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Archive photo · 29 May 2017Australia Beats New Zealand 32-12 To Win Fourth Straight Rugby League World Cup Title
“what followed felt inevitable.”
“On Sunday, the Kangaroos served up their best performance of the tournament”
Photo: Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Australia defeated New Zealand 32-12 in the final to win a fourth consecutive World Cup. Jack Bostock scored two tries, helping Australia seal the victory.
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Kangaroos’ 32-12 win
Australia won its fourth consecutive men’s Rugby League World Cup title by overpowering New Zealand 32-12 in the final at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Reece Walsh said, "I feel we got disrespected," after the Kangaroos served up their best performance of the tournament when it mattered most. Jack Bostock and Liam Martin scored tries as Australia built a 24-6 lead by half-time and then extended the scoreline to 28-6 early in the second half.
The match report at Rugby League World Cup 2026 described a crowd of 52,461 at Suncorp Stadium and said James Tedesco was sent into the fray by coach Kevin Walters with six minutes to play. Stacey Jones said New Zealand’s final was "our worst performance" after errors and poor discipline left them unable to fight their way out of the deficit.
Walsh, Walters, Jones
Reece Walsh questioned media narratives around Australia’s pack and said, "I'm pretty speechless to be honest," as he pointed to the tournament build-up and the Kangaroos’ response. Kevin Walters told reporters, "We had a plan at the start of the tournament and we executed that plan beautifully," as he framed the victory as a result of a 23-man squad where everyone contributed. Stacey Jones said, "We got off to a bad start and could not fight our way out of it," and he linked New Zealand’s loss to errors, discipline, and penalties.
The BBC said Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and captain Isaah Yeo dismissed suggestions that Kevin Walters' side have been overpowered at times, while the opening match on 15 October ended 24-22 and Fiji later went down 36-22. The WRAL report quoted Australia coach Kevin Walters saying, "Defensively, again, magnificent," as it described Australia dominating with six tries to two at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
What the win changes
Australia’s 32-12 victory extended the Kangaroos’ World Cup run to a fourth consecutive title and a 10th in the past 11 World Cups stretching back to 1975, according to the BBC. The Rugby League World Cup 2026 match report said the Kangaroos have now won their last 23 World Cup matches, the last four World Cup crowns and 13 titles overall. The BBC said James Tedesco captained Australia to victory four years ago, added the Clive Churchill medal in 2026, and announced his international retirement immediately after the match.
The Guardian described the result as a continuation of Australia’s dominance for the 10th time in the past 11 editions, and it quoted Kevin Walters saying the team executed its plan beautifully. WRAL said Australia’s Jillaroos won the women’s final 34-10, set up by Jaime Chapman’s first-half hat-trick of tries, to claim a fourth consecutive Rugby League World Cup title.