Australia edged New Zealand 24-22 in a thrilling opening clash of the 2026 IRL Men’s Rugby League World Cup on Thursday, with debutant Jack Bostock scoring a sensational hat-trick to seal victory for the Kangaroos in front of a sell-out crowd of 41,255 at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.

The opening 40 minutes were fiercely contested, with both sides heading into the break locked at 10-10. However, it was Australian winger Bostock who stole the spotlight, producing a remarkable debut performance that ultimately proved decisive in a dramatic encounter.

New Zealand made a flying start, opening the scoring just three minutes. Jahrome Hughes’ high kick was palmed back by Isaiah Papali’i, who found Casey McLean with an offload. The centre raced towards the line and dived over to score the tournament’s opening score.

Australia responded almost immediately through Bostock. As New Zealand looked to attack out wide, the debutant intercepted a pass from Hughes and sprinted 80 metres downfield to score, bringing the Kangaroos back into the contest.

The Kiwis regained the lead after a goal-line drop-out went out on the full, with Jamayne Isaako converting the resulting penalty to make it 4-8.

Australia, chasing a fourth consecutive World Cup title, hit back around the half-hour mark when Manly star Tom Trbojevic produced a spectacular length-of-the-field effort to cross the line and put the Kangaroos ahead 10-8.

However, following the sin-binning of Australian centre Kotoni Staggs two minutes before the interval, Isaako kicked his second penalty goal to level the scores at 10-10 heading into the break.

New Zealand took advantage of its numerical superiority early in the second half, with more than a minute of Staggs’ sin-bin period remaining. Kalyn Ponga marked his debut with a try to put the Kiwis back in front at 10-16.

Just before the hour mark, New Zealand appeared to extend their advantage through Ronaldo Mulitalo, but the try was ruled out after a player was deemed offside during the kick chase.

Australia seized the opportunity to draw level moments later. Bostock rose above the defence to collect Cameron Munster’s pinpoint kick towards the corner and score his second try of the night. Reece Walsh added an outstanding conversion from the touchline to make it 16-16.

Ponga then produced another moment of individual brilliance just after the hour mark. Using sharp footwork to evade Walsh, the New Zealand fullback burst through the defensive line and powered over for his second try of the match. Isaako converted to restore the Kiwis’ lead at 16-22.

But the drama was far from over. Bostock helped carry Australia beyond its own 10-metre line before releasing Walsh with a perfectly timed flick pass. The fullback raced clear to score, although Latrell Mitchell was unable to convert, leaving New Zealand clinging to a narrow 20-22 advantage.

With just minutes remaining, Australia delivered the decisive blow. Munster once again sent a kick towards the corner, and Bostock rose to collect it before crossing the line for his third try of the match. The winger completed his hat-trick in spectacular fashion, giving the Kangaroos a dramatic late lead and sealing a memorable 24-22 victory.

Written by Brad Saxton