The reactions of John Kear and his players at full time told the story. Make no mistake about it, neither Wales nor the Cook Islands will be lifting the Rugby League World Cup trophy aloft next month but, as the Cook Islands coach Kevin Iro said, World Cup wins do not come easy.
How both nations know that all too well. The Cook Islands did not even qualify for the last World Cup in 2017, and Wales haven’t won a game at the tournament since 2000. Welsh supporters would have hoped at various points here that their wait was about to come to an end, but despite a spirited effort, they fell agonisingly short.
