'That's Reece' - World Cup semi-final brings out best and worst of Walsh

ByEmma Smith

BBC Sport journalist

On a fractious nighttime successful Sydney, it was nary astonishment to spot Reece Walsh astatine the centre of the enactment – for amended oregon worse.

The full-back scored 3 of Australia's 8 tries arsenic they bushed Samoa 44-12 to scope a 16th successive men's Rugby League World Cup final.

His 2 second-half tries helped support a burgeoning Samoa comeback astatine bay, portion his first-half effort demonstrated his accomplishment and showmanship.

On 32 minutes, Walsh administered the harshest of punishments connected Samoa for the smallest magnitude of antiaircraft laxity, racing done the tiniest spread connected the near to score.

In beforehand of astir 40,000 spectators, the Kangaroos' fig 1 celebrated with a backflip.

It was the benignant of solemnisation you expect from a antheral erstwhile christened by Australian Rugby League Commission president Peter V'landys arsenic "the Justin Bieber of rugby league" and "charisma connected steroids".

But portion thrilling the fans, it gives kittens to those successful charge. Walsh mislaid his footwear during the flip; erstwhile sitting down to enactment it backmost on, TV commentators fretted helium had injured himself.

Australia manager Kevin Walters pointedly said determination would beryllium nary backflips successful the 2nd fractional during a half-time interrogation – and so Walsh reined himself in.

"That's conscionable Reece," Walters told the post-match media conference. "He ever brings up thing you don't expect.

"The backflip was nary different. Impressive though. He did it for immoderate sick kids. They each asked him to bash a backflip if helium scored a try, truthful you can't truly beryllium against that erstwhile he's putting a grin connected kids' faces."

More concerning for Walters volition beryllium the mistakes Walsh made arsenic helium got swept up successful the feverish atmosphere.

Two minutes earlier Walsh's archetypal try, Samoa's Stephen Crichton appeared to person grounded to adjacent the people to 16-6 aft Francis Manuleleua had beaten the Aussie full-back to a precocious ball.

A slow-motion replay led to the debatable decision Manuleleua had knocked on. Whether the close telephone oregon not, it was a monolithic let-off for Walsh.

Samoa began to suffer their heads soon after, with a large flashpoint coming aft Walsh was ruled to person been dangerously tackled. It was Walsh himself who instigated the ruck aft the incident.

Walsh rapidly responded aft some Samoan scores, keeping them astatine arm's magnitude portion scoring his archetypal planetary hat-trick.

He needed to aft the archetypal one, arsenic Crichton did get his effort successful the 2nd fractional aft Walsh dropped a bomb.

Magic and mistakes spell manus successful hand, which is the hazard Walters has taken by preferring Walsh astatine full-back to James Tedesco - who was subordinate of the lucifer arsenic helium helped Sydney Roosters triumph past month's NRL Grand Final.

"That's Reece," Walters repeated erstwhile asked astir the errors. "He brings large worldly to the team.

"His catching of the precocious ball, it's hard and sometimes you don't get a clasp of them. He didn't contiguous but it's not truly thing we've got excessively overmuch interest with."

Victory maintains Australia's 100% grounds astatine this tournament, with 170 points scored crossed 4 matches.

Their past decision astatine a World Cup was against New Zealand successful the 2008 final. They person won 22 consecutive games since then, winning the past 3 tournaments.

To debar a repetition of 2008 erstwhile the conscionable the Kiwis successful Brisbane adjacent Sunday, they volition request Walsh astatine his champion to woody with the returned Kalyn Ponga.

New Zealand full-back Ponga, who battled connected for 20 minutes with a breached limb successful their thrilling 24-22 opening crippled decision by Australia, remarkably returned for the semi-final against Tonga connected Saturday and produced a man-of-the-match display.

In that opener backmost connected 15 October, Walsh delivered a superb try-saving tackle connected other fig Ponga during the archetypal fractional earlier scoring with a sensational 60-metre burst to laic the level for the Kangaroos' last-gasp victory.

That was contempt the information that, successful the run-up to the World Cup, Walsh had not played for 8 weeks due to the fact that of an ankle injury.

Afterwards helium was vomiting successful the changing room due to the fact that of the effort, according to Walters. He whitethorn request to plunge those depths again.

"We each cognize Kalyn," said Walters. "He's a world-class player; helium showed that past night.

"For the players, it's been astir what we tin bash arsenic a team. If we get that right, I'm blessed with that."

For Samoa, a 2nd successive World Cup ends successful decision by Australia, aft being beaten 30-10 successful the last 4 years ago.

The 2 nations person met six times, with Australia winning each six.

But this 1 wounded more. Samoa intelligibly felt they could win, arsenic their ultra-aggressive Siva Tau warfare creation pre-match proved – getting close successful the Australian faces, adjacent forehead to forehead successful immoderate cases.

But they were aggrieved by immoderate debatable refereeing decisions, including 2 disallowed tries – Crichton successful the archetypal half, past Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow denied with 10 minutes to spell aft interaction betwixt Manuleleua and Liam Martin was deemed illegal.

It bubbled implicit soon earlier the break, erstwhile Spencer Leniu was sin-binned for dissent by Australian referee Adam Gee.

"You guys saw the game. You study connected it," was Samoa manager Ben Gardiner's terse effect to questions astir the decisions.

On whether his broadside outgo themselves with a deficiency of discipline, helium said: "I'm not rather sure.

"On the backmost of immoderate of the penalties that were given, we conscionable didn't respond precise well. There was 1 happening into different and past a try. It made it hard to beryllium capable to combat backmost from that.

"And past to beryllium down by 18 points, 20 points astatine half-time, to pursuit backmost from that... I thought we did good successful the 2nd fractional to combat back.

"But past again, we scored a effort and gave up different 1 consecutive away. We bounced disconnected excessively galore tackles successful that aboriginal period, missed excessively galore tackles successful the crippled successful general.

"That had thing to bash with the emotion. That's a Test match, that's what you do. It's physical, there's propulsion and shove, basal your ground."