Australia beat Wales 124-6 to set international rugby league scoring record

Australia beat Wales 124-6 in Sydney at the Women's Rugby League World Cup, scoring 21 tries as they continued their pursuit of a fourth consecutive title. According to BBC Sport's match report, the total was the highest ever recorded in an international rugby league match, while the 118-point margin set a record for the women's game.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlXgsHh23qc

Jaime Chapman scored six tries, with her final effort in the last minute taking Australia beyond the previous international scoring record: Denmark men's 122-8 victory over Sweden in 2012. Jessica Sergis contributed four tries and Jesse Southwell kicked 20 goals. The winning margin remained short of the men's record, established by France when they defeated Serbia 120-0 in 2003.

Wales initially resisted before Olivia Kernick opened the scoring in the sixth minute, finishing after an offload from Makenzie Weale. Chapman went on to complete a first-half hat-trick as Australia built a 60-0 lead. BBC Sport reported that no team had previously held such a large half-time advantage in either the men's or women's World Cup.

Australia's control of the ball left Wales with little opportunity to respond. The Jillaroos had 84% of first-half possession and completed 21 of their 22 sets. Their time in possession approached 13 minutes, compared with two minutes and 29 seconds for Wales. Abbi Church, Southwell, Sergis, Kezie Apps and Sariah Paki also scored before the interval.

Keilee Joseph added another try just over a minute into the second half, and Australia's attack continued to produce points. A conversion following Sergis' fourth try moved the Jillaroos past their previous record score, the 92-0 win against France at the 2022 World Cup. Tamika Upton's breakaway try and the subsequent conversion then brought up 100 points.

Wales nevertheless secured a moment to celebrate when Paige Travis reached Tayla Preston's kick to score with her side trailing 100-0. They became the first team to score against Australia in this tournament. Further Australian tries followed, but Wales captain Bethan Dainton praised her players' refusal to give up and said their ambition had been to leave a legacy for young girls at home.