David Williams scored three tries on debut as Australia thrashed Papua New Guinea 46-6 yesterday to finish off the group stage of the rugby league World Cup with another dominating win.
The Australians, who beat New Zealand 30-6 and England 52-4, were again a class above the opposition, advancing untroubled to a semi-final against either Ireland or Fiji.
The Kiwis, who rallied to beat England 36-24 with five unanswered tries on Saturday, will go into a rematch with the English in next weekend’s semi-finals with added confidence.
But Australia remain hot favorites to win the cup.
The Kangaroos led 22-0 at halftime after 22-year-old winger Williams and center Joel Monaghan each scored twice in the opening 40 minutes.
Replacement back Scott Prince crossed twice after the break, including one off an intercept, to give the hosts a 34-0 lead in the 55th minute, putting the match beyond doubt.
It was a vast improvement for the Kumuls, who lost by 82 points in their last World Cup match against Australia and were in the toughest group of the tournament.
Papua New Guinea center Menzie Yere swooped on a Rod Griffin grubber kick in the 73rd minute to score a consolation try.
In the earlier match, Samoa thrashed France 42-10 in the playoff for 9th and 10th places.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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