New Zealand beat Fiji 78–0, Australia beat Cook Islands 66–6 with hat tricks for Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic, and England beat Papua New Guinea 34–12. England can reach the semi-finals only if Tonga beats Samoa by more than 46 points.
New Zealand beat Fiji in round 3 of the men’s Rugby League World Cup on 31 October 2026, while Australia completed its win over Cook Islands in Townsville.
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| New Zealand–Fiji | 78–0 |
| Australia–Cook Islands | 66–6 |
| England–Papua New Guinea | 34–12 |
Australia’s Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic each scored a hat trick—three tries in the same match—against Cook Islands.
The Guardian said New Zealand winger Ronaldo Mulitalo was red-carded for a high tackle that could keep him out of the following week’s action. Fiji’s Brandon Wakeham was sent off for punching Mulitalo after the incident, and Api Koroisau broke his jaw in the first half.
England’s opening loss to Tonga left it needing large winning margins in its remaining group games. It then beat France 82–0.
Against Papua New Guinea, England led 22–0 after 22 minutes.
Australia’s 36–22 win leaves Fiji needing to beat New Zealand to keep its semi-final hopes alive.
England can reach the semi-finals only if Tonga beats Samoa by more than 46 points. The Tonga–Samoa result will therefore determine whether England meets its remaining qualification condition.
3 min
This update adds New Zealand's 78–0 win over Fiji, the red cards and Koroisau's broken jaw, while clarifying England's remaining qualification condition and Australia's upcoming match.
Correction ·
The Armenian version now matches the English.
