The Kangaroos delivered a rugby league master class to claim a 10th World Cup title with a 34-2 demolition of New Zealand in Saturday’s final at Old Trafford.
In front of a record international crowd of 74,468, Australia avenged their shock defeat to the Kiwis in the 2008 final, scoring five tries and not conceding one for a fifth straight game.
In capturing a first World Cup title in 13 years, Australia’s triumph ensured a host of rugby league greats crowned their careers with an achievement that had so far eluded them.
And it was Australia’s biggest stars who shone brightest.
Five-eighth Johnathan Thurston collected his fourth man-of-the-match award of the tournament while fullback Billy Slater capped a remarkable return from injury with a brilliant two-try performance.
Winger Brett Morris also had a double while Jarryd Hayne’s freakish skills were again on display and skipper Cameron Smith, Paul Gallen and Matt Scott led the charge.
“It’s a dream come true,” Thurston said.
“It’s been a long six weeks but to win a World Cup with your best mates, it doesn’t get any better.
“We’ve been building towards this (performance). Our main focus was to be here in the last weekend of the World Cup and to improve each week and we’ve done that.”
New Zealand’s newly-crowned world player of the year Sonny Bill Williams tried hard but was kept relatively quiet as the Kangaroos kept an incredible defensive record intact.
They finished the tournament having gone almost seven straight hours without conceding a four-pointer.
“What a fantastic campaign we’ve had,” Smith told his teammates before hoisting the trophy.
“We started off a bit shaky in the first game in Cardiff but we’ve certainly turned things around.”
Slater’s return, just two weeks after hurting his knee in the quarter-final win over the United States, meant Greg Inglis shifted back into the centres and forced an unlucky Brent Tate out of Tim Sheens’ side.
The Kiwis suffered a huge blow early with in-form winger Roger Tuivasa-Sheck lasting only seven minutes before he hobbled off with the leg problem that had him in doubt for most of the week.
Australia suffered a scare when Hayne copped heavy knock but he was able to continue.
Slater, whose horror pass in the 2008 decider helped the Kiwis claim a famous win, continued his eventful tournament with the opening try in the 19th minute.
He latched on to a brilliant Thurston kick and scored next to the posts.
The Kangaroos looked to have scored with an equally spectacular play in the 26th minute after the impressive Cooper Cronk collected an incredible kick from Hayne.
But video referee Ashley Klein controversially ruled no try, ruling Andrew Fifita had made illegal late contact with Issac Luke.
Cronk wouldn’t have wait long for his try though crossing again in the 30th minute following a great backline move and a Darius Boyd grubber kick.
Thurston converted to break Mick Cronin’s 31-year-old of 309 points for the Kangaroos, and the playmaker added another penalty to give a Australia a 16-2 lead at the break.
Slater’s dream night continued just moments after halftime, crossing out wide a minute after the break.
Morris finished off some outstanding work from Hayne but there was a scare when he collided heavily with an advertising sign behind the short in-goal area.
New Zealand’s Manu Vatuvei did the same a short time later, just a day after the Kangaroos had voiced their safety concerns about the ground.
Hayne was again the creator as he set up Morris second in the 72nd minute.
“I just think Australia’s performance today was nothing short of outstanding,” Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney said.
“They gave us a real lesson.”
clinton
Guest
all blacks are the kangaroos of rugby lol all blacks are the best sports team to represent a nation the world knows the all blacks but not your kangaroos.All blacks over 110 years have won 77% of their games in a sport thats world cup is the 3rd biggest sporting event compared to league where no one even turns up.Lol your comment even proves the all blacks are supreme they are the greatest with out doubt team to represent a country and 1 of the greatest sporting teams fullstop.
Andrew.
Guest
Congratulations to the Aussies. Although a Union man myself I do enjoy watching league from time to time and especially the match between England and the Kiwis' ,very entertaining and on the edge of ones seat match. South African by the way so league is watched all over and certainly apreciated. Perhaps it cannot yet compete with Union but the World Cup was a good show and well managed. In the end both codes benefit from each other as players shift around bringing new skills and can only see a bright future for both. Union can learn one thing from league, too darn many rules , cut them out and the refs are real block heads at times in love with the sound of their whistle and dishing out cards' should be a mans game after all and do love a good old fashioned brutal tackle' lots of those in league.
In Brief
Guest
Here's an apertiser: Ben Kennedy Andrew Walker Ray Price Rex Mossop Michael O'Connor John Timu Noa Nadruku Scott Gibbs Darryl Halligan Warea Hargreavs Roger Tuivasa Shek Konrad Hurrell Fui Fui Moi Moi Sisa Waqa Frano Botica Michael Cleary Ryan Cross Jonathan Davies Marc Ellis Russell Fairfax John Gallagher Sam Harris Cooper Cronk John Kirwan Tony Melrose Dally Messenger Scott Quinnell Matthew Ridge Bryan Smith Inga Tuigamala
In Brief
Guest
Made you could write a book on the number of rugby players killing it in league. Give it a break.
In Brief
Guest
I have the completely opposite view. I see the skillset of the Kangaroos as being llimited. They look good playing a sport that doesn't have a lot of pressure. You have a the ball for 6 tackles and 10 metres to work with. There is a lack of variety and very predictable patterns of play. Rugby union requires complete footballers, and I honestly believe the All Blacks would have a field day against the Kangas. PS we just saw 3 amazing games of rugby which all went down to the wire - England/ All Blacks, All Blacks/ Ireland and Australia/ Wales. Hardly a 'bore' fest.
In Brief
Guest
Neither of you guys answered my question. League supporters always claim to have the hardest, toughest, most skill ful competition. No other sport makes these claims. So I ask again, how come so many guys go from school first 15s to NRL sensations?
In Brief
Guest
No one is strong competition for the All Blacks... except for South Africa, England, Australia, France and now Ireland.
SandBox
Roar Guru
Zavoses as kiwis explains a lot, didn't know this. Wonder why they felt a need to start an Australian sporting blog?
Mitch
Guest
last time I looked the ABs were WC holders and world no.1. You must feel good that you are WChampions by beating 2 other so called competitive countries
Nick
Guest
On atleast two occassions in the first half of the century the England league team beat the England union team at union rules. This was also a time when the Australian league and union teams were pretty much Sydney teams.
Nick
Guest
It's a bit late to reply i know, but an interesting point is that the GB league team beat their union counterpart, at union rules on two documented occasions. In the first half of the century, Kangaroos had the toughest competition from the northern hemisphere and that is when the majority of their defeats occurred.
Brad.H
Guest
Michael That's what happens when people talk crap before the event , then come up with pitiful excuses to try and explain the ineptitude of the N.Z. performance..or should I say lack thereof ?
Damien
Roar Guru
GI, I understand where you're coming from but to be fair IMO it depends on how deep the data goes. I'm not sure how deep Scotts data goes but I'd imagine it would be deep. Nowdays you can get ANY data you want. It just depends on how much money you are willing to spend. For metres gained, that can be broken down even further to how many metres gained after contact was made, how many were in the tackle while metres were made in contact, against what type of player, then there is rating on what type of gain was made depending on the tacklers 'rank'. Also they can tell how fatigued a player was going into contact and again make a rating on what type of run that was. You can rank the situation the runner was in prior to their run and rank that as well. (e.g like a run after Webke has gained 15m) Then players also get data on how often another player steps in different situations and to which side. Basically it's 'Moneyball' on roids. With enough 'data' you put together an informed opinion. I take it that you prefer to form opinions based on what you see, Scott just has that plus the data. Each to his own..
Brad
Guest
you clearly know nothing about rugby yet you like many others live in a fantasy world with 'would if' Kangaroos played for the WBs. Reality is the Kangaroos are dominate due to less competition whether you wish they had played union. Just shows the desperation to claim some sort of legitimacy for league itself because the final turned out to be a predictable bore fest instead of the hype that you lot making it out to be. NZ rugby is not a forward dominated game-that is the European style. The WBs have been playing the same style for over a decade with each each tweaking it a bit. The only reason why the backs have been able to play well recently is because they have come up against weaker European defenses that are not use to the SH speed of the game. Earlier in the year NZ and SA completely shut them out. .
stu
Guest
Didn't realize that. Makes sense, but is a very poor way of running a sports blog. There are lines that should not be crossed, but we are all big kids and love the banter, so play on I say.
mick
Guest
+1 have asked this question numerous times before and they never made it up, the zavoses are kiwis
Chivas
Guest
Start with your first sentence in your response and work from their superinyourownhead... See if you can work it out. Hopefully doesn't tax you too much.
Malcolm Dreaneen
Roar Pro
While Old Trafford may be a sentimental favourite, it's downright dangerous to play league on that pitch. The fact the game was played there showed me two things: 1. The RLIF have got no idea how to run a proper event, and 2. the RLIF don't give a toss about player safety. But congratulations to the Kangaroos. Outstanding effort. They are one of the great teams in world sport, no doubt about that.
Bob
Guest
Lol, so funny they let that through. But very true for this site. Play the ball not the man applies to only one side of niggling arguments...
Trenno
Guest
No one is strong competition for the All-Blacks. The only time they get beat is when they have had a poor game, they never get beat when they play to their ability. The same goes with the Kangaroos. I don't know why all the fuss, it is just how it is. Australia currently has at least 4 players that will be considered immortals at the end of their careers...Kiwis and any other RL team are lucky they have gotten as close as they have. The All-Blacks have at least 4 of the best ever Union players currently playing as well. It is pretty much why the Wallabies haven't held the Bledisloe for close to 10 years. Time to get over it and just accept the status quo.