A cura della redazione sportiva
Australia has opened its Rugby League World Cup defence with a 24-22 victory over New Zealand at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, with debutant Jack Bostock scoring three tries. A crowd of 41,255 watched the defending champions recover before claiming the lead late in a closely fought match.
The teams were level at 10-10 at half-time. Kalyn Ponga marked his New Zealand debut with two tries, putting the visitors 22-16 ahead after a run past Cameron Munster and Reece Walsh on the hour.
Walsh then answered for Australia, taking Bostock’s pass and racing about 80 metres to score. The missed conversion left the Kangaroos two points behind. Bostock delivered the decisive play in the 76th minute, rising to collect a kick and completing his hat-trick.
The result extended Australia’s World Cup winning streak to 19 matches, according to the official NRL report. Bostock also collected the player-of-the-match award.
Both teams face injury concerns. Ponga left with a suspected broken arm, while Australian halfback Mitchell Moses limped off early in the second half. Ponga’s diagnosis remained unconfirmed in the available reports. Australia next meets Fiji at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, while New Zealand faces the Cook Islands in Christchurch.
