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Australia beats Samoa 44-12 to reach Rugby League World Cup final

BBC News reports Australia beat Samoa 44-12 in Sydney and will meet New Zealand in the final next Sunday.

Published Nov 8, 2026 · 15:48 UTC1 reports

The short version

Australia beat Samoa 44-12 at Sydney Football Stadium to reach their 16th successive men's Rugby League World Cup final.[BBC News]
Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick as Australia ran in eight tries, while Samoa lost their way through errors and ill-discipline.[BBC News]
Samoa led after three minutes through a Stephen Crichton penalty, but Spencer Leniu was sin-binned just before half-time for speaking to the referee.[BBC News]
Australia face New Zealand in Brisbane next Sunday, and Samoa's refereeing complaints remain unverified in this reporting.[BBC News]

Australia defeated Samoa 44-12 at Sydney Football Stadium to reach a 16th successive men's Rugby League World Cup final.[BBC News]
Reece Walsh scored a hat-trick, and Australia ran in eight tries in total.[BBC News]
Samoa led after three minutes when Stephen Crichton landed a penalty.[BBC News]
Spencer Leniu was sin-binned for speaking to referee Adam Gee just before half-time.[BBC News]
Australia will face New Zealand in Brisbane next Sunday, with kick-off at 08:35 GMT.[BBC News]

Samoa's frustration over refereeing decisions, including a debatable knock-on call, is disputed and rests on a single outlet's account.[BBC News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.