By Brian Lowe 

Australia and England will meet in the final of the Rugby League World Cup after contrasting victories in the semifinals.

The Australians cruised into the final with a 54-6 thrashing of Fiji in the first semi on Friday night in Brisbane, but it was the second and spectacular semi the following day in Auckland, New Zealand, that lit up the RLWC.

Tonga nearly stuns England

England's 20-18 win over Tonga at a sold-out Mt. Smart stadium had it all – drama, excitement, and a controversial finish.

It started at a frenetic pace with both sides mounting wave after wave of attack that drew equally absorbing defense.

It took until the 10th minute for England to score first through its leading try-scorer Jermaine McGillvary. Fullback Gareth Widdop converted from the sideline for a 6-0 lead.

The crowd was easily pro-Tonga, and the very vocal Mate Ma’a fans urged on their idols. But as the game entered the second quarter it was evident the islanders had their work cut out for them as they fell behind 12-0.

It was a quality matchup that lived up to the voluminous pregame hype with both teams completing their sets under extreme pressure, and it kept the 30,000 fans on the edge of their seats throughout the entire contest.

England remained composed as the second half got underway, and its forwards began to gain the ascendancy, making good yards with every set.

A successful Widdop penalty goal stretched the English lead to 14-0, prompting Tonga coach Kristian Wolf to make his move in the 53rd minute by reintroducing his main strike weapons, Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita, to break England’s wall-like defense.

The passionate Tongan fans broke into song at full voice to try to lift their team, which enhanced the marvelous atmosphere; however, it was the Lions who responded when center John Bateman scored their third and ultimately game-sealing try. Widdop’s extras made it 20-0, and the Tongans were seemingly dead and buried with around seven minutes to go.

But just when it looked to be all over, Tonga found something deep from within and scored three quick-fire tries, by Tevita Pangai Jr., Siliva Havili, and Tuimoala Lolohea. Suddenly it was game on at 20-18 inside the closing two minutes.

England was hanging on for dear life as the match ended in controversy when Fifita appeared to have had the ball stripped in a one-on-one tackle as he crashed towards the line only to pick it up and dot down on the last play of the game. The referee ruled it a loose carry and didn’t refer it to the video ref.

Replays showed that it probably could have been.

At the end of an enthralling 80 minutes, it was a very relieved England that qualified for its first Rugby League World Cup final since 1995.

“It’s a great feeling,” said man-of-the match Gareth Widdop. “To our credit we fought to the end and got the victory, but they deserve a lot credit.”

Roos Roll

In stark contrast, Australia dominated Fiji in the first semifinal the previous night.

The game was marked by Kangaroos winger Valentine Holmes setting another new record for most tries scored by an Australian in a Test match after bagging six of the 10 tries posted.

Holmes' record-breaking effort came just one week after he had set the previous best mark of five tries in a Test in Australia’s pounding of Samoa in the quarterfinals.

His efforts also equaled the record set by New Zealander Hugh McGahan, who scored six tries for the Kiwis in a Test in 1983.

Another unusual statistic from Friday’s semi was that only three players were responsible for all 10 tries. Fullback Billy Slater and right winger Dane Gagai each chimed in with a brace.

The Bati opened the game with unrelenting pressure and were soon in front 2-0 on the back of an early penalty right in front of the posts, but it was to be a very short-lived lead and they trailed 22-2 at halftime.

In general, the Fijians lacked structure, and apart from their opening offensive flurry, they were flat. They had clearly peaked the week before when they knocked New Zealand out of the tournament in the quarterfinals.

Fiji's big-game player, Jarryd Hayne, a former punt returner for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, had a very quiet night by his standards.

A number of his passes were miscues, and while his kicking in general play was OK, for the most part he was lethargic on offense.

And that pretty much summed up Fiji’s night. The big hits on defense from a week earlier were missing, as was the team's customary offensive flair. The Fijians simply had no answers to the rampaging Kangaroos.

The mistake Fiji made was trying to play Australia at its own game. By trying to match the Kangaroos’ speed at the play-the-ball and from dummy half, instead of slowing the game down, the Bati actually played into the Aussies’ hands and that cost them dearly.

It was the third consecutive World Cup in which Australia has stopped Fiji in the semifinals, and each time it has been by a big margin.

However, on a positive note, RLWC 2017 also marked the first time that the Fijians have won back-to-back games at a World Cup notching four straight W’s along the way.

They also broke Australia’s streak of not conceding any second-half points at this World Cup by scoring their only try in the second 40.

“We’re always confident that when we’re holding the footy we’ve got skillful players in our team that can score points,” Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith said during his post-match press conference.

The RLWC2017 final is set for Saturday night in Brisbane.

England fans will be hoping the Lions didn’t play their Grand Final on Saturday.

— Brian Lowe has been writing about Rugby League and Rugby Union in the USA and worldwide for 20 years. See his latest work covering the Rugby League World Cup here on FloRugby.