![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Kangaroos-in-semifinale-678x381.png\" "\\"Kangaroos")
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Tom Trbojevic scores a spectacular second-half hat-trick as Australia overcomes a determined Fiji side in Brisbane. The defending world champions secure their place in the semi-finals, but coach Kevin Walters admits his team must improve after another challenging performance.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s Kangaroos have secured their place in the Rugby League World Cup semi-finals after surviving a remarkable challenge from Fiji to claim a hard-fought 36-22 victory at Brisbane\u2019s Suncorp Stadium.<\/p>\n
In front of 41,108 spectators, the defending world champions were pushed to their limits by a fearless Fijian side that twice took the lead and threatened to produce one of the greatest upsets in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
A brilliant second-half hat-trick from Tom Trbojevic eventually rescued Australia, while captain James Tedesco delivered an influential performance in his return to international rugby league.<\/p>\n
But the final score told only part of the story.<\/p>\n
For much of the contest, Fiji matched and occasionally outplayed the tournament favourites, exposing defensive weaknesses and forcing the Kangaroos into an uncomfortable battle for control.<\/p>\n
Fiji stun the defending champions<\/p>\n
Australia began strongly, with Tedesco creating the opening try for Kotoni Staggs through a perfectly timed pass that sent the centre through the Fijian defence.<\/p>\n
An early Australian victory appeared possible, but Fiji quickly demonstrated they had no intention of becoming another easy opponent.<\/p>\n
Inspired by the outstanding Kurt Donoghoe, the Bati began dominating territory and applying sustained pressure through their powerful forwards.<\/p>\n
Semi Valemei crossed for Fiji\u2019s first try after a superb long pass from Donoghoe, before Taane Milne capitalised on a clever Brandon Wakeham kick to put the visitors ahead 10-6.<\/p>\n
Australia struggled to establish its usual attacking rhythm, with handling errors and poor last-tackle options repeatedly interrupting promising movements.<\/p>\n
The Kangaroos eventually regained the lead through a moment of individual brilliance from Tedesco.<\/p>\n
The returning captain broke through the defensive line and combined with Sam Walker and Trbojevic before Walker finished the movement under the posts.<\/p>\n
Australia entered half-time with a narrow 12-10 advantage, but Fiji had already demonstrated that the contest was far from decided.<\/p>\n
Fiji threaten a historic upset<\/p>\n
The second half began in dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n
Fiji immediately resumed its attacking pressure, and another precise Donoghoe pass created the opportunity for Valemei to score his second try.<\/p>\n
Wakeham converted, giving the underdogs a 16-12 lead.<\/p>\n
Moments later, Solomone Saukuru appeared to have extended Fiji\u2019s advantage with another try, but the video referee ruled it out following an obstruction.<\/p>\n
The decision proved to be a turning point.<\/p>\n
Instead of falling further behind, Australia moved quickly into attacking territory, with Tedesco again instrumental in creating an opportunity for Trbojevic.<\/p>\n
The Manly star crossed for his first try of the evening, bringing the scores level at 16-16.<\/p>\n
A Sam Walker penalty goal subsequently restored Australia\u2019s lead, but the Kangaroos still faced considerable resistance from a Fijian side refusing to surrender.<\/p>\n
Trbojevic\u2019s hat-trick changes the game<\/p>\n
The contest finally swung towards Australia during a devastating attacking spell midway through the second half.<\/p>\n
Trbojevic collected a deflected kick from Tedesco and crossed for his second try before completing his hat-trick only minutes later.<\/p>\n
His third followed a sweeping attacking movement that stretched the tiring Fijian defence.<\/p>\n
Within a short period, Australia had transformed an intensely competitive contest into a 30-16 advantage.<\/p>\n
Yet Fiji still had one more response.<\/p>\n
Valemei completed his own hat-trick after another outstanding contribution from Donoghoe, narrowing the deficit to 30-22 and keeping the possibility of a dramatic comeback alive.<\/p>\n
The final decisive moment came when Jacob Preston powered through the defence for Australia\u2019s sixth try.<\/p>\n
Walker added the conversion, securing the 36-22 result and confirming the Kangaroos\u2019 progression to the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Donoghoe named player of the match<\/p>\n
Despite finishing on the losing side, Fiji\u2019s Kurt Donoghoe received the player-of-the-match award following an exceptional individual performance.<\/p>\n
The five-eighth played a central role in three of Fiji\u2019s tries, combining accurate passing, powerful running and intelligent attacking decisions.<\/p>\n
His partnership with Wakeham and captain Api Koroisau repeatedly unsettled the Australian defence.<\/p>\n
Fiji\u2019s performance represented a significant statement of its growing competitiveness on the international stage.<\/p>\n
The Bati entered the contest as overwhelming outsiders, but their determination, physical strength and attacking confidence made them one of Australia\u2019s most challenging opponents of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Valemei\u2019s three tries further underlined the danger Fiji can pose to stronger-ranked opposition.<\/p>\n
Walters demands improvement<\/p>\n
While Australia celebrated another victory, coach Kevin Walters acknowledged that his side had considerable room for improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more from everyone,\u201d Walters admitted after the match.<\/p>\n
The coach praised Fiji\u2019s determination and recognised that his team had struggled to maintain control during several periods of the contest.<\/p>\n
Australia had already survived a narrow 24-22 victory against New Zealand in its opening World Cup match, and another difficult encounter has raised questions about its defensive consistency.<\/p>\n
Walters must also make important selection decisions ahead of the knockout stages.<\/p>\n
Tedesco\u2019s excellent return has intensified competition for the fullback position with Reece Walsh, while the combination in the halves remains under consideration.<\/p>\n
Sam Walker impressed on his international debut, although Cameron Munster\u2019s expected return will give Walters further options.<\/p>\n
The challenge now is to identify the strongest possible combination before Australia faces the tournament\u2019s remaining contenders.<\/p>\n
Kangaroos and Jillaroos heading for Sydney semi-finals<\/p>\n
With two victories from their opening two matches, Australia has secured qualification for the men\u2019s World Cup semi-finals.<\/p>\n
The Kangaroos will play at Sydney\u2019s Allianz Stadium on Sunday, November 8, with kick-off scheduled for 8:05 pm AEDT.<\/p>\n
The match will form part of a major double-header alongside Australia\u2019s women\u2019s national team, the Jillaroos, who are scheduled to begin their semi-final at 5:45 pm.<\/p>\n
Before then, the Kangaroos will complete their group-stage commitments against the Cook Islands in Townsville on October 31.<\/p>\n
Fiji, meanwhile, still has an opportunity to advance.<\/p>\n
The Bati will face New Zealand on the Gold Coast in their final group match, knowing that victory could keep their semi-final ambitions alive.<\/p>\n
After their performance against Australia, their chances of producing another major result cannot be dismissed.<\/p>\n
Victory secured, but questions remain<\/p>\n
For Australia, the result extends its unbeaten World Cup campaign and brings the defending champions another step closer to retaining their title.<\/p>\n
However, the contest also demonstrated that reputation and individual talent alone will not guarantee success against determined opposition.<\/p>\n
Fiji exposed weaknesses in Australia\u2019s defence, dominated significant periods of possession and demonstrated the ability to challenge the world\u2019s leading rugby league nations.<\/p>\n
The Kangaroos ultimately relied on the attacking brilliance of Trbojevic, the leadership of Tedesco and their greater depth to avoid defeat.<\/p>\n
For Fiji, the result was disappointing, but the performance offered genuine encouragement ahead of the decisive clash with New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Australia moves into the World Cup semi-finals, but Fiji leaves Brisbane having delivered a clear message: the gap between international rugby league\u2019s traditional powers and its emerging challengers is narrowing.<\/p>\n
ALLORA! ONLINE | SPORTS<\/p>\n
By the ALLORA! ONLINE Sports Desk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tom Trbojevic scores a spectacular second-half hat-trick as Australia overcomes a determined Fiji side in Brisbane. The defending…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":940712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-940711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=940711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/940712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=940711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=940711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=940711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}