With the Kiwis leading 22-20 and the clock ticking down inside Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Thursday night, Jack Bostock out-jumped New Zealand’s Jamayne Isaako, brought the ball down and completed a debut hat-trick that pulled defending champions Australia across the line with less than four minutes to play.

The Dolphins flyer, picked for his first Test appearance, finished the game as man of the match. He ran 231 metres across the night and became the first Kangaroo to score three tries on debut since Campbell Graham against Scotland at the 2022 World Cup.

Kiwis set the tone, then let it slip

New Zealand had the better of the opening exchanges and jumped ahead inside the first five minutes through Casey McLean. The Kiwis then stayed in front for long stretches, with Kalyn Ponga crossing twice in the second half to put his side 22-20 up heading into the final quarter.

Ponga’s night ended with him on the sideline. The fullback, who switched allegiance from Australia and was playing his first Test for the Kiwis, was forced off with an arm injury late in the match, a blow that extends well beyond this result for New Zealand coach Stacey Jones.

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Australia hit back through Trbojevic, Walsh and Bostock

Tom Trbojevic had kept the Kangaroos in touch during the first half with an intercept try. Reece Walsh crossed in the second half before being physically sick on the field, leaving him unable to attempt his own conversion. His halves partner Mitchell Moses limped off early in the second half with a calf complaint.

Kotoni Staggs was also sin-binned in the first half for a professional foul. Yet Australia, defending champions and holders since 2013, found a way back in a game they entered as heavy favourites.

James Fisher-Harris, captaining New Zealand, acknowledged the margin after the final whistle, as reported by Mansfield Radio.

“That’s Test footy. For the full 80 we were battling. Much respect to Australia, a few moments went their way.”

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Record intact, favourites tag intact

The win extended Australia’s dominance over their trans-Tasman rivals to 19 World Cup victories against two defeats across the fixture’s history. Head coach Mal Meninga’s side arrived in Sydney seeking a fourth consecutive title, and the two competition points keep that bid firmly on track despite the scare.

For New Zealand, the loss is damaging but not fatal. The Kiwis still have two more Group A fixtures to come, with Fiji and the Cook Islands completing the pool. Under the tournament’s new structure, the top two sides from Group A advance directly to the semi-finals.

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