Australia cruise past Samoa in women’s Rugby League World Cup opener

The Jillaroos’ World Cup defence began with a comprehensive 40-0 victory over Samoa at Commbank Stadium in Sydney, even if they eased off in the second half with just two tries after the break.

Jocelyn Kelleher was assured by boot and hand on her debut at five-eighth, vindicating the decision by coach Jess Skinner to leave Ali Brigginshaw out of the squad and Jesse Southwell out of the matchday 18.

Kelleher kicked six from seven conversion attempts, and had a hand in two tries, earning her the player of the match award. She said her debut was “amazing” and the team is “having so much fun in camp, we’re training well together”.

Kelleher’s comfort was aided by the Roosters’ NRLW premiership-winning connections running throughout the team. No 7 Tarryn Aiken played second receiver outside Kelleher, and the halves were supported by their clubmates Olivia Kernick at lock and Keely Nizza at bench hooker, as well as Millie Elliott in the front row and both centres in Jess Sergis and captain Isabelle Kelly.

The captain said after the match her side has plenty of improvement in them. “It was a bit scrappy from us in bits there,” she said. “But it’s the start of the tournament, a new team playing together, so I’m excited to see what comes next.”

Australia quelled a spirited opening from Samoa, who were playing their first World Cup match since 2008. Their side included two players – Taliah Fuimaono and Evania Isa’ako – who had played for the Jillaroos. The latter even ran out for the Jillaroos in the 2022 World Cup final, scoring the final try. The team also featured Queensland State of Origin centre, Ivana Lolesio, and premiership-winning prop Amber Hall, who scored in the Roosters’ victory over the Broncos two weeks ago.

For a brief early moment, it looked like the contest could deliver an upset. A penalty and a handling error handed the Fetu Samoa repeat sets at the Australian line. They even resisted the urge to take the two points from a pair of subsequent penalties. But a dropped ball from fullback Destiny Mino-Sinapati let the Jillaroos off the hook.

The Samoans would be left to rue that mistake. Within minutes Australia had crossed through Jaime Chapman off a simple spread left. A cut-out pass from Tamika Upton handed the winger enough space to finish easily. Minutes later it was Aiken on the right lofting it out to Julia Robinson to score. The Broncos winger ignored the path to the corner, instead coming inside and taking three tacklers over the line.

Kelleher opened her international career with a masterful fading conversion from the sideline, before a trademark bomb forced a handling error from Samoa. It set up the attacking set which saw Jillaroos’ backrower Shaylee Bent cross untouched.

The Samoans were getting stretched, and the Jillaroos began to run through the gears. Nizza streamed through the middle, thanks to a dummy and a fend, to score Australia’s fourth. Just before halftime, Kelleher breezed through the Samoan line and found Kernick. Early in the second period, it was Kernick who put Keilee Joseph over with a short-ball.

From there the Jillaroos’ momentum slowed, as minds wandered towards the next pool match against England in Perth next week. The Samoans had their moments in defence, keeping out the Jillaroos on multiple occasions in a heroic second half effort. Prop Laikha Clarke came within millimetres of scoring with ten minutes to go before knocking on. The highlight of the evening might have been the crunching tackle on Tiana Penitani Gray by teenage winger Freedom Crichton Ropati, although Sergis crossed late to put the icing on the result.

On an evening that also included the men’s Samoa side beating France 78-4 in a try-fest, the biggest disappointment was the size of the crowd at Commbank Stadium. The passionate Samoan community in western Sydney was noisy but the turnout was ultimately low, and tens of thousands of empty seats highlighted that the interest in this tournament – like the Jillaroos’ form – has room for improvement.