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.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
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