Kiwis v Cook Islands result: New Zealand claims massive victory in Rugby League World Cup clash
The Kiwis have lift off at the Rugby League World Cup.
They were always going to beat the Cook Islands – but the manner of this 82-16 victory was impressive nonetheless.
It wasn’t perfect – they fell 16-12 behind midway through the first half, after conceding three unanswered tries, in a stunning scenario. It was hard to believe – some kind of glitch in the Matrix – as the $40 outsiders briefly crashed the Christchurch party, while the Kiwis gave up two more intercept tries.
But normal order was restored, though the Kiwis had to dig deep for a few minutes, before they steadied the ship, ahead of an eight-try blitz in the second half. There will be much tougher tests to come – obviously – but this was a step in the right direction, as well as a chance to distribute game time across the squad.
It was a special day for Christchurch-born winger Jamayne Isaako, who grabbed a hat trick of tries and kicked 13 of 14 conversions, for a personal tally of 38 points, a Kiwis record. Fellow local product Tanner Stowers-Smith enjoyed a dream international debut with two tries, while Ronaldo Mulitalo and Casey McLean also grabbed doubles in the 14-try haul.
The final scoreline was tough on the Island team, who never stopped competing but were worn down by the constant onslaught and never-ending defensive work. Erin Clark was a Kiwis standout, particularly in the first half where the contest was tougher, while Jeremy Marshall-King was superb from dummy half in his 51-minute stint and the halves controlled the game.
In front of an expectant crowd of 24,868 in Christchurch, the Kiwis were out of the gates quickly, with a try in the second minute to Isaako, after quick hands to the right, before another on the other flank to Mulitalo four minutes later, the product of clever work down a narrow short side from Marshall-King and Keano Kini.
The Kiwis were generating tremendous ruck speed but the Cook Islands were here to play, shown when Esom Ioka outjumped Mulitalo but couldn’t ground the ball. That was close – but also a warning – before the fantastical nine-minute period for the visiting team, as they scored three tries to stun the crowd and take the lead. It was the stuff of dreams – straight out of Roy of the Rovers – and quite unexpected.
It started with an 80-metre intercept try to Ioka, after he got in the passing lane to anticipate the tip-on from Kini. Isaako then sent the kickoff long – a poor error at this level – to give the Cook Islands more ball.
They made the most of it, Ioka running on to a precise chip from Brad Takairangi to score in the corner, as their pocket of fans went nuts. Improbably, there was more to come, with yet another intercept, as Kini’s attempted no-look pass was intercepted by Ioka and Joseph Tapine’s look of disbelief as he gallantly chased was echoed around the One New Zealand arena. The Kiwis had the wobbles, shown with a bust straight through the heart of their ruck by Cook Islands prop Rhys Dakin.
They got going again when Isaako scrambled over – slipping out of a tackle near the touchline – before Scott Sorensen ran a good line off Kodi Nikorima to ease any nerves. Stowers-Smith got the first of two fairytale tries – a few minutes after coming on, before McLean finished off the best move of the match, with a rampaging Clark run and offload and snappy work from Kini and Nikorima for a 20-point lead at the interval.
The second half was much more comfortable, at times a procession, as the Cook Islands tired from the weight of possession and volume of tackling. The Kiwis racked up eight tries, from a variety of methods and had two others chalked off. Kini showed his ability to beat men close to the line, a hyped-up Stowers-Smith showed his power and Nikorima gave a reminder of his improbable aerial threat, as he outjumped Valentine Holmes to score.
They ran straight and hard and coach Stacey Jones had the chance to use his full bench, with Jacob Laban making his debut and Te Maire Martin getting his first minutes of the tournament. There was a nice final flourish – with Isaako completing his hat trick – while the Cook Islands never stopped trying, going close to another try in the final stages, before Martin and Nicoll-Klokstad completed the scoring.
Kiwis 82 (Jamayne Issako 3, Ronaldo Mulitalo 2 , Scott Sorensen, Tanner Stowers-Smith 2, Casey McLean 2 tries, Keano Kini, Kodi Nikorima, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad; Isaako 13 cons)
Cook Islands 16 (Esom Ioka 3 tries; Valentine Holmes 2 cons)
Halftime 36-16
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.