MANCHESTER, England – 18-year-old Caitlyn Halse said her World Cup debut was “surreal” and “pretty bloody amazing” as Australia thumped Samoa 73-0 on Saturday to open their campaign.
Halse, from Picton, New South Wales, became the youngest Australian to play at a Women’s Rugby World Cup and marked the occasion with two tries in a record win for the Wallaroos.
With 11 caps under her belt heading into the tournament, Halse said she had her sights set on making the World Cup squad from the start of 2024, with her dream becoming a reality at Salford Stadium.
When asked about the experience, Halse told ESPN: “I’d probably say surreal. Just going out there, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a stadium with so many fans watching me play.
“It was so cool but definitely surreal to be out there.
“Since I got put in to that squad, I don’t think it’s been certain that I was coming but once I got into the squad it’s been something I’ve been working towards. To be here is pretty bloody amazing.”
While they piled on the points, the Wallaroos managed a complete shutout despite Samoa putting them under plenty of pressure, particularly in the second half. Halse said their resilience will give them plenty of confidence ahead of a crucial clash with the United States next week.
“It was a full 80-minute game, they’re [Samoa] so tough they had a lot of opportunities, but we stopped them. We can take a lot of confidence out of that,” she said.
“They’re [United States] going to be tough. More of a tactical side than Samoa but they’ll be in it for the full 80 again and I think we’ve just got to stick to what we’re good at.”
When they turned to their expansive, attacking rugby, Australia looked unstoppable with Halse’s double and Desiree Miller’s first half hat trick showing what the side is capable of when they run the ball.
Along with right winger Maya Stewart it’s a back-three capable of racking up the points despite losing sevens star Charlotte Caslick to injury prior to leaving Australia.
“Unfortunately we lost Charlotte before the tournament to an ankle injury, but we’ve got some strong finishers in Desiree and Maya and then myself today,” Halse said.
“We’ve got some strong outside backs so hopefully we can keep building on that and get the ball in their hands a bit more.”
