Australia 34-0 Lebanon: Kangaroos top Group A after win
Last Updated: 11/11/17 3:22pm
Australia ran in four second-half tries to cruise to a 34-0 win over Lebanon and maintain their 100 per cent record from the World Cup group games.
The Kangaroos led only 10-0 at half-time but cut loose after the break as the largely part-time Cedars began to tire, and will now turn their attention to Samoa in Friday's first quarter-final in Darwin.
However, coach Mal Meninga will face an anxious wait to see if front row forwards David Klemmer and Aaron Woods will be available for that game after both men were put on report by English referee James Child for suspect tackles.
Cameron Munster, playing at centre, gave Australia the perfect start with the first of his two tries but they encountered initial stiff resistance from a Lebanon team urged on by a passionate following among the 21,127 crowd at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Stand-off James Maloney scored a second try on 25 minutes and captain Cameron Smith added a conversion before sitting out the second half.
The Cedars kept plugging away but they suffered a blow when experienced forward Chris Saab, who missed the opening two games after being concussed in the warm-up, went off with a head knock midway through the first half.
Munster scored his second try nine minutes into the second half and Maloney carved out others for second rower Boyd Cordner and winger Dane Gagai before centre Tom Trbojevic added a sixth two minutes from the end.
Maloney kicked three goals from four attempts after taking over the kicking duties from Smith.
Despite their defeat, Lebanon will go through as the third-placed team from Group A to play Tonga in the quarter-finals next Saturday.
