Australia beats New Zealand for league World Cup double

Jillaroos set the tone with a first-half demolition

Australia completed a Rugby League World Cup finals double over New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 15 November 2026, with the Jillaroos winning 34-10 and the Kangaroos winning 32-12.^[1] The result gave the host nation both senior trophies in Brisbane on the same afternoon and evening.

The women's final was settled before the interval. Winger Jaime Chapman scored three times in the opening half, with Shaylee Bent, Jessica Sergis and Tamika Upton also crossing as the Jillaroos surged to a 34-6 lead at the break.^[5] New Zealand prevented further scoring after half-time, though the contest had long been decided when the final whistle blew at 34-10.

Chapman's hat-trick took her tournament tally to 13 tries, equalling the record for a World Cup campaign and earning her the player-of-the-match award.^[6] Chapman said: "We had so many people turn up for us today and I hope we did our country and all of our families and our communities proud."^[6]

Chapman also pointed to the game's future, saying: "I just hope I can give a little girl a dream to play rugby league and give her the same opportunities I've had."^[6] The Jillaroos' win was their fourth consecutive women's World Cup title.^[2]

Kangaroos build a commanding lead and hold on

The men's final drew 52,461 fans to Suncorp Stadium, the largest crowd of the Brisbane double-header.^[2] Australia controlled large parts of the contest, reaching half-time at 24-6 through four first-half tries.

Liam Martin struck in the second minute, before Jack Bostock finished a Bradman Best tap-on. Best then scored himself after a chase-down tackle on Jahrome Hughes, and Martin crashed over again from a Tom Dearden short ball to put Australia in full command.^[3] Tom Trbojevic also crossed for Australia across the 80 minutes.^[2]

Casey McLean and Isaiah Papali'i scored for the Kiwis, with Papali'i's 66th-minute try cutting the margin to 28-12, before Bostock's second try sealed a 32-12 final scoreline.^[4]

What the coach said

Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters had flagged Australia's approach ahead of the final. "We've been building with our performances throughout the tournament and we're in a World Cup Final," Walters said. "This is where you want to be playing at your best and everything in our preparation has focused on getting the best performance on the biggest stage."^[7]

The Kangaroos' win was their fourth consecutive men's World Cup title and their 13th men's crown overall, according to the International Rugby League.^[2] Martin and Bostock finished as the leading try-scorers in the decider with two each.^[2]