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Australia Beats Cook Islands 66–6 to Complete Unbeaten Rugby League World Cup Group Stage
Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic scored hat-tricks as Australia finished its World Cup pool campaign with a 12-try win in Townsville.
Australia completed an unbeaten Rugby League World Cup group campaign with a 66–6 victory over the Cook Islands in Townsville on Saturday. Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic each scored three tries as the Kangaroos crossed 12 times before 19,172 spectators at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
The win left Australia top of Pool A with three victories. The Kangaroos had already qualified for the semifinals before the final group match, while the Cook Islands had been eliminated after earlier defeats by New Zealand and Fiji. Australia led 28–6 at halftime.
The Cook Islands briefly moved ahead after Rua Ngatikaura scored from dummy half and the conversion made it 6–4. Australia answered through Trbojevic and then gathered momentum. Tom Dearden’s running helped create opportunities, including a break that set up Trbojevic before the fullback supplied Tino Fa’asuamaleaui for another try.
Fa’asuamaleaui finished with two tries, while Jacob Preston also crossed. Ethan Strange came off the bench for his Test debut during the second half. The Kangaroos produced four tries in a 13-minute burst before halftime and continued scoring quickly after the interval, turning a competitive opening into a substantial margin.
Reece Walsh backed up a Preston break to score, and Cameron Munster shared the kicking duties as Australia accumulated points. Six second-half tries arrived before the hour mark. Harry Grant added a late try after the earlier attacking surge had already put the result beyond the Cook Islands.
The official match record credited Walsh with three successful conversions, Munster with five and Strange with one. Together those nine goals complemented Australia’s 12 tries. The Kangaroos now move on to the semifinal stage after completing their pool fixtures without defeat. The Cook Islands finished their campaign with three losses, including Saturday’s final group match against Australia.
Walsh also earned player-of-the-match honors for Australia.
