Debutant Jack Bostock played a pivotal role in Australia’s 24-22 victory over New Zealand in the Rugby League World Cup opener held in Sydney. The Dolphins player secured a hat-trick of tries and provided a crucial assist, helping his team overcome a performance that was widely considered undeserved given New Zealand’s dominance in key statistics. The player known for the fluorescent red headgear at Newcastle wore black on his melon tonight. He ran on to an offload from Bostock coming out of his own end, in the 68th minute.
Bostock delivered the decisive blow with five minutes remaining, wrestling a Cameron Munster kick away from Jamayne Isaako to complete his treble. He described his performance as lucky and a dream come true, adding that winning in such a fashion was a highlight. Reece Walsh, who benefited from a Bostock flick pass earlier in the match, praised his teammate’s impact, noting that the victory would not have been possible without Bostock’s big plays. Bostock described his haul as “lucky” and that the night was a “dream come true”. “Doing it in the fashion we did was pretty cool,” he told Channel Seven. And without him making big plays, we wouldn’t be in the position that we were.”, reece Walsh – who was the beneficiary of a Bostock flick pass for the penultimate try – heaped praise on the 23-year-old. “Bossy [Bostock] was crazy tonight. The Knights’ champion brushed off Cameron Munster and stepped around Walsh, as his shorts slipped halfway down his thighs, with 20 minutes to go. Wet evening in Sydney, but something else soon rained down from the heavens, the weather had not delivered on this first night of the tournament in a chilly. They should have scored again 20 minutes in when Ponga helped create an overlap.
New Zealand dominated the first half, running for over 1,000 metres compared to Australia’s significantly lower output. Their pack controlled the field, with Kalyn Ponga standing out as a central figure. Despite nursing a painful arm injury, Ponga scored two tries and solidified his status as one of the game’s elite players. His second score came after he broke through the line, brushing off Cameron Munster and maneuvering past Walsh in a highlight-reel moment. As he proved damaging under the high ball, it was a carbon copy of his second try. His hips swinging in and away past the Kangaroos’ No 1, but his underwear shone pink. Which has allowed players like the boom NSW Blues centre to play for someone else other than Australia, the highlight was a vindication for this year’s State of Origin eligibility laws. But take out those two intercept tries and a fairer picture emerges, it was roughly 300 more than Australia.
The match was characterized by intense physicality and tactical errors. Australia struggled to gain field position early on, with Harry Grant’s knock-on ending a potential attacking set. Conversely, New Zealand capitalized on pressure, with Casey McLean opening the scoring by leaping in the corner after a clever intercept by Ronaldo Mulitalo. However, Australia remained in the hunt through opportunistic intercept tries, including one from Bostock that covered the length of the field. And his bat back found Isaiah Papali’i who sent it wide to McLean, ronaldo Mulitalo intercepted the falling ball. But a knock-on from Harry Grant – called by the video referee – ruined what would have been a repeat set, the Kangaroos enjoyed little attacking field position until almost 15 minutes in. But his early display will have given his agent food for thought, the Melbourne hooker is considering testing the market next month.
The defensive intensity reached a peak when Walsh was brought down just before the try line by Jahrome Hughes and Dane Gagai, with the referee ruling his put-down attempt a double movement. Later, in a battle between the two fullbacks, Walsh forced Ponga over the sideline in a critical defensive stop, though New Zealand managed to level the score at half-time after a penalty against Kotoni Staggs for a professional foul on Kodi Nikorima. But a desperate tackle from Jahrome Hughes and Dane Gagai brought him down within centimetres of the line, briefly it looked like Walsh had levelled the scores moments later in the dazzling fullback duel. Then flicked it to Walsh whose sweeping run forced Hughes and Ponga into a collision before the No 1 crossed in the corner, the young winger carved out a half break. Paving the way for Bostock to secure the remarkable result in the dying stages, the try brought the margin back to two. The try followed a Hughes bomb targeting Tom Trbojevic. Before Walsh added the two to secure the lead, he shook off Kodi Nikorima on the 90 metre chase to level the scores.
Statistically, the match highlighted the Kiwis’ control, as they maintained an average set distance of 49 metres compared to Australia’s 37 metres. The Australians were forced into 195 tackles, while New Zealand completed 129. Despite these numbers, the Kangaroos’ efficiency in finding the try line proved the difference.
The second half remained tight, but New Zealand struggled to convert their opportunities into points. Ponga’s late injury withdrawal presents a challenge for the Kiwis as the tournament progresses toward a potential final rematch. Australia managed to survive the scare, with the final score of 24-22 marking a significant start to their Pool A campaign.
