Australia has gone through the opening day of Perth undefeated after a brilliant pool stage performance.
A tense 21-14 win over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand set the platform for Australia to secure its third straight semi-final on home soil, where they will face South Africa (1:19 pm AWST).
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This was backed up with a 29-14 victory over France and a 24-21 win over Great Britain to finish top of their pool, with Hadley Tonga’s miracle try completing the perfect day for the hosts.
Liam Barry’s side were on fire throughout the day as they rallied in front of the HBF Park crowd.
The hosts overcame an early shoulder injury to Will Cartwright as Ben Dowling’s show-and-go froze the New Zealanders and provided the first points of the day.
Frank Vaenuku levelled the scores at the break; however, it was the Australians' fight that proved the difference. They forced the Kiwis to infringe countlessly at breakdown time, using the space to strike through Ben Dalton and Jayden Blake.
Michael Manson’s chip-and-chase gave the Kiwis life, but a botched restart allowed captain Henry Hutchison to boot the ball into the stands for the win.
“It's good to get a win, it definitely wasn't perfect, but those are the kind of ones you want to win when it's kind of scrappy on either side, and we come away with the win, so it's great,” playmaker Josh Turner said.
“We're the fittest team out here, may not be the biggest, but when it gets to those 10 to 12 minutes, we start coming back, and we start really putting the team ball on teams, and that's what we did there. We were clinical, we finished a couple of good tries off, and we defended well.”
New Zealand’s shock 26-19 defeat to last-ranked Great Britain bettered Australia’s position as they took care of France.
Ben Dowling was inspirational in the first half, scoring two tries as Liam Barry’s team rallied following an early score. Dalton’s try after the break pressed the lead out further, with Tonga sealing the win in the final minute.
The Aussies place in the knockout stages was sealed thanks to a wild extra-time win for the Kiwis over France, with Frank Vaenuku proving the hero after a French penalty try levelled the scores after the siren.
They looked set for a comfortable win once again, with Dowling again crossing along with Wallace, Charlie and Dalton; however, a yellow card to Ethan McFarland swung the game in Great Britain’s favour.
Three straight tries to the Brits gave them the lead, only for Tonga to produce some magic.
With time expired, the speedy winger raced to the line and aerobically dived over in the corner, somehow keeping his body in.
“I had to score in the corner. Getting pressure from the inside, I couldn't step in. Practising all my finishes in the green room, I knew I had confidence that I could dive and score that try,” Tonga said of the effort.
“It’s hard to explain [the emotions], just the pure adrenaline that comes from after that, especially being down by just a small margin. It means a lot to all the boys.
“I'm grateful to be here. I debuted at the same time here last year in the grand final against Argentina. Perth just feels very special to me, especially coming from a young age.”
As the Australians hunt for three straight Finals, Dowling pointed to the simple home comforts as key to their turnaround after missing the semi-finals last week.
“As soon as we landed at the airport, we saw our liaisons who looked after us for the week, and we've had them for the last couple of years, [it] just picked all the boys' energy up," Dowling explained.
"Having not only our coaches but all the Rugby Australia staff here really picks us up and then being able to look up to the crowd and see our friends and family there, it makes it really special.
“I think it's brought a lot of good energy and positive intent, which is translating well into the field.”
The Australians will have to do it without rookie Cartwright, while Aden Ekanayake will have to pass an HIA.
Australia 21 (Tries: Dowling, Dalton, Blake; Cons: Dowling 3) def New Zealand 14
Australia 29 (Tries: Dowling 2, Charlie, Dalton, Tonga; Cons: Dowling 4) def France 14
Australia 24 (Tries: Charlie, Dowling, Dalton, Tonga; Cons: Dowling 2) def Great Britain 21
