If Australia losing is good for international rugby league, then today was a great day.
The Kiwis didn’t just beat the Kangaroos, they thrashed them, outplaying and outenthusing the world champions en route to a 30-0 victory in Waikato.
It was the final that the Pacific Championships needed: New Zealand providing a proof of concept for the tournament, already justifying the next one with a performance that shows what is possible when Test footy gets centre stage.
This is the Kangaroos’ record defeat, topping the Kiwis’ 24-0 in the 2005 Tri-Nations Final, and Michael Maguire’s men were worth every inch of it.
“Everyone loves to see us lose, so we did that and made everyone happy,” said Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga.
“We’re competitive as well and we’re no less passionate about putting our colours on.
“It’ll shock the rugby league world in the manner we lost and the scoreline, but we’ll come back with redemption next year.
“I can’t question effort and attitude, but we made heaps of errors. That’s a reflection of how New Zealand played. They were certainly he better side today and deserved their victory.”
He has played the same 17 three weeks running, while Meninga chopped and changed, giving everyone a game.
One side looked like a well-oiled machine and by the end, one looked ragged. Australia ran obstruction plays, threw forward passes and lost their men in defence, while New Zealand looked increasingly coherent.
Maguire can take so much credit for this. His side were fired up from the start, approaching the game with maximum aggression, but also came armed with a plan, pushing when it was there to be pushed and sticking it up the jumper at other times.
“You never think a Test match will finish 30-0, but there’s something special in this group that I’ve always believed,” said the coach.
“I always felt with the group and what they’re capable of doing, that we could get that special performance.”
It was telling that the Kiwis’ best included both wingers – if Ronaldo Mulitalo ever plays better than today, he’ll have done well – with the plan clearly to challenge the Kangaroos on the edges early and often. From the first good ball set, New Zealand went wide and tried their arm.
In the pack, there was no fear.
That was both in terms of their contact, which was ferocious – James Fisher-Harris’ first carry hit Ben Hunt so hard that he knocked Reuben Cotter, the man behind him, clean off his feet – but also in their skill, with offloads flowing from the start.
There were very few wasted plays, and the Kangaroos were unable to match the enthusiasm in the middle or keep up with the attack out wide.
Jamayne Isaako capped a superb season with two tries and Matt Timoko opened his account in international footy by burning Daly Cherry-Evans for the clincher. Griffin Neame’s barge right over the top of Nicho Hynes, told to play at lock with Australia chasing the game, told its own story.
In last week’s post-match press conference, Maguire emphasised how his side had given too many freebies to the Kangaroos. They certainly approached the start with that mentality, barely throwing a pass early on and attempting to drag Australia into the dirt with them.
That is bread and butter for Mal’s men, but crucially, the point of the grind is to tire your opponent out and then make hay. Australia did the first bit, but New Zealand did the second.
The Kiwis came to play, with a gritty mentality allied to a willingness to chance their arm when the moment occurred.
There was an appreciation that they didn’t throw anywhere near enough attack last week, but this time around, they were far more adventurous in the correct time and place.
At times it was a little too much – nobody asked to see James Fisher-Harris kicking – and a little panicky in the beginning, but as the half wore on, they very much grew into the task.
Dylan Brown and Jahrome Hughes both established their run, Joey Manu got plenty of hands on the football and the offloads flowed out of the forwards.
By the time they opened the scoring through Mulitalo, it wasn’t a surprise. Indeed, the manner of it was an indication: they attacked the corner early in the set, with no wasted plays, because the opportunity was there following an offload.
Suddenly the confidence flowed and the ball went wide increasingly quickly. Manu on the right and Matt Timoko on the left were motoring up the field, with Nicoll-Klokstad buzzing behind.
The fullback was the catalyst for the second, joining the line and icing the pass as he has all year, with Jamayne Isaako standing in for Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. Again, it was early in the count. The Kiwis hadn’t come to die wondering.
Australia, on the other hand, were ponderous. They were playing overly conservatively, rarely threatening with width or movement, and far too slowly, with the Kiwis able to line them up in defence.
Not until the introduction of Harry Grant and Lindsay Collins did the tempo pick up, and by then, it was too late in the half to make an impact.
When they did find field position, the late set plays were chaotic and neither Cam Munster nor Daly Cherry-Evans were able to exert any control. Indeed, when the Kangaroos did make their sole first half line break, Val Holmes was put into the middle of next week by Mulitalo.
The half time scoreline was bad, but the stats were even worse: five line breaks to one, nine offloads to two and 300 more metres to the Kiwis. 12-0 probably flattered Australia.
The Roos did start after the break with a lot more endeavour, twice moving the ball early, but it was unconvincing. Again, the Kiwis went straight from the scrum and made them pay, Isaako finishing at the corner.
It’s common to read a lot into the first carry. Today’s, from Fisher-Harris, was a classic of the genre, setting the tone right from the start.
The Fish was fired up, but he wasn’t the only one. Joseph Tapine, Moses Leota and even Kieran Foran, playing at 9, were getting stuck in.
Those who have seen the Titans veteran play in the halves for years would have been surprised to see him throwing himself into tackles low around the feet of Payne Haas, but there he was.
The brawn is one thing, but the brains were perhaps even more impressive. The Kiwis came to challenge the opposing middle but also to make them work, with constant second phase.
Moreover, they kept it up. Leo Thompson has blossomed into a superb player late in 2023 and continued that here, keeping the aggression high when he entered midway through the first half. Needless to say, so did Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Nobody has treated Haas and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui like this in a long time. They were manhandled in defence, running one out far too often, and dominated in attack, with high body contact invariably followed by an offload.
This wasn’t a defeat, it was a battering. Though the wide men won it, don’t forget those in the middle so laid the platform.
jimmy jones
Roar Rookie
Yep would be ok but other teams would have the Auckland rivalry too and maybe bigger player catchments
Reddy
Roar Rookie
Hamilton is better because then there is the rivalry with auckland. Assuming the warriors revert back to being called the auckland warriors. Hamilton would need a couple of Australian players though as it hasn’t got the depth auckland has.
Redcap
Roar Guru
Not sure if it was worse - similar in some respects - Australia's forwards were battered and they never looked like winning - arguably a stronger Kangas team too. I remembered I have Collis and Whiticker's book about test matches in Australia. It seems the 1952 game against NZ was quite the thrashing - might even submit something about it...
The Barry
Roar Guru
You’re always so on the ball… :thumbup: I’ve racked my brain and checked the scorecard and the replays but just don’t remember that 05 game - maybe I blocked it out It must have been baaaaad to be worse than this game. Australia were owned from the kickoff…
Albo
Roar Rookie
Harsh but fair !
Phil McKraken
Roar Rookie
My mistake I meant Tonga
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Only one specialist edge forward in the whole squad, Liam Martin, but 8 specialist middles plus Murray.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
For an awful lot it does. The clubs accept it because it makes money like no one’s business.
woodart
Roar Rookie
top comment. instantly forgettable club games between made up teams. booring
woodart
Roar Rookie
nrl club league.yawn
jimmy jones
Roar Rookie
It’d be great to see another NRL team in NZ ASAP forget this low hanging fruit political choice in PNG . It could stem the flow of talented teens to the Sydney club underage squads and give a tangible goal within immediate reach for the thousands of local players across the country. The question is, where would the team be located? Gould said 2 Auckland teams is a must with an NRL game every week to feed the appetite but maybe Wellington or Cantebury could be better? Imagine NAS returning home for the debut season of a Wellington based team or further south with other Kiwis returning home after playing in Oz…
Nat
Roar Guru
Not the first time logic has escaped you Max. I’m sure you will catch up.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Well yes of course the NRL would do better if another professional league didn't recruit players and it forced players to stay in Aus for peanuts. That would be the case with any competition - they'd be stronger and deeper without competition for players.
Andy J
Roar Rookie
The timing of Tony Kemps criticism of Maguire was well off to. Kemp going with the we need a kiwi he doesn’t understand us line. Sounds like rugby australia where they love to blame foreign coaches for their failure.
Andy J
Roar Rookie
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souvalis
Roar Rookie
We shouldn't be looking for excuses for a world champion team held to nil with a miserable defensive attitude whilst representing their nation.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
It's true though. What does Super League do for NRL? It means nothing to me. It's a second tier competition at best. We would probably do better without it, so our second level talent continued to play and improve the standard of League in Australia. Except for PNG and NZ, international RL is just a drag on the NRL
steveng
Roar Rookie
Reason - No Bunnies in the Roos, I say no more :laughing:
Pat-A-Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Maybe there is a difference between coach of a limited rep series and getting through an entire season. It seems like he relies on a few leading players uses them to drive the teams cultural DNA. While I suspect its always going to be a bit easier with the Kiwis (the underdog, allowing players to back to their Kiwi vibe), the big problem with the Blues has been getting buy in to a 'Blues' culture with the same consistency as Qld. Maybe his NRL coaching not as relevant as his Kiwi experience.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Not really. Its been a hell of a long year for all these players from last years World Cup through to yesterday. There had to be at least one bad performance from a bunch of very good players somewhere along that period ! All those players must be looking for a few weeks off now to give their bodies a rest.