- Aussies missed 47 tackles and didn’t score a single try
- It was Kiwi’s biggest ever win over the Kangaroos
- Biggest defeat ever for the Australians on the international stage
- Win marred by low turnout in Wellington
They came under fire last week but New Zealand have bounced back to shock the Australian Kangaroos with a crushing 30-0 win to claim their first Pacific Championships trophy in Wellington.
It was a horror show from the first whistle for the Aussies, who not only suffered their biggest loss to the Kiwis, but also their biggest loss on the international stage since it first started in 1908.
New Zealand turned up the intensity from the opening haka, crushing the Aussies in every area of the match, with nine linebreaks to one, fourteen offloads to three and five tries to nil in the defeat.
“I’m so proud to be a Kiwi now,” injured Roosters hooker Brandon Smith said in comments.
New Zealand were dominant from the opening whistle, crushing the Aussies in their worst ever defeat on the international stage
North Queensland Cowboys forward Griffin Neame puts the icing on the cake to seal the defeat
In contrast, the Aussies barely fired a shot back.
“They got their haka, they had the right intensity, they pushed through and delivered results,” said former Australian halfback Cooper Cronk.
“If you look at the Australian team, well, 47 missed tackles, not a forward of more than 100 metres, not a single real player had an impact.
“But if you look at New Zealand, they dominated possession, scored multiple tries, nine linebreaks and their best players were fantastic.
‘Tapine dominated through the middle, I thought (halves) Hughes and Brown had the ball together, they split Australia’s defense in different phases, and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was great at the back.’
James Tedesco of Australia tries to get away from Moses Leota of New Zealand with empty seats behind him
The hill was also sparsely populated, with rugby league fans wondering why the final was being held in Wellington and not Auckland.
The only negative for the Kiwis was the lack of people showing up for the Pacific Championships final.
Rugby League fans took to social media during the match as television cameras showed empty seats.
‘That crowd is terrible. Where is everyone? And why would they choose to play the final in Hamilton and not Auckland?’ One fan posted.
‘The stadium is almost empty…? WTF?’ added another
Another wrote: ‘Whose decision was it to give Hamilton the Final? Terrible crowd, Rugby League shouldn’t be playing there anymore if they can’t even turn up to support their home country. Embarrassing!’
However, that couldn’t take the emotion away from the players, with Kiwis skipper James Fisher-Harris admitting they were left stinging after Australia won 36-18 the week before.
“Last week they gave us a safe house, we learned from that,” he said.
“For the Kiwi boys, this is our moment, this is our group. New Zealand stand up, because this is our time.”
New Zealand fullback Nicoll-Klokstad was named player of the match and was emotional as he paid tribute to his family and teammates.
“I would like to thank the Kangaroos for such a great game. “We had to work for that win, so it was really special to come out on top,” he said.
‘For my brothers: what a campaign. We had this belief from week one.”
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