Summary
As always, thank you for joining me on here. You can find Aaron Bower’s match report below, with plenty more reaction to follow over the coming days.
Australia will find out tomorrow if they are to face face Fiji or New Zealand in their semi-final, and I’ll be back on deck for that blockbuster at the same time next week.
“I’m happy to get through injury free,” Mal Meninga tells the post-match interviewer. “We were a bit clunky with the ball but I was happy with the effort.”
Why were Australia so error-strewn? “The ruck was slow and it was difficult to get momentum,” Meninga explained. “When we did we played some good footy. Defensively we were solid.”
The Kangaroo coach defended Nathan Cleary, who performed well below his Penrith Panthers standard at halfback, again citing the slow ruck ball.
It will be interesting to see what noises come out of the Australian camp this week and what reins Meninga pulls ahead of the semi-final with New Zealand. Discipline needs tightening and some of these crucial playmaker combinations need plenty of work.
