Australia made it three wins from three in the 2026 IRL Men's Rugby League World Cup group stages, producing their most convincing performance of the tournament with a commanding 66-6 victory over the Cook Islands in Townsville.

The Kangaroos finished top of Pool A in emphatic fashion, booking their place in the semi-finals after putting the Aitu to the sword with a devastating attacking display.

Despite the final scoreline, the Cook Islands showed plenty of fight early on and briefly threatened to make life uncomfortable for the tournament favourites.

After Australia opened the scoring, the Cook Islands hit back through Ruatapu Ngatikaura, who crossed from dummy-half to give his side a brief 6-4 advantage.

However, that proved to be the highlight of the evening for the Aitu.

Australia responded with authority, taking control of proceedings and heading into the half-time break with a commanding 28-6 lead.

The second half belonged entirely to the Kangaroos, who turned an already comfortable advantage into a comprehensive demolition job.

Winger Jack Bostock continued his outstanding tournament with another hat-trick, while Tom Trbojevic was equally destructive on the opposite flank, also crossing for three tries.

Forward Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was another standout performer, helping himself to two tries in a dominant individual display as Australia's attacking weapons repeatedly found space against a tiring Cook Islands defence.

Reece Walsh impressed at fullback, bringing plenty of energy and creativity to the Australian attack, while Tom Dearden strengthened his claims in the No.7 jersey with a composed performance.

Australia will take plenty of confidence from the performance as they turn their attention towards the knockout stages. After two closely fought victories against New Zealand and Fiji, the 66-6 result was exactly the statement the Kangaroos needed ahead of a much tougher semi-final assignment.

The world champions have finished the group stages unbeaten, with three victories from three matches, and remain firmly on course to defend their World Cup crown.