{
  "id": 14702897,
  "title": "Holders Australia edge New Zealand 24-22 to open Rugby League World Cup",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/holders-australia-edge-new-zealand-24-22-to-open-rugby-league-world",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-15T13:20:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/10/1556404/holders-australia-edge-new-zealand-24-22-open-rugby-league-world-cup"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sydney: In a thrilling Rugby League World Cup opener, Australia defeated New Zealand 24-22 on Thursday at the Sydney Football Stadium. The 12-time champion Kangaroos, heavy favorites, were pushed to the limit but managed to secure a narrow victory thanks to a hat-trick from Jack Bostock. New Zealand took the lead early when centre Casey McLean scored a sensational try off a high kick. Despite this early setback, Australia's Bostock intercepted a pass and scored to level the score. With a man in the sin-bin, Australia conceded an early second-half try and struggled before Bostock's four-minute blitz kept them in contention. New Zealand captain James Fisher-Harris praised Australia's resilience, describing the match as \"a hell of a battle\" and expressing pride in his team's performance. Unfortunately for New Zealand, star player Kalyn Ponga may miss the rest of the tournament with a possible broken arm.",
  "summary": "SYDNEY: Jack Bostock bagged a hat-trick on debut as Australia edged New Zealand 24-22 to kick off their Rugby League World Cup defence with a thrilling victory on Thursday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Australia edge New Zealand in epic World Cup opener",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/australia-edge-new-zealand-in-epic-world-cup-opener",
        "published": "2026-10-15T11:32:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Australia edge New Zealand in epic World Cup opener",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/australia-edge-new-zealand-in-epic-world-cup-opener-14685440",
        "published": "2026-10-15T11:45:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}