Arabic version: أستراليا تكتسح ساموا وتتأهل إلى نهائي كأس العالم

According to ABC News, Australia defeated Samoa 44-12 in Sydney on Sunday night to advance to the Rugby League World Cup final. The Kangaroos built a 26-2 half-time lead, turning the semifinal into a one-sided contest after Samoa entered the match backed by a strong wave of support in the stands.

Australia struck early when Tom Dearden exploited a defensive lapse involving Samoa middle forwards Francis Manuleleua and Jazz Tevaga following a scrum. The Kangaroos repeatedly capitalised on field position and possession as Samoa struggled to complete sets, reaching its kick only twice during the final 19 minutes of the first half.

Samoa’s discipline and handling errors compounded its task. Spencer Leniu dropped the ball with his first touch, was sin-binned for dissent, and dropped the ball again with his first touch after returning. Samoa also had two tries disallowed by narrow margins, while referee Adam Gee penalised the side for a combined 12 restarts and penalties.

Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick to continue his tournament form, while Cameron Munster and Harry Grant controlled the match. Pat Carrigan and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui were strong through the middle for Australia, whose record in the set-restart era now stands at one loss from 18 matches. The Kangaroos have also not lost on home soil in 11 years.

New Zealand, which won the previous night, will face Australia in the final. Samoa and Tonga have made progress in recent years, but their combined record against Australia remains one win from 10 attempts.