The Rugby League World Cup semi-finals are locked in following a thrilling final round of pool matches, with Dolphins representatives delivering standout performances as four nations continue their pursuit of World Cup glory.
England opened Round 3 in Wollongong with a must-win clash against Papua New Guinea, knowing they needed a convincing victory to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
Dolphins duo Herbie Farnworth and Morgan Knowles featured for England as they raced to an early 22-0 lead before the Kumuls fought back.
Despite securing the win, England’s semi-final hopes rested on Tonga defeating Samoa by a significant margin, bringing their World Cup campaign to an end.
Saturday saw Australia and New Zealand secure convincing victories to continue their momentum heading into the knockout stages.
Dolphins outside back Jack Bostock delivered another standout performance for the Kangaroos, crossing for a sensational hat-trick as Australia continued their unbeaten World Cup campaign.
The Kangaroos will now turn their attention to a semi-final showdown against Samoa, with Bostock looking to carry his impressive form into the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, New Zealand continued their strong campaign, setting up a blockbuster semi-final against Tonga in Newcastle on Friday night.
But it was the highly anticipated clash between Tonga and Samoa that stole the spotlight in Round 3.
In front of a record CommBank Stadium crowd of 29,411, the two Pacific nations went head-to-head in one of the most thrilling encounters of the tournament.
Led by Dolphins Head Coach Kristian Woolf, Tonga secured a dramatic 20-18 victory over Samoa, with a late try from Addin Fonua-Blake proving decisive.
The result sees Tonga advance to the semi-finals, where they will face New Zealand for a place in the World Cup final.
Despite the narrow defeat, Samoa also progressed to the knockout stages, with Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and forwards Francis Molo and Connelly Lemuelu turning their attention to a showdown against Australia.
The clash will be a rematch of the 2022 Rugby League World Cup final, where Australia claimed a 30-10 victory over Samoa in Manchester
With four nations remaining and Dolphins representatives still in contention, the stage is set for two blockbuster semi-finals as the race for World Cup glory reaches its final stages.
