Chapman breaks World Cup try record as Australia win fourth straight Women's Rugby League World Cup
Jaime Chapman scored a first-half hat-trick to reach 13 tries for the tournament as the Jillaroos beat New Zealand 34-10 in the Brisbane final.
Australia won a record fourth consecutive Women's Rugby League World Cup, beating New Zealand 34-10 in the final at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on 15 November. The Jillaroos scored six tries in the first 35 minutes to put the match out of New Zealand's reach.
Australia led 12-0 after seven minutes, 24-0 after 20 and 34-6 after 35, according to the Guardian. The second half brought only a consolation try for New Zealand.
Chapman's record night
Winger Jaime Chapman was the star. Her first-half hat-trick took her tournament tally to 13 tries, the most by an individual at a World Cup, the Guardian reports. She has 18 tries from 10 Tests.
Her first try came after 125 seconds, according to BBC Sport, following a New Zealand error, when she overpowered three defenders on the left wing. Her third came from a 60-metre run. Shaylee Bent and Jess Sergis also scored, and the BBC lists Upton among the try-scorers. Abbi Church was also involved in the build-up to a later try. Shannon Mato and Wiki scored for New Zealand, and Kiria-Ratu kicked a goal. Jesse Southwell kicked five goals for Australia.
Records and a dominant run
Australia are unbeaten in 16 World Cup matches, a run going back to July 2013, BBC Sport says. The only real scare came in the semi-final against Fiji, when they trailed at a World Cup for the first time in 13 years before winning 30-14. They scored 306 points and conceded 30 across the tournament.
At the interval Australia were on course to challenge New Zealand's 58-0 winning margin from the 2003 final. The sides then largely cancelled each other out.
Kiwi Ferns fall short
New Zealand went into the final as underdogs, having not beaten Australia in three years. They had beaten Samoa 32-0 in the semi-final, but the Guardian says errors and poor discipline cost them in the first half.
Australia coach Jess Skinner dropped half-back Jocelyn Kelleher on matchday in favour of 21-year-old Jesse Southwell, and the change did not hurt the favourites.
New Zealand's last World Cup final win came in 2008, when they beat the Jillaroos 34-0 at the same venue, the Guardian notes.
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