Five Panthers are through to the World Cup final, with Isaah Yeo and Liam Martin’s Kangaroos set to face Casey McLean, Moses Leota and Isaiah Papali’i’s Kiwis at Suncorp Stadium.
The semi-finals also brought an end to the campaigns of Brian To’o and Izack Tago with Samoa, and Paul Alamoti with Tonga.
Australia v Samoa
Yeo and Martin progressed to the decider following Australia’s commanding 44-12 victory over Samoa in front of 41,259 fans at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
The Kangaroos took control with five first-half tries to establish a 26-2 lead at the break, leaving To’o and Tago’s Samoa facing a tough task in the second half.
Tago provided a highlight for Samoa in the 61st minute, finishing a sweeping backline movement in the left-hand corner to reduce the deficit to 32-12.
Australia responded with two further tries to secure their place in the final, ending Samoa’s bid for a second consecutive appearance in the decider.
New Zealand v Tonga
McLean continued his impressive World Cup campaign with a crucial try as New Zealand defeated Alamoti’s Tonga 34-10 in wild conditions in Newcastle on Saturday.
With Leota and Papali’i also featuring for the Kiwis, New Zealand overcame a 10-6 first-half deficit to take a narrow 12-10 advantage into the break.
McLean produced a moment of individual brilliance in the 48th minute to extend the lead, helping spark a dominant second half in which the Kiwis kept Tonga scoreless.
The result ended Alamoti’s tournament and booked a meeting between Panthers teammates in next Sunday’s World Cup final in Brisbane.
