Samoa seek revenge as Australia drop Tedesco for World Cup semi-final

Toa Sāmoa co-captains Jarome Luai and Junior Paulo lead their squad ahead of the Rugby League World Cup semi-final against defending champions Australia in Sydney on Sunday, driven by a desire to settle an old score from the 2022 final. Four years after losing that grand final with a 30-10 defeat, skipper Junior Paulo stated that while the pain still burns for those present then, the current squad is keen to move forward and find ways to motivate themselves without letting past losses hinder their preparation.

Samoa enter this high-stakes match as underdogs after suffering a bruising 20-18 loss to Tonga in their final pool game but have made only one change to their side, with Ronald Volkman replacing the injured Chanel Harris-Tavita at five-eighth. Australia's coaching staff has also revealed significant changes ahead of Sunday night's clash at Allianz Stadium; Kevin Walters confirmed that James Tedesco will not start at fullback and is being dropped from the bench entirely in favor of Sam Walker.

Walters' selection decisions have raised eyebrows throughout the tournament, as several key players who did not play finals footy in 2026 are preferred over those with stronger recent form. Notably, Reece Walsh, Tom Dearden, and Harry Grant were chosen despite having patchy seasons that prevented them from lifting their teams into the top eight.

The semi-final will determine which team advances to face New Zealand in the final against Brisbane next weekend, marking a potentially historic upset if Australia does not secure the spot.