Halse Shines in World Cup Debut: Australia Crushes Samoa 73-0

Dream debut for Caitlyn Halse at the Women’s Rugby World Cup

Young Caitlyn Halse, 18, described her World Cup debut as “surreal” and “amazing” after Australia beat Samoa with a score of 73-0 at the start of their participation. Halse, originally from Picton, New South Wales, became the youngest Australian player to participate in a Women’s Rugby World Cup, and celebrated the occasion with two tries in a historic victory for the Wallaroos. With 11 international matches under his belt before the tournament, Halse revealed that his goal was to be part of the World Cup team from the beginning of 2024, a dream that came true at the Salford Stadium. “I’d say it’s surreal. Going out on the field, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a stadium with so many fans watching me play.”Caitlyn HalseAdditionally, Halse added: “It was very exciting, but definitely surreal to be there.”

“Since I was included in that team, I wasn’t sure about coming, but once I joined the team, it’s been something I’ve been working towards. Being here is truly amazing.” Despite the high score, the Wallaroos managed to keep their goal at zero, despite the pressure from Samoa, especially in the second half. Halse commented that this resilience will give them confidence for the crucial match against the United States next week.

“It was a full 80-minute match, they [Samoa] are very tough, they had a lot of opportunities, but we stopped them. We can take a lot of confidence from that,” she said.

Caitlyn Halse

“They [United States] are going to be tough. More tactical than Samoa, but they will be in it for the 80 minutes and I think we have to stick to what we do well.” When they unleashed their offensive and expansive game, Australia was unstoppable, with Halse’s brace and Desiree Miller’s hat-trick in the first half, demonstrating what the team is capable of when they run with the ball. Along with right-winger Maya Stewart, they form a back line capable of scoring points, despite the injury absence of sevens star Charlotte Caslick before leaving Australia. “Unfortunately, we lost Charlotte before the tournament due to an ankle injury, but we have strong finishers like Desiree and Maya, and today me,” said Halse. “We have strong backs, so we hope to be able to keep building on that and put the ball in their hands a little more.”