Kiwis v Fiji: New Zealand score 13 tries to secure Rugby League World Cup semi-final spot
The Kiwis have underlined their status as a prime contender for this World Cup, with a scintillating performance against Fiji on Saturday.
It was brutal, beautiful and bullying, as they smashed the Island nation into submission in the first quarter, before going on to win 78-0.
There are much bigger tests to come, starting with Samoa or Tonga in the semi-final next Saturday but this was an awesome display and an incredible margin. The only black mark was Ronaldo Mulitalo’s dismissal in the 51st minute, following an ugly high shot, with Fiji halfback Brandon Wakeham also sent off for retaliation. It means that Mulitalo – a key weapon on the left wing – could be in suspension danger, while Joseph Tapine was also put on report for a late shot.
But the Kiwis looked like a team who knew they had to click into gear, with the business end of the tournament to come and their first half was breathtaking. In all they scored 13 tries, with Casey McLean grabbing four, while Jahrome Hughes had the ball on a string, with three try assists amid a series of brilliant interventions.
Keano Kini was electric, especially early, while Naufahu Whyte continued his recent bruising form off the bench. Jamayne Isaako was perfect off the tee, with 13 conversions.
Fiji were despondent and destroyed, with the game over as a contest after 20 minutes, when captain James Fisher-Harris scored the Kiwis’ fifth try for a 30-0 lead. Everything went wrong for the Bati, who had performed so well against Australia last week. They lost their captain and main inspiration Apisai Koroisau to a broken jaw in the eighth minute and couldn’t build any momentum, with only six completed sets (compared to the Kiwis’ 19) in the first half. They also lost two other players to head knocks across the match.
The key to the Kiwis’ dominance was another outstanding effort from their forwards, as they rolled down the field with thunderous intent. Behind them the spine functioned well and the passing was sharp and slick, especially in the first half. The extraordinary performance puts New Zealand in a good space and they will have an extra day to prepare, with Tonga and Samoa to meet on Sunday night (10pm NZT) in Sydney.
On a humid afternoon in Robina, the Kiwis made an unbelievable start, with four tries inside the opening 11 minutes. For the first Hughes was over untouched under the posts, after Kini had created havoc on the right edge. The next was even better, with Kini stepping the fullback after running off a delightful Tapine pass, following a series of offloads. Fijian woes were accentuated when Koroisau was gone after a collision with Tapine, before McLean flashed across for the third try, from a well worked move involving Moses Leota, Hughes and Nikorima.
The pressure was relentless – shown when Fiji coughed up possession near their line for the Kiwis’ fourth try, gifting Dane Gagai a simple touchdown. Fiji stemmed the bleeding for a while, with some attacking sets before the Kiwis had their fifth, Fisher-Harris scooping up a bat back from Mulitalo. It was the captain’s first international try since 2023 and well deserved, as he had turned over possession with a big tackle.
It was then time for the bench artillery – with Whyte, Erin Clark and Xavier Willison – with Whyte trampling over three defenders to make an instant impact. There was momentary concern over Hughes, who seemed to strain his hamstring in making a tackle but the halfback recovered to help set up the sixth try to McLean, in conjunction with Nikorima.
There was more soon afterwards, as a brilliant no-look pass from the Melbourne playmaker put Ronaldo Mulitalo over, after Fiji were unlucky not to clean up a kick, before the halfback came up with more deception to create the eighth try to Xavier Willison. To add to Fiji’s despair, they lost winger Semi Valemei to a head knock minutes before halftime.
The start to the second half was messy. The edge went out of the game – understandably – and the Kiwis couldn’t maintain their high standards, while Fiji came back into the contest. A flashpoint came with Mulitalo’s dismissal after a horrible high shot on Ronald Philitoga, getting his timing all wrong. Philitoga’s match was over, as he failed a head injury assessment, while Fijian halfback Wakeham was also sent off for punching Mulitalo.
McLean completed his hat trick in the 56th minute, off a harbour bridge pass from Te Maire Martin, before a wonderful solo effort for his fourth. Briton Nikora joined the scoring action, off a precise Martin kick, before Clark powered over from dummy half. Kini rounded out the evening with a slashing try from broken play to cap an extraordinary performance.
Kiwis 78 (Jahrome Hughes, Keano Kini 2, Casey McLean 4, Dane Gagai, James Fisher-Harris, Ronaldo Mulitalo, Xavier Willison, Briton Nikora, Erin Clark tries; Jamayne Isaako 13 goals)
Fiji 0
Halftime 48-0