Rugby League World Cup: Epic semi final goes down to the wire but Kangaroos scrape over the line against New Zealand 16-14

It was a tense and fraught contest that was decided in the end by a Cameron Murray try early in the second half. The Kiwis threw everything at Australia in the dying minutes and thought they had hit the front with seven minutes remaining when Jahrome Hughes put a kick through for Peta Hiku.

Video referee Chris Kendall correctly ruled Hiku had not only gone out of play, but planted the ball on the sideline in-goal. The Kangaroos had escaped and march on to Old Trafford.

“That is Test match footy,” Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga said.

“I have been involved for a long, long time. Sometimes you don’t get what you want. You have to keep on hanging in there because you need to do that to win the footy game.

“In my experience, that is one of the best test matches I have been involved in.”

The Cleary conundrum

Nathan Cleary grew up a Manchester United fan. He reckons he was three or four when he started supporting the club and he couldn’t contain his excitement when he was asked about the prospect of playing a World Cup final at Old Trafford.

“It is mad hey,” Cleary said.

“I am so excited. Obviously a United fan … even going there to watch a game you get goosebumps.

“To actually play there is pretty cool. It is a dream to be in a World Cup final at the stadium I have always dreamed of and looked up to.”

Australia’s attack was clunky again against the Kiwis but Cleary and halves partner Cameron Munster were given a pass mark after the game by Meninga, an indication that he will retain the pair for the final.

The Kangaroos needed a big game from Cleary and for 40 minutes it looked like they would be disappointed. He was quiet in the opening stanza as he missed a handful of tackles and failed to put his stamp on the match.

The second half was a slightly different story, although Australia’s attack remained out of sorts. As the Kangaroos clung to the lead late in the first half, Cleary got caught on the last tackle and then sprayed a kick sideways.

He continues to try hard but he is yet to grab hold of the Kangaroos. Meninga, however, appeared to quash any suggestion that Cleary is under pressure to hold his spot with Daly Cherry-Evans breathing down his neck.

“I thought they (the halves) were very good tonight — I thought they were extremely good,” Meninga said.

“I thought our kicking game was the best it has been throughout the tournament. Really happy with the way they performed.

“It’s good. I am really happy with it.”

Teammates no longer

Liam Martin and James Fisher-Harris won a premiership together only a matter of weeks ago but there was no love lost at Elland Road.

At times in the first half, Martin looked to be labouring. In the second, he was on a mission and he had Fisher-Harris in his sights.

The pair came together when a melee broke out early in the second stanza, exchanging words after Cleary had celebrated jolting the ball from Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s grasp.

Moments later, Martin flew out of the defensive line and tried to put a big shot on Fisher-Harris. He was slightly off target but a message had been sent.

“I loved playing against Fish,” Martin said.

“I looked up to him a fair bit at Panthers and coming up against him I knew it was going to be a real test. I wanted to take it to him. It was good out there.”

Martin had taken it upon himself to take on one of the biggest dogs in the New Zealand pack — a club teammate as well.

He was named man of the match and it was richly deserved.

“Fish would have killed him,” Cleary joked.

“I kept looking at him and Marto kept going and I was like, ‘what are you doing?’. He (Martin) was a very tired man out there but he kept showing up and put in a massive effort.

“That is what you expect from Marto.”

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Addo-Carr the record breaker

Australia were going nowhere in the opening 15 minutes or so at Elland Road. They were stuck in quicksand.

Then Josh Addo-Carr intervened, as he has so often in this tournament. The Canterbury winger came into the game with 11 tries in the tournament, one short of the record held by Valentine Holmes.

He drew alongside Holmes with another stunner. Ben Hunt’s kick should have been gobbled up by Jordan Rapana but he misread the flight of the ball.

A flying Addo-Carr did the rest as he streaked through, took the ball on the full and slid over. The Kangaroos had the inspiration they needed.

“They shot out of the line, Nate [Cleary] passed to me and I was thinking bomb it to the corner,” Hunt said.

“Not too sure what happened on their side of the ball but Foxxy seemed to get a clean run at it. He has been letting us know all week that [the record] was coming.”

Addo-Carr has been one of the stars of the World Cup and he shone again against the Kiws, running for more than 130 metres and threatening New Zealand every time he touched the ball.

Magic Murray

Cameron Murray turned the game at Elland Road, capitalising on a game plan that the Kangaroos had spent hours honing during the week.

The South Sydney skipper started on the bench but when he took the field late in the opening half, he gave the Australians an instant lift.

After Nathan Cleary was sledged for a mistake by Isaiah Papali’i, Murray raced in to shove the Kiwi back rower as he sparked a melee involving players from both sides.

It was out of character for the quietly spoken Rabbitohs forward but he clearly recognised the Kangaroos needed a spark.

“I always stick up for myself and my teammates and that’s all I was doing,” Murray said.

“I wasn’t trying to start anything. I was just sticking up for Clez. I had a good chat to Isaiah Papali’i after on the field and everything is sweet.”

Murray then provided an even bigger moment of inspiration as he capitalised on a defensive lapse from Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Brandon Smith.

The Kangaroos had earmarked the pair during the week as potential targets - Lindsay Collins and Ben Hunt wore yellow bibs at training as they were enlisted to impersonate the pair in the defensive line.

Murray went straight at both of them from a tap close to the line and forced his way over. The try was the perfect blend of inspirational play and inspired coaching.

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“My physio came up to me and asked me how my head was,” Smith said.

“I turned around and told him it was a bit sore but alright. Then I turned around a bit late. That is no one’s fault but mine — I need to be ready.

“It is a tough pill to swallow — three years to get over it. I am proud of the effort because we have probably put this jersey in a better place than it has been.”

Originally published as Rugby League World Cup: Epic semi final goes down to the wire but Kangaroos scrape over the line against New Zealand 16-14