Kill kangaroo! New Zealand beat Australia in a record rugby league thrashing to claim the first Pacific Championships in Wellington – but where was the crowd?
- Aussies missed 47 tackles and didn’t score a single try
- It was Kiwi’s biggest ever win over the Kangaroos
- Biggest defeat ever for the Australians on the international stage
- Win marred by low turnout in Wellington
They came under fire last week but New Zealand have bounced back to shock the Australian Kangaroos with a crushing 30-0 win to claim their first Pacific Championships trophy in Wellington.
It was a horror show from the first whistle for the Aussies, who not only suffered their biggest loss to the Kiwis, but also their biggest loss on the international stage since it first started in 1908.
New Zealand turned up the intensity from the opening haka, crushing the Aussies in every area of the match, with nine linebreaks to one, fourteen offloads to three and five tries to nil in the defeat.
“I’m so proud to be a Kiwi now,” injured Roosters hooker Brandon Smith said in comments.
New Zealand were dominant from the opening whistle, crushing the Aussies in their worst ever defeat on the international stage
North Queensland Cowboys forward Griffin Neame puts the icing on the cake to seal the defeat
In contrast, the Aussies barely fired a shot back.
“They got their haka, they had the right intensity, they pushed through and delivered results,” said former Australian halfback Cooper Cronk.
“If you look at the Australian team, well, 47 missed tackles, not a forward of more than 100 metres, not a single real player had an impact.
“But if you look at New Zealand, they dominated possession, scored multiple tries, nine linebreaks and their best players were fantastic.
‘Tapine dominated through the middle, I thought [halves] Hughes and Brown had the ball together, they split Australia’s defense into different phases and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was great at the back.”
The only negative for the Kiwis was the lack of people showing up for the Pacific Championships final.
Rugby League fans took to social media during the match as television cameras showed empty seats.
‘That crowd is terrible. Where is everyone? And why would they choose to play the final in Hamilton and not Auckland?’ One fan posted.
‘The stadium is almost empty…? WTF?’ added another
Another wrote: ‘Whose decision was it to give Hamilton the Final? Terrible crowd, Rugby League shouldn’t be playing there anymore if they can’t even turn up to support their home country. Embarrassing!’
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