Australia beat New Zealand 32-12 to claim fourth straight Rugby League World Cup

Australia beat New Zealand 32-12 in Brisbane to secure a fourth consecutive men's Rugby League World Cup title. According to the Guardian's match report, Reece Walsh played a central role as the Kangaroos turned an initially level contest into a decisive victory, building an 18-point advantage by half-time and extending it soon after the restart.

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The result was considerably more comfortable than the teams' earlier meeting in the tournament. Australia had won that opening encounter by just two points a month before the final. This time, Kevin Walters' side pulled away before the interval, with New Zealand unable to match the scoring burst that took the hosts from 6-6 to 24-6.

New Zealand had responded to Australia's first try with one of their own in an evenly balanced opening spell. Liam Martin scored first for the Kangaroos, but Casey McLean's reply helped leave the sides level after 15 minutes. That exchange gave the Kiwis an early foothold, before Australia's attack began to take advantage of errors and establish a much larger lead.

The decisive first-half sequence brought tries from Jack Bostock and Bradman Best, along with another for Martin. The Guardian identified Walsh as a key figure in Australia's attacking play during that period. By the break, the Kangaroos had scored 18 unanswered points, leaving New Zealand needing a substantial second-half response to bring the final back within reach.

Instead, Australia struck again three minutes after play resumed. Walsh moved past defenders and supplied the pass for Tom Trbojevic to score in the corner, pushing the advantage to 28-6. That early second-half try further increased the task facing New Zealand, who had already conceded three tries between the opening exchange and the interval.

The Kiwis later reduced the deficit when Isaiah Papalii gathered a Jahrome Hughes kick to score, making it 28-12. They could not turn that response into a recovery, however, and Bostock added a late try with three minutes remaining. Australia finished 20 points clear, retaining the men's title after a final shaped by their first-half scoring run and Walsh's contribution to the attack.