When tournament favourites meet comparative minnows, you always hope for an upset or at least a performance that threatens to shake the foundations of the competition. Australia’s 84-0 victory over Scotland offered not even a hint that The Kangaroos would falter as they racked up try after try to little resistance from their opponents.
Nathan Cleary grounded an early grubber kick to give Australia an apparent early lead. The video referee chalked that one off as a Scotland hand had applied the pressure. But the reigning champions didn’t have to wait long. A Cleary pass found Josh Addo-Carr and the NRL’s fastest man raced over the line.
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Cleary came up with the assist again as his fine NRL form continued on the World Cup stage. Jack Wighton was the scorer before Cleary’s conversion added two. Angus Crichton added another with Cleary sticking it through the posts with Scotland yet to truly make it out of their own half.
Campbell Graham spun through to cap off a brilliant move started by James Tedesco. Cleary added one of his own and converted them both. This was truly men against boys as The ‘Roos didn’t so much stamp their authority as plant an Australian flag in the Coventry Building Society Arena pitch.
‘The Foxx’ was at it again with a stunning solo run down the flank. Addo-Carr has some motor on him and he used it to power down the wing, shaking off Scottish attention before touching down in the corner. Two points were added from Cleary to give this moment of blistering brilliance the full complement it deserved.
Wighton closed out the half with a try off a Liam Martin pass and Cleary, clearly in the kicking groove, converted once again. 40-0 was the half time score in what had become little more than an exhibition.
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Less than a minute into the second half and it was Tedesco’s turn to get on the scoresheet. A couple of dummies eased his path over and the conversion was almost a formality. Play had barely restarted when Ben Hunt went under the posts. The conversion was good and the whitewash was firmly taking shape.
Addo-Carr sealed his hat-trick, and Australia’s tenth try of the evening, with another demonstration of his rapid turn of pace. The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs man didn’t even need to hit top speed to leave the Scotland defence in his wake. Cleary slotted the goal from wide to bring the score to 58-0.
Graham went over again with complete ease. No Scotland player even reacted as he waltzed over the line to take The Kangaroos past the 60 mark. Cleary missed his first conversion since the first try of the night but at this point it was almost immaterial. The same could be said of a disallowed try that followed. Australia were confident that there was no way back for their opponents.
Matt Burton finished a slick passing move to continue the rout with Cleary lifting one over from a tight angle. Graham then completed his hat-trick, joining fellow wing-man Addo-Carr on three tries for the night. The try was converted as Australia sailed past the 70 mark.
Isaiah Yeo finished off a superb move with Hunt and Cameron Munster. It was a great way to cap off a brilliant debut for Yeo. Cleary converted to take the score to 80-0. Addo-Carr then sealed his fourth from an incredible pass between the legs by Burton. The NRL speedster nailed the kick and rush to score the try. A simply incredible end to this perfect performance.
There will be sterner tests ahead for Australia, but this was a complete performance. Not only did they score for fun, but the reigning champions also contained Scotland and snuffed out any semblance of an attacking threat. A simply stunning display that takes Australia through to the quarter-finals.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
