for New Zealand’s second try, scored by Dane Gagai.

In defence, a bruising try-saving block on Demitric Vaimauga indicated no cause for concern about his wounded wing.

“Obviously a freak of a player,” said Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris. “The defensive mindset he had tonight, he saved a couple of tries. That’s what I love about KP.

“He’s a freak of nature. His leadership skills are underrated. He’s really good for us, our spine especially.”

But while it was undoubtedly the Ponga show at the home of his NRL side Newcastle Knights, New Zealand are not just a one-man band.

Gagai sparked the counter-attack for McLean’s try by forcing a knock-on around halfway. Jahrome Hughes added directness with his carries and when putting boot to ball. Dead-eye kicker Jamayne Isaako mastered fierce winds to kick five out of six conversions, curling two over from the left touchline, to take his tally for the tournament to 36 from 38 attempts.

Asked if this was New Zealand’s best shot at adding a second title to their 2008 triumph, Fisher-Harris paused before replying: “Yes.”

“We’re just trying to chase history,” he added. “We’ve only done it once but we’ve been building with this squad, this generation, for the past six or seven years.”

Heathcote had left by the time Altrincham pulled off their greatest cup exploit – knocking out first division Birmingham City at St Andrews in 1986 in what remains one of the competition’s biggest shocks. They became only the second of four non-league teams to beat top-flight opposition away from home.

Forty years on from that famous night, current manager Neil Gibson is all too aware of the tradition that he now hopes to continue in front of a live BBC TV audience, and a bumper Moss Lane crowd.

Having joined last year to help the club avoid relegation, the Welshman has overseen an impressive start to the current National League campaign, with Altrincham looking like play-off contenders. The dream of a first ever promotion to the EFL is the priority. But Gibson is desperate to build on the recent progress against Notts County.

“It would mean a lot. It’s the spirit and essence of this club,” he says. “We have a real opportunity. They are a very good team, but it’s a game where we feel that we can go and etch our own memories. All the fans remember those cup moments from the past and we want to try and replicate that.”

Situated just a few miles from Old Trafford, and in an area of Greater Manchester dominated by fans of United and City, Altrincham has to work hard to maintain its supporter base. But this is a rare moment in the national spotlight for a community club that only turned professional four years ago.

“A lot of our players are good enough to play at a higher level, and it’s a chance to showcase themselves and test ourselves against a club that three years ago were in the same league as us,” says Gibson, whose squad includes five players that have previously appeared for Notts County.

Gibson has real cup pedigree of his own to draw upon, including against Saturday’s opponents. 24 years ago, he played for Conference club Southport as they produced a memorable FA Cup upset over Notts County. He was part of the Tranmere squad that reached the League Cup final in 2000, and he also won the Welsh Cup three times, including twice as a manager.

“Cups have always been very special to me,” he says. “We’re really excited about it and we’re going to give it absolutely everything. But you only remember these days if you come out on the right side of the result.”

New Zealand (12) 34

Tries: Nikora, Gagai, McLean, Hughes, Willison, Nicoll-Klokstad Goals: Isaako 5

Tonga (10) 10

Tries: Fifita 2 Goals: Katoa

Just 23 days after breaking his arm, Kalyn Ponga returned to inspire New Zealand to a 34-10 victory in a pulsating encounter with Tonga as they reached their first World Cup final since 2013.

Ponga had been named initially in reserve and then as one of the interchange players in the build-up to this contest – and the expectation was that he would be eased back into action and play a limited role.

Instead, head coach Stacey Jones stunned many with his decision to include Ponga in New Zealand’s starting 13 but was repaid in full as the Newcastle Knights talisman starred on home turf at the McDonald Jones Stadium, in New South Wales,

Ponga’s impact from full-back was almost immediate as he sent Briton Nikora over in the right corner inside four minutes.

He was also involved in the Kiwis’ second try of the game – as his contest with his opposite number Lehi Hopoate was crucial to Dane Gagai grounding the ball.

And while the swirling wind made conditions almost unplayable at times, he repeatedly gathered high kicks and made several telling defensive contributions.

One of those included throwing himself in the way of Tonga’s juggernaut second row Demitric Vaimauga to prevent a certain try, while his ability to stall Hopoate’s run and prevent him from offloading to Isaiya Katoa stopped another at a key stage with New Zealand only 12-10 ahead.

The prelude to this fixture was almost every bit as gripping as the main event.

Tonga’s traditional war dance, the Sipi Tau, was met by New Zealand’s Haka and a long stand-off between the players provided the perfect backdrop to a contest brimming with athleticism, power and superb ball-handling skills.

For the second week running, Tonga fans turned out in force with the stands a sea of red.

And they witnessed their side’s participation in a wonderful advert for rugby league with Jojo Fifita scoring two excellent tries.

However, the match ultimately swung away from them in a five-minute period after the break when New Zealand’s outstanding centre Casey McLean surged over in the left corner and the wily Jahrome Hughes darted in to score.

On this occasion, Kristian Woolf’s team, who effectively torpedoed England’s hopes of reaching the last four with a 30-12 in their opening match on 17 October, were unable to stage the same sort of fightback that helped them defeat their Pacific Island rivals Samoa last weekend.

With the scoreboard, time and a gale-force wind against Tonga, Xavier Willison punished them further when they failed to gather a short drop out.

And when Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad superbly grounded Erin Clark’s kick, it put the gloss on a fine New Zealand performance.

New Zealand (8) 32

Tries: Wiki, Waaka 3, Hufanga, Atai, McGregor Goals: Kiria-Ratu 2

Samoa (0) 0

New Zealand’s women will hope it is fourth time lucky after defeating Samoa 32-0 to reach next Sunday’s Rugby League World Cup final.

It will be the Kiwi Ferns’ seventh successive appearance in the showpiece match, but having won the first three between 2000-2008, three trips to the final since then have all ended in heartache.

Three consecutive losses to Australia included a blowout 54-4 scoreline four years ago at Old Trafford and unless debutants Fiji spring one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s history in the other semi-final, the Jillaroos are likely to again provide the substantial obstacle to New Zealand becoming four-time champions.

However, on Saturday, New Zealand made light of the blustery and difficult conditions inside Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium, in New South Wales, to make their case as potential winners.

Mackenzie Wiki’s try – less than two minutes into proceedings, off the back of a Samoa error – set the tone for the Kiwi Ferns.

As the storm clouds began to gather overhead, New Zealand’s dual-code international Stacey Waaka capitalised on some indecision from Samoa winger Mercedez Taulelei-Siala to collect and ground Raecene McGregor’s kick.

It was efficient and highly professional from New Zealand, who conceded just 24 points across their three group games and once again exhibited their defensive parsimony during a hard-fought first period.

A combination of that and Samoa’s inability to make the most of field position, with a smattering of handling errors thrown in as well, laid the platform for New Zealand’s triumph.

There were notable bright spots for the Samoa fans to enjoy.

Fanua Rimoni was a powerful and dominant presence at lock forward, while teenage winger Anastasia Leatupue produced a nerveless showing on her international bow.

Samoa’s biggest disappointment was that they could not get the ball into the hands of the 18-year-old in good attacking positions – with Pauline Piliae-Rasabale twice pulled up for forward passes on the right edge in an error-strewn display.

But just like in the first 35 minutes, they had no answer to New Zealand’s more potent attacking threat.

Waaka was again the beneficiary of a pinpoint McGregor kick as she crossed for her second try and Mele Hufanga held off the attentions of three Samoa defenders tfor her score.

It was a feat that was matched by Kaiyah Atai just over two minutes later as New Zealand went through the gears.

With Samoa’s resistance gradually waning, Waaka capped a fine individual display with her hat-trick and McGregor scored the try her performance richly deserved to round off a fine New Zealand display.

League One side, and 2021 champions, Leicester City avoid an upset as they beat sixth-tier Oxford City 4-2 at the MGroup Stadium, to reach the second round of the FA Cup.

MATCH REPORT: FA Cup – Oxford City 2-4 Leicester City

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Hussey, known as ‘Mr Cricket’ for his technical expertise, will also work with Australia during the LA 2028 Olympics.

Mike Hussey was appointed on Friday as a consultant coach to the Australian team for next year’s blockbuster Ashes series against England and the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

The former Australian batsman revealed in August that England’s new red-ball coach, Stephen Fleming, had informally approached him to be their Test batting mentor.

But the 51-year-old turned down the audacious offer and has instead committed to helping his home nation arrest a batting crisis, highlighted by their recent 2-1 Test series defeat in South Africa.

Hussey, known as “Mr Cricket” for his technical expertise, will also provide coaching assistance during this month’s home T20 series against England and the subsequent four-Test series against New Zealand.

He will additionally work with Australia during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where cricket is on the agenda, and the T20 World Cup in 2028.

“I am extremely excited about being a part of the team in a more formal and meaningful role in the coming years,” said Hussey, who played more than 300 matches for Australia across all formats.

“This team has achieved so much in recent times, to which I hope I can add value to the coaching and playing groups ahead of what will be an exciting and challenging period.”

Hussey has extensive experience as a coach, including with both Australia and England.

He was part of England’s coaching setup when they won the T20 World Cup in 2022 and was the Chennai Super Kings’ longtime batting coach under Fleming in the Indian Premier League. He also led Welsh Fire in this year’s Hundred.

“Mike has been a highly valued part of our staff in the past and brings a considerable skill set which is complementary to the coaches and players,” said Australian head coach Andrew McDonald.

“Not only is his expertise as a player and coach across multiple formats, competitions, countries invaluable, so are his qualities as a person.”