Kiwis secure dominant 82-16 victory over Cook Islands

The Kiwis defeated the Cook Islands 82-16 in their second Rugby League World Cup match at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch. Despite the large margin, the Kiwis struggled in a clunky first half where they conceded three quick tries to Cook Islands winger Esom Ioka. The match was played before a crowd of 25,000, the largest for a test match in the South Island.

Canterbury-linked players led the scoring, with Jamayne Isaako recording a hat-trick and 11 or 13 goals. Local debutant Tanner Stowers-Smith also scored two tries. The Kiwis' dominance saw them score 70 unanswered points over the final three quarters of the game.

Coach Stacey Jones faces concerns regarding his team's defensive lapses, specifically their susceptibility to intercept tries and aerial pressure. The Kiwis have now conceded four intercepts across two World Cup matches. The team will look to improve these areas before their next pool match against Fiji on the Gold Coast.

How it developed

• Sun 25 Oct, 8:05pmThe report provided a full list of try scorers and specific match statistics.
• Sun 25 Oct, 8:30pmThe report provided an analysis of the Kiwis' defensive weaknesses regarding intercepts and high balls.

Where reports differ

• Reports differ on the exact number of goals scored by Jamayne Isaako, citing either 11 or 13.

Compiled from reports by The Press, Stuff and The Post.