Rugby League World Cup live: Kangaroos top Pool A with 66-6 win over Cook Islands

Thanks for sticking with us this evening.

We’ll be back tomorrow for the Jillaroos’ clash with Wales from 3:40pm AEDT and running through to the blockbuster Tonga-Samoa clash in the evening as we wrap up the group stage of these tournaments.

Join us then.

A 60-point win probably isn’t the greatest learning experience for a football team, but I think we got the answers to a few questions.

1. Reece Walsh will be the fullback. The Kangaroos can carry James Tedesco as a luxury on the six-man bench in case Walsh gets hurt or is running a little cold, but Walsh was electric in attack once again tonight and can create so much out of nothing.
2. Tom Dearden is the halfback. He was superb tonight and looked like the man of the match after the first half. Even after the attack went away from him a bit, he was still able to impact with his defence. Sorry Sam, but the Cowboys skipper is going to stay in the seven.
3. The lack of back depth is scary. Every time injury-prone Tom Trbojevic looks a little proppy, a lot of hearts go into mouths because there is zero legitimate wing cover in this squad. He’s barely a winger himself.
4. Ethan Strange could have a role to play. Without Cameron Murray, the debutant came on through the middle and made a real impact. His leg speed and ball playing gave them an extra dimension. Can he co-exist in a team with four locks in it already? Perhaps not, but an excellent debut nonetheless.

Australia fullback Reece Walsh assures everyone he’s all good despite copping a few knocks and hobbling around a little bit during the game.

He’s also been named player of the match for his effort and, if he stays fit, that should keep him in the number one for the semis at least despite a lot of pressure from James Tedesco.

“It’s a bit scary. We’re in a position where we’re all contributing and trying to do what’s best for the team.

“I’m having a lot of fun at the moment.”

And he signs off with an invitation to the famous (infamous?) Mad Cow Tavern.

“See everybody at the Cow.”

A brilliant shift out to the right sends Kotoni Staggs towards a certain try, but a last-second slip cost him a try.

Reece Walsh tries a cut-out pass from dummy half that’s picked off by David Tuariki, but then he knocks it on, Walsh regathers and pops a ball over his shoulder to Harry Grant to dive in.

“That was a disgusting piece of play,” Jada Taylor says on ABC Sport.

And Ethan Strange gets the conversion to end his winning debut.

A couple of penalties in defence by Australia give Cook Islands chance after chance, but the attack is “catastrophic”, says Jada Taylor on ABC Sport.

Eventually the grubber is rolled in and Chaev Kolone goes close, but the ball just beats him to the dead-ball line.

The Kangaroos fire it out left and Reece Walsh taps it on for Kotoni Staggs to score, but it’s forward from Walsh.

And Walsh is down. Val Holmes shot up from fullback to whack his opposite number and it looks like Walsh copped a knock on his lower leg.

He’s struggling but will try to run it off. He’s usually pretty good at running through these.

The bomb goes up from the Kangaroos and the chase is enthusiastic, but maybe a little too much so as they overrun it and the ball ends up finding the grass and bouncing up into the backside of Reuben Cotter, who never saw it coming.

The Kangaroos load up on the right and once again the bodies are in motion and the timing is perfect as Reece Walsh digs into the line, gets in behind the jamming defence and hits Tom Trbojevic to score out wide.

Not such a great conversion from Munster from the right wing, hooking it inside the near post.

From close to the line, Isaah Yeo barges over between Pride Petterson-Robati and Makahesi Makatoa.

Ashley Klein says it’s a try, but the bunker steps in to take it off Yeo as replays show Petterson-Robati’s effort forced the ball out at the last moment.

Just quietly, pretty poor night for Klein tonight. The bunker has stepped in to correct three or four of his calls tonight.

Tom Trbojevic tries to sweep around the back from right to leftm but Cook Islands captain Brad Takairangi sees him coming and absolutely floors him with a perfectly timed jamming tackle.

The Cook Islands left winger is having one of the worst games I’ve ever seen and it continues with another error in the play the ball.

The Cook Islands kick off and the Kangaroos come steaming back.

Hi Bill,

I don’t think it’s arrogance, I just think this Australian team isn’t anywhere near as good as teams from years past.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be too harsh on the Kangaroos’ performance considering what one of our other national teams is offering up in Cape Town.

Simon Smale and Chris De Silva are covering the dismal demise live.

Reece Walsh fumbles a bomb on the 10m line and the Cook Islands go on the attack. Reuben Rennie is unmarked out on the right but the pass is too high, allowing the Kangaroos to scramble and cover up.

And a couple of poor kicks end the half for the Cook Islands with an Australian dropout.

The Cook Islands aren’t playing as well as they were in the opening minutes, but the Kangaroos are looking similarly below their best.

In the last couple minutes, Harry Grant has thrown a shocker to Reece Walsh and Isaah Yeo mistimed a play with Lindsay Smith.

Two major mistakes by two of the senior Roos.

KL Iro brings down Kotoni Staggs and rolls him into the leg of Tom Trbojevic, who gets up hobbled and reaching for his right foot.

He doesn’t look to be moving too freely.

The Kangaroos try a little short-side raid but Harry Grant’s pass to Kotoni Staggs is a long way forward.

Staggs sent Tom Trbojevic down the right wing too and it surely would’ve been another Australian try if not for the forward pass.

It looked like Tom Trbojevic might have grimaced and propped a little on the last of those right-foot steps before the try.

The Kangaroos can’t afford to have him injured and on a personal level, hasn’t he already had his fair share of ailments?

After Val Holmes’s error, the Kangaroos have a look out on the left before going back right to Tom Trbojevic who beats a couple of defenders with a couple of right-foot steps before finding Tino Fa’asuamaleaui to crash over.

Ashley Klein says he’s held up and sends it to the bunker as no try, but the bunker corrects the record.

Harry Grant skips out of dummy half and manufactures a perfectly weighted kick that skids to a halt in the in-goal.

The Cook Islanders come out via Val Holmes, but he’s knocked it on in the Bradman Best tackle!

Australia on the attack from 10 metres out.

Timely penalties, set restarts and handling errors from Australia are giving Cook Islands chance after chance, but again Maui Winitani-Patelesio’s kick undoes all that good work, this time high and sailing too deep for an easy Bradman Best mark in the in-goal.

Brad Takairangi’s spiral bomb is a monster and looks set to wreak havoc, but Jack Bostock times his run and jump perfectly to take a spectacular grab and head upfield.

But there’s more miscommunication and another handling error from Harry Grant’s dummy half pass. So the Islanders attack from the easier side of halfway yet again.

Five-eighth Maui Winitana-Patelesio thinks he sees space in behind the defensive line as the set goes right and kicks on the second tackle, but it’s deflected and Bradman Best cleans up.

The playmaker would want that one over again.

Reece Walsh bombs the kick-off long and it sails dead on the full, so the Cook Islanders are attacking from 25 metres out after the touch-finding penalty kick.

The Kangaroos once again looking out of sorts.

The Melbourne captain’s gamesmanship gets the better of him this time as he blatantly interferes with a kick chaser to end the Cook Islands set and puts Australia under the pump.

Liam Martin doesn’t make many errors, but he’s come up with a simple one here as he hits a short ball from Tom Dearden and seems to have poked his nose through before dropping the ball cold.

There wasn’t much contact from Maui Winitana-Patelesio but it was enough to disrupt.

If you haven’t watched the Cook Islands’ pre-game offering, it’s worth a watch.

As good as any.

Tom Dearden’s bomb gives Tom Trbojevic a clean run at the contest and Cameron Brown feels the footsteps coming, knocking on to gift the Roos early field position.

The anthems, the pe’e and then the game are coming up soon in Townsville.

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That Orchids-Kiwi Ferns game went the way so many of these contests have gone, with the underdogs stepping up early before the favourites run away with it in the second half.

Despite winning their past two games by a combined 104 points, England is praying for a miracle to make it through to the semifinals.

The strange tournament structure — with Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Cook Islands in Pool A, while England, Samoa and Tonga fight for two more semifinal spots in a combined Pool B and C — are relying on Tonga beating Samoa by 46 points tomorrow night to get the Poms out of the group stage.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last time we see this tournament format.

Hi Lenora,

It will be on the main channel in most places and 7Plus.

Some moron (not sure who it was) said earlier that PNG was threatening a boilover against New Zealand’s women.

That is no longer the case.

Since the Orchids led 12-8 late in the first half, the Kiwi Ferns have scored five straight tries and lead 34-12 heading into the final 12 minutes at Robina Stadium.

The Papua New Guinea Orchids led New Zealand’s Kiwi Ferns 12-8 with just minutes left in the first half on the Gold Coast.

Kaiyah Atai’s 34th-minute try allowed the Ferns to go to half-time up 14-12 and Otesa Pule’s barnstorming long-range effort has kept the ball rolling in the opening moments of the second stanza.

Come on, Orchids. We need at least one upset at this tournament.

Hello and welcome to ABC Sport’s live coverage of this evening’s Rugby League World Cup action as the Kangaroos wrap up their group games against the Cook Islands.

I’m Jon Healy and I’ll take you through tonight’s action in Townsville to close out a day featuring more World Cup blowouts.