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The group stage of the Rugby League World Cup is in the books after a remarkable double-header to finish things off.
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stage → finish → things
Lebanon's golden-point win over France and Tonga and Samoa's epic showdown were both classics, giving the tournament the close finishes that have been in short supply.
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that → give → supply
With Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa progressing to the semifinals, here are the quick hits from the final round of matches.
1.
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hits → progress → matches
No country in rugby league will see the sport transform in their nation from this World Cup to the next like Papua New Guinea.
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sport → see → Guinea
The entry of the PNG Chiefs to the NRL in 2028, with their near-limitless resources and game-bending salary cap concessions, will change the game in the land where they love it most.
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they → bend → it
So long as the Chiefs fulfil their promise of creating strong pathways for local talent to make it to the top level, it has the potential to change the national side forever.
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it → fulfil → side
The prospect of talents like five-eighth Gairo Voro, who scored a sharp solo try, or winger Dudley Dutoi, who got the better of England star Dom Young, getting regular NRL football is a tantalising one.
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getting → score → football
PNG's improvement over the past decade has been steady, but it is about to hit overdrive.
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it → hit → overdrive
This game against England might be the last dance for the Kumuls as we've come to know them.
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we → come → them
The New Zealand duo closing in on history
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duo → close → history
It was another Kiwi romp as New Zealand punished a Fiji side that struggled to backup from last week's fine performance against Australia, but amid the near-endless tries and ill-tempered flare-ups, Casey McLean and Jamayne Isaako continued their march towards history.
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McLean → punish → history
Isaako scored 26 points from a try and 13 goals from as many attempts to go with his 38 points against the Cook Islands the weeks before, and the winger is closing in on Shaun Johnson's all-time Kiwi pointscoring record.
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winger → score → record
The former Dolphin has 215 points from his 17 Tests, just 10 shy of Johnson's mark, and could claim top spot as early as the World Cup final if the points continue to flow for Stacey Jones's side.
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points → have → side
McLean has more work to do to run down Manu Vatuvei as the nation's highest-ever try-scorer, but he is making a cracking pace.
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he → have → pace
In just seven Tests, McLean has scored 15 tries to sit in equal-eighth spot on the all-time list.
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McLean → score → list
Every other player around him had at least 20 caps, and Vatuvei took 29 to collect his 23 tries.
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Vatuvei → have → tries
The second four-try haul of his budding career means that at just 20, McLean is odds on to become New Zealand's Test try-scoring king sooner rather than later.
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McLean → bud → 20
The Kangaroos are one of only two unbeaten sides heading into the knockout phase, but their hold on favouritism is shaky at best.
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hold → head → favouritism
Their brilliant win over New Zealand in the tournament opener had more than a few elements of fortune in their favour, especially the two length-of-the-field intercept tries that kept them in the game early on.
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that → have → game
They scratched their way past Fiji and romped home against the Cook Islands since, looking short of their best in both performances.
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They → scratch → performances
While they are always a threat, it feels as though all four nations in the semifinals are in with a chance of lifting the trophy rather than it being Australia's birthright.
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it → feel → trophy
Kevin Walters has a big decision to make at halfback between Tom Dearden and Sam Walker but seems to have settled on Reece Walsh as his custodian, and after the Broncos playmaker laid on five tries in this 66-6 mauling to go with his game-changing plays against the Kiwis, it's hard to argue.
4.
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it → have → Kiwis
After a tournament filled with blowouts, the epic finish between France and Lebanon shows what's possible when things line up right at the World Cup, as two winless teams desperate to restore some pride played out a classic.
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teams → fill → classic
This was two teams of similar skill levels in front of a rowdy and emotionally invested crowd at a venue that accentuated at least one of the fan bases.
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that → invest → bases
That's a simple recipe to follow, and while you won't always be rewarded with the epic finish of this golden point thriller, a new format that keeps teams like this together and therefore produces more of these match-ups is a must for 2030.
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that → follow → 2030
When that next tournament rolls around, plenty of tales from this game will be told, from Cesar Rouge's game-winning field goal controversially chalked off the board to Lebanon's remarkable extra-time try to Abbas Miski.
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plenty → roll → Miski
That score put the tragedy of French fullback Arthur Mourgue, a mad genius who doesn't always nail the genius part, into World Cup folklore after his remarkable field goal sent the game to extra time before a maniac kick inside his own 20 fell for the Cedars's winning try.
5.
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kick → put → try
The veteran Tonga cannot do without
Amid a match with a galaxy of stars that promised a glorious future for Samoa and Tonga, Tui Lolohea seemed the odd man out.
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Lolohea → do → Samoa
The Tongan veteran was the only player in the game who doesn't ply his trade in the NRL, and given his mercurial career, he might have seemed a weak link for the Mate Ma'a.
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he → ply → Ma'a
But after 12 seasons in the red jersey, Lolohea has proven himself an invaluable part of their rise to the top of Test football, and while they have more talent at their disposal than ever before, they always come back to him when it counts.
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it → prove → him
Along with Jason Taumalolo, Lolohea is the only man to have played in each of Tonga's most important wins over the past decade and always seems to defy critics when it matters most.
He is older and slower, but he always gives Tonga what they need — the 31-year-old, who currently doesn't have a club for next season, set up a try for Jojo Fifita with a clever floating pass and held up well in defence under heavy pressure from Samoa, who clearly targeted the former Huddersfield Giant.
With Latu Fainu fit and Talatau Amone in the squad, Tonga are not short of options in the halves, but Lolohea rewarded coach Kristian Woolf's faith yet again, as he always seems to do when it matters most.
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it → play → faith
The Aporia