Rugby league fans have been left chuckling over a post-game interview in which a Channel 7 reporter at first appeared to be confused over who she was talking it.
Kurt Donoghoe pulled the strings masterfully for Fiji in a man-of-the-match display on Sunday night as the Kangaroos edged past the small island 36-22 in the second round of the Rugby League World Cup.
However, after the 24-year-old swapped his jersey with a Kangaroos player after full time, many fans and even Channel 7 reporter Jelisa Apps appeared to struggle to join the dots on who he was playing for given his thick Aussie accent and his green and gold jersey.
The veteran reporter had just wrapped up an interview with Fijian rake Api Koroisau when Donoghoe, who qualifies to play for Fiji through his paternal grandmother, walked up to the microphone in green and gold.
“Well, first of all, can we start with how you sort of felt out there? It was obviously a huge arm wrestle,” Apps, looking Donoghoe up and down, began.
“Oh, look, it was a tough game. (I’m) just super proud of the boys, you know, they turned up tonight and especially our pack. Everyone wrote us off, and our pack just stood up to them, and you can tell from the first five minutes that our boys were there to play and I’m just so proud of our boys,” Donoghoe replied.
You can watch the awkward interview in the player at the top of the page
“What did you learn from that first half?” Apps then asked.
“I think we can take a lot from that. A little nation taking up against the big teams, and I think we’ve just got to be better in those high-pressure moments and just really ice some plays and make sure we’re disciplined in important times,” Donoghoe said, with Apps nodding at his answer.
Apps, beginning to look flustered then stumbled as she asked: “It’s going to be a huge arm wrestle against, um, against in the semis, isn’t it?”
Fiji take on New Zealand next week in a game they need to win to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
Australia’s semi final opponent has not yet been confirmed, hence Apps stumbling over who they are set to face.
Donoghoe looked confused as he said: “Yeah, look, it’s a big game next week (against New Zealand). We’ve just got to make sure we get our bodies right, recover, and just really look forward to getting the win next week.”
Apps then told Donoghoe to “go and enjoy it,” appearing to refer to the Kangaroos win, despite the Dolphins star playing for Fiji and losing.
The interview left some rugby league fans and content creators chuckling.
Popular rugby league pages League of Inches, The Knighted and Just Mates left laughing reactions to vision of the interview shared by Eels fan podcast Talking Parra on Instagram.
“Seen this and thought the same thing. She had absolutely no idea who he was,” Adam Gleeson commented.
“Oh god …. That is poor. The World Cup that just keeps giving aye,” rugby league content creator Clarkey’s Rugby League Column wrote.
However, many fans defended Apps, stating they would have been fooled too.
“She wasn’t the only one. Plenty of us watching at home were confused too. The interviewer knows her NRL and is a big Raiders fan,” another commented.
“I mean 99% of Australia wouldn’t know who it is either tho,” a second fan said in defence of Apps.
Reporters face a difficult task navigating a flurry of interviews post game as they’re tasked with generating insightful discussions under the glare of the TV lights.
In combination with the jersey swap, it’s easy to understand how the confusion may have arised and undoubtedly Apps would have recognised Donoghoe instantly had he been wearing a Fiji or Dolphins jersey.
There was also understood to be a miscommunication around the time of the interview over who was the man of the match, adding further to the complexity of Apps’ interview.
Seven also insists Apps was fully aware of who Donoghoe was and who he played for from the start.
And amid the backlash, Channel 7 said Apps has excelled at this Rugby League World Cup and remains an integral part of the network’s coverage.
“Jelisa is one of Australia’s leading rugby league reporters. Having covered the game for more than a decade, she knows the game, the clubs and the players better than anyone,” Seven Media Group Director of Sport Chris Jones said in a statement.
“We’re incredibly proud to have Jelisa as part of Seven’s Rugby League World Cup broadcast team and will be seeing her on many more big matches moving forward.”
However, Apps wasn’t the only one to have a night to forget on the mic, with Kangaroos fullback James Tedesco making a comment he would sure want back.
After Apps congratulated Tedesco on Australia making it through to the semi-finals, the 33-year-old said: “The strength of the World Cup has shown that every game this weekend has been pretty close and shown how strong the international game is.”
However, that couldn’t be further from the truth with blowout scorelines all across the weekend.
Australia’s 14-point win was the closest game in the men’s tournament.
The other games over the weekend ended 36-0, 64-6, 82-0 and 82-16.
The women’s games were even bigger mismatches: 76-0, 40-4, 78-0 and 92-0.
Originally published as Kurt Donoghoe jersey swap seemingly bamboozles Channel 7 reporter