New Zealand have tuned up for the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals in emphatic fashion, smashing Fiji 78-0 at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast on Saturday. The Kiwis scored 13 tries in a men’s round-three clash that was effectively decided by half-time, before boiling over in the second half when two players were sent from the field.
The clash was a shootout for a semi-final berth, but in the end Fiji simply had no answers. New Zealand led 48-0 at the half-time siren, and with both sides reduced to 12 men in the second half, the Kiwis ran in five more tries to complete one of the most one-sided results of the tournament.
Key Takeaways
- New Zealand beat Fiji 78-0 at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast in a Rugby League World Cup round-three match.
- The Kiwis led 48-0 at half-time and scored 13 tries in total, with Casey McLean bagging four.
- Ronaldo Mulitalo and Brandon Wakeham were both sent off in the 52nd minute after a high tackle and a punch.
A first half of total control
Chasing their first World Cup title since 2008, the Kiwis started and finished the 13-try romp through fullback Keano Kini, who racked up 260 run metres and seven tackle breaks. Kini, McLean and Mulitalo broke tackles at will in the opening half, while Naufahu Whyte continued to enhance his reputation as one of the game’s elite big men.
Fiji’s task was made harder by first-half injuries. The loss of Api Koroisau to a jaw injury and Semi Valemei to a head knock left the Bati rattled, and by the time the half-time siren sounded, New Zealand had racked up a 48-0 lead. It was the kind of start that leaves a chasing team with no way back, and the second half only widened the gap.
The clash was a shootout for a semi-final berth, but in the end Fiji simply had no answers.
Tempers boil over in the second half
With the Kiwis cruising at 48-0, the match exploded in the 52nd minute. Mulitalo shot in off his wing and made high contact with Ronald Philitoga, who was ruled out of the rest of the game. Wakeham came in to remonstrate with Mulitalo and threw a punch, leading to him being marched from the field as well.
With both sides down to 12 men, the Kiwis ran in five more tries. Gun centre Casey McLean bagged four tries on the day to take his record to 15 tries in seven Tests, while halfback Hughes finished with three try assists as he tuned up for the knockout stage. Mulitalo, meanwhile, faces a nervous wait for Sunday’s judiciary charges.
- Final score: New Zealand 78, Fiji 0, at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
- Half-time score: New Zealand 48, Fiji 0.
- Keano Kini: 260 run metres and seven tackle breaks, scoring the first and last tries.
- Casey McLean: four tries, taking his tally to 15 tries in seven Tests.
- Sent off: Ronaldo Mulitalo and Brandon Wakeham, both in the 52nd minute.
- Fiji injuries: Api Koroisau (jaw) and Semi Valemei (head knock) in the first half.
What it means for the semi-finals
The comprehensive nature of the victory sends an ominous warning to the rest of the tournament. New Zealand’s attack fired from every part of the field, their forwards laid the platform, and their backs finished with ruthless efficiency. For a team chasing a first title since 2008, that is exactly the kind of statement performance coaches want heading into sudden-death football.
There is also a possible boost to come. The Kiwis are a chance of welcoming back superstar Kalyn Ponga from a broken arm for the knockout stage. Ponga suffered the injury in the tournament opener against Australia on October 15, and most expected he was done for the campaign, but he has worked tirelessly on his rehabilitation and looms as a real X-factor for next week. Like New Zealand’s cricketers, who beat India in their T20 clash on the same day, the Kiwis are peaking at the right time.
Fiji, by contrast, leave the Gold Coast with plenty to ponder. Injuries, ill-discipline and a defensive effort that could not contain New Zealand’s strike weapons combined into a night to forget. The Bati’s campaign will be judged on more than one heavy defeat, but the scale of this loss, and the manner of it, will sting.
What to Watch Next
What to watch next is what the article has already set out: whether Mulitalo faces a judiciary charge on Sunday, whether Ponga returns for the semi-finals after his rehabilitation from a broken arm, and whether New Zealand can carry this attacking form into the knockout stage as they chase a first World Cup title since 2008. The other question is how Fiji respond after a 78-0 defeat, two send-offs and two first-half injuries. Until those questions are answered, the Gold Coast rout stands as the tournament’s loudest statement so far: the Kiwis are ready for the semi-finals, and they intend to be feared. For more weekend sport, see West Indies’ Test win over Bangladesh and Atlanta’s WNBA Finals Game 7 decider against Golden State.