Australia Women Make Stunning Start at Rugby World Cup with Record Win Over Samoa

Australia opened their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, crushing Samoa 73-0 in Salford on Saturday.

The Wallaroos were unstoppable, running in 11 tries, with winger Desire Miller scoring a first-half hat-trick. Their dominant display set a new World Cup record for the team, surpassing their previous highest score of 62 points against South Africa in 2006 and their biggest winning margin of 62-0 against the same opponents in 2010.

The victory came just a day after hosts and tournament favourites England thrashed the United States 69-7 in Sunderland, making it two one-sided Pool A results in two days. Thanks to their bigger points margin, Australia now top the group ahead of England.

Full-back Caitlyn Halse, only 18 years old and the youngest Australian ever to play at a Women’s World Cup, lit up the match with a superb solo try in the first half.

For Samoa, ranked 15th in the world, the game was always going to be a tough challenge. This is their first World Cup appearance since 2014, and with many players having to fund their own participation, questions had been raised about their competitiveness. The expanded 16-team tournament has also made heavy defeats more likely in the early stages.

Looking ahead, Australia’s commanding win sets up a crucial clash with the United States next week that could decide who joins England in the quarter-finals. Samoa, meanwhile, face the daunting task of taking on England in their next game — with the Red Roses expected to rotate their squad but still field a formidable side.