Walsh hat-trick sends Australia past Samoa into World Cup final

Australia beat Samoa 44-12 at Sydney Football Stadium to secure a place in the men's Rugby League World Cup final, with Reece Walsh scoring his first international hat-trick. According to BBC Sport's match report, the Australians crossed for eight tries in a semi-final that brought together the teams from the previous World Cup final. The victory extended Australia's run to 16 consecutive appearances in the decider.

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Samoa scored first, with Stephen Crichton kicking a penalty after three minutes, but their advantage was short-lived. Tom Dearden broke through from a scrum to put Australia ahead. Jacob Preston then scored under the posts after 15 minutes, followed 10 minutes later by Tom Trbojevic. Both tries followed six-again calls against Samoa, with Trbojevic's finish taking his tournament total to eight and leaving him joint-top of the try-scoring standings.

Walsh added his first try before Bradman Best powered through tackles to score in the corner. Australia went into half-time leading 26-2, having turned Samoa's early advantage into a substantial deficit. The opening period also included a disallowed Samoan try and a sin-binning, as frustration accompanied the growing gap on the scoreboard.

Crichton appeared to have grounded the ball around the half-hour after Francis Manuleleua challenged Walsh for a high kick. A replay review instead resulted in a knock-on decision against Manuleleua. BBC Sport described that ruling as debatable. Samoa were further disrupted shortly before the interval when Spencer Leniu was sent to the sin-bin for his comments to referee Adam Gee.

Crichton did score after the break, following a dropped high ball by Walsh, and Isack Tago touched down in the corner with 18 minutes remaining. Neither score sparked a sustained recovery: Walsh answered each with a try of his own to complete his treble. Bostock scored with eight minutes left, while Cameron Munster finished with six successful conversions for Australia.

Australia will now face New Zealand in Brisbane next Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 08:35 GMT. Having won the previous three world titles, they have earned another opportunity to extend that sequence. Samoa's tournament ends at the semi-final stage after an evening in which their early lead and second-half tries were outweighed by Australia's eight-try return.