Australia claimed a record fourth women’s rugby league World Cup title with a 34-10 victory over New Zealand in Brisbane, according to a Yahoo Sports report.
The Jillaroos secured the result inside the opening 35 minutes by running in six tries to one, building a 24-0 lead. Jaime Chapman scored a hat-trick for Australia, crossing for her first try after just 125 seconds and adding two more before halftime.
The win extends Australia’s unbeaten run in World Cup matches to 16 games, a streak that began in July 2013.
Head coach Jess Skinner selected Jesse Southwell at stand-off, and the playmaker kicked five of her six conversion attempts.
“She’s so young – it’s quite scary,” said captain Isabelle Kelly. “As a centre, your job is to provide for your winger. Every single time she’s there, she executes and finishes to such a high standard.”
New Zealand struggled to contain the speed of the game in the opening period, conceding field position through a succession of errors and penalties. Following Chapman’s opening scores, Jess Sergis ran the length of the field for Australia’s fourth try, before Shannon Mato responded for New Zealand after back-to-back penalties against the hosts.
Chapman then evaded multiple tackles for a 60-metre individual try, and Tamika Upton crossed under the posts following slick passing from Abbi Church.
New Zealand improved defensively after the break and prevented Australia from scoring in the second half, eventually adding a consolation try through Mackenzie Wiki in the 70th minute.
“Mixed emotions – we obviously came with high hopes of playing really well,” said New Zealand head coach Ricky Henry.
“It was a game of two halves and that’s the frustrating part for us. We were able to get it back together in the second half but it was too little, too late.”
Chapman earned player of the match honors following a performance that included 151 metres, three line-breaks and seven tackle-busts. The 24-year-old returned to international competition after recovering from a spinal fracture sustained in February 2025.
“The fact she was able to get that down with three girls on her is incredible,” Kelly said. “Once you get her strides going, she’s very hard to stop. She’s had a lot of stuff going on the last few years and she’s really stepped up and owned that position.”
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