Australia’s Wallaroos opened their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign with a crushing 73-0 win over Manusina Samoa in Manchester, delivering a statement performance at Salford Community Stadium.
The Wallaroos burst out of the blocks, scoring a try inside two minutes from a rolling maul and dominating both possession and territory in the opening ten minutes, by which time they had already crossed for three tries. Samoa’s discipline then became an issue, with prop Ana Mamea shown a yellow card around the mid-point of the first period.
Samoa’s best spell of the half came late, as they pressed close to the Wallaroos’ line, but a reversed penalty call following a dangerous clean-out nullified their momentum. Australia headed to the break up 45-0 after a dominant first 40 minutes.
After halftime, Samoa coach Mata’afa Ramsey Tomokino rang the changes, and Manusina enjoyed an extended spell of possession early in the second half. They reached the tryline but were held up over the line and then lost the ball, before a penalty gave Australia the ball back as the attack fizzled out.
Wallaroos skipper Cecilia Smith, who is of Samoan heritage, opened the scoring in the second period with a try in the 52nd minute to extend the advantage. Samoa continued to press, but their promising field position didn’t translate into points, with Australia repeatedly turning the ball over and stymying further incursions.
Samoa finished the match with 14 players after Melina Salale received a head contact sanction that was upgraded from a yellow card to a 20-minute red after a review. With Salale off the field, the Wallaroos added two more tries, sealing a 73-0 victory, their 11th try of the match.
Post-game, Manusina captain Sua Pauaraisa spoke emotionally to Sky Sport about the scale of the challenge and the work ahead. “Very disappointed with the result today but it’s always hard coming against teams like this that have been playing test matches and have been here before,” she said, adding that Samoa would “go back on the drawing board” and focus on England and their remaining pool game. “Just being far away from families and my kids back at home – it is disappointing, but I know we will be better.”
Wallaroos co-captain and player of the match Cecilia Smith praised her side for sticking to their plan and spreading the ball wide to counter Samoa’s physicality. “Starting debut at a world cup – pretty surreal feeling, and to get to play against my homeland makes it even more special,” she said. Fellow co-captain Emily Chancellor added that the team had aimed to start fast and that, in the second half, they had to weather Samoa’s attack and hold on.
The tournament opened with England defeating the USA 69-7 as part of a running narrative that New Zealand, the two-time defending champions, still loom large and are always a factor in Auckland’s landscape. For context, the 2025 World Cup pools place England, Australia, the USA and Samoa together in Pool A; Canada, Scotland, Wales and Fiji make up Pool B; New Zealand, Ireland, Japan and Spain in Pool C; and France, Italy, South Africa and Brazil in Pool D. The pool format features three rounds of round-robin play, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the knockout stage. Samoa qualified for their first World Cup since 2014 via the WXV 3 competition, underscoring the growth of Pacific nations in the women’s game.
What to watch next: the Wallaroos face a demanding schedule as Pool A action continues, including fixtures against England and the USA, with NZ time noted for scheduling. Samoa will look to rebound in their next pool game as they pursue a tougher test against England.
A note on the broader context: Fiji’s women’s XVs are also preparing for their own campaign, alongside major fixtures for the Wallaroos in the Pacific Four Series and other global showpieces, underscoring a rising wave of development and investment in women’s rugby across the region.
Overall, the result underlines Australia’s depth and intensity, while Samoa will take away lessons on discipline, execution near the line, and finishing against elite opposition. It sets a clear path for both teams as they navigate the rest of the pool stage with a focus on England and the USA in the days ahead, and with the World Cup continuing to showcase the rapid growth of women’s rugby globally.
Summary: The Wallaroos opened their World Cup with a dominant win, highlighting depth and tactical discipline, while Samoa regrouped after a challenging match and will focus on improvements ahead of their remaining pool fixtures. The tournament continues to shape the landscape of women’s rugby, particularly for Pacific nations aiming to challenge higher-ranked opposition.
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