Rugby League World Cup results: New Zealand reach both finals as Waaka scores hat-trick

The Rugby League World Cup results on Saturday 7 November sent both New Zealand teams into the finals. Stacey Waaka scored a hat-trick as the Kiwi Ferns beat Samoa 32-0, before the men defeated Tonga 34-10 at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, Australia.

The women secured their seventh successive final appearance. The men reached the decider for the first time since 2013, with Kalyn Ponga returning from a broken forearm to help overcome a spirited first-half challenge from Tonga.

Rugby League World Cup results: Saturday’s semi-finals

Competition	Match	Half-time	Full-time
Women’s	New Zealand vs Samoa	8-0	32-0
Men’s	New Zealand vs Tonga	12-10	34-10

Waaka hat-trick sends Kiwi Ferns into seventh final

Mackenzie Wiki opened the scoring inside two minutes, but Samoa’s physical defence and New Zealand handling errors prevented the Kiwi Ferns from pulling clear early.

Waaka collected a Raecene McGregor kick for her first try, helping establish an 8-0 interval lead. She scored again from another McGregor kick after the restart.

Mele Hufanga and Kaiyah Atai then crossed before Waaka completed her treble. McGregor added the final try, with New Zealand finishing on seven tries and two conversions.

The NRL’s semi-final report highlighted Waaka’s finishing and McGregor’s kicking as central to the victory.

New Zealand have now reached every women’s World Cup final. They won the first three tournaments, between 2000 and 2008, before losing the next three finals to Australia. Their most recent appearance ended in a 54-4 defeat at Old Trafford.

New Zealand beat Tonga after Ponga’s return

Ponga started at full-back just 23 days after breaking his forearm in the tournament opener. His kicking helped create first-half tries for Briton Nikora and Dane Gagai.

Between those scores, Jojo Fifita crossed twice to put Tonga ahead. Gagai’s try and Jamayne Isaako’s conversion restored New Zealand’s advantage before the break.

The Kiwis pulled away in the second half. Casey McLean and Jahrome Hughes scored before Xavier Willison and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad added late tries, completing a six-try victory.

As Reuters reported from Newcastle, New Zealand scored 22 unanswered second-half points despite deteriorating weather. They will now seek their first men’s World Cup title since 2008.

Rugby League World Cup finals: dates and UK kick-off times

Both finals take place on Sunday 15 November. New Zealand’s women await Australia or Fiji, while the men’s opponents will be Australia or Samoa.

Fixture	Date	UK kick-off
Women’s semi-final: Australia vs Fiji	Sunday 8 November	6.45am
Men’s semi-final: Australia vs Samoa	Sunday 8 November	9.05am
Women’s final: New Zealand vs Australia or Fiji	Sunday 15 November	5.15am
Men’s final: New Zealand vs Australia or Samoa	Sunday 15 November	8.35am

How to watch the Rugby League World Cup finals

Premier Sports holds the exclusive UK broadcast rights and will show both finals. The published UK television schedule confirms the kick-off times above, although the specific Premier Sports channels for the finals remain to be confirmed.

Our Rugby League World Cup semi-finals guide has further details on the remaining matches and UK viewing arrangements.