Sam Walker marked his Kangaroos debut with a try, but Australia is in an unexpectedly tight contest against Fiji at half-time in their Rugby League World Cup match at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night, leading only 12-10. The Bati, who were listed as $50 outsiders and written off by bookmakers who made Australia 42-point favourites, have matched the Kangaroos stride for stride in wet, humid conditions, stunning a crowd of around 35,000 with their intensity and skill.
Walker and Tedesco combine for crucial try
The highlight of the half for Australia came courtesy of a moment of individual brilliance from captain James Tedesco. Collected on the fifth tackle right on halfway, Tedesco stepped out of dummy half and found space behind the ruck, breaking through the line in a move commentators described as pure magic from the Clive Churchill Medallist.
Tedesco popped the ball to Walker, who found Tom Trbojevic out wide. When Trbojevic was shut down, Walker accepted the offload and scored under the posts. The Roosters teammates combined to produce a try that gave Australia brief breathing room, and Walker then added the conversion, making it his first points in green and gold. It was a fittingly dramatic way for the Sydney Roosters premiership-winning halfback to open his Test account, having already debuted for Queensland's State of Origin side earlier this year.
Tedesco, who replaced Reece Walsh at fullback and was named skipper for the match, spoke warmly of his Roosters clubmate before kick-off. "He's had a big year, he debuted for the Maroons and now the Kangaroos," Tedesco said. "He's just excited to get out there."
Fiji's forward pack puts Kangaroos under real pressure
For long stretches of the first half, it was Fiji who looked the more composed side. From around the 15-minute mark, the Bati managed to hold onto the ball despite the greasy surface, with their forward pack dominating through the middle. The trio of Api Koroisau, Brandon Wakeham and Kurt Donoghoe, all capable of playing hooker, kept the momentum rolling and proved clinical when Fiji entered the red zone.
Australia's defence looked particularly vulnerable on the edges, with Tom Trbojevic appearing uncomfortable in an unfamiliar wing role. The Kangaroos also struggled in their last-tackle options, with halfback Walker and five-eighth Tom Dearden making questionable decisions. One notable error saw Dearden run the ball on the last tackle and throw a long ball that put Bradman Best in trouble, rather than spreading it through the hands to the left edge.
Fiji's first try came from a beautifully weighted grubber by Wakeham, with back-rower Taane Milne picking it up cleanly to score. That try arrived on the back of a loose clearing kick from Dearden and a penalty conceded in the ruck, and it put Fiji in front. Their second came from a cut-out pass by five-eighth Kurt Donoghoe, with winger Semi Valemei finishing out wide to give Fiji a two-try haul that had the match flipped on its head.
Wholesale changes and a triple substitution mid-half
The Kangaroos came into the match with Kevin Walters making sweeping changes from the side that beat the Kiwis in their opening match. Of the 13 who started that game, only three remained in the starting line-up: winger Jack Bostock, centre Kotoni Staggs and prop Keaon Koloamatangi.
Staggs did his job in the first half, finishing off a well-constructed play involving Tedesco at first receiver to score Australia's opening try. But the Kangaroos' defence as a whole looked out of sync, and Walters moved quickly at the 28-minute mark, pulling Cameron Murray, Koloamatangi and Lindsay Smith from the field and replacing them with Pat Carrigan, Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Jacob Preston. Reuben Cotter shifted into the middle as a result of the reshuffle.
One concern for Fiji heading into the second half is the loss of fullback Bayleigh Bentley-Hape, though Sunia Turuva has slotted in capably as a deputy, and Ronald Philitoga injected energy from the right wing. Right on the half-time siren, Bostock appeared to leap over Philitoga and ground the ball, but referee Gerard Sutton ruled a knock-on and there was no time for a captain's challenge, sending the teams in with Australia clinging to a two-point lead.
What's at stake in the second half
The conditions at Suncorp Stadium have been difficult all evening, with heavy rain falling throughout the week and continuing into match day. Both sides have dropped the ball at crucial moments, but Fiji's composure after a nervous opening 10 minutes has been the story of the first half.
For the Rugby League World Cup, a Fijian upset would rank among the tournament's biggest shocks. Australia must regroup, tighten their defence through the middle, and find greater consistency in their last-tackle options if they are to pull away in the second half. Fiji, buoyed by their performance and with the crowd's attention firmly locked on, will back themselves to go one better after the break.
