Iro tips Kiwis to win World Cup as Aitu bow out with loss to Kangaroos

Cook Islands captain KL Iro installed New Zealand as World Cup favourites after Australia scored a 60-point win on Saturday night which featured probably their best 20 minutes of the tournament.

Halfback Tom Dearden and fullback Reece Walsh each did their semi-final selection prospects no harm as the World Cup holders turned a 28-6 halftime lead into a commanding 60-6 advantage - before spinning their tyres to an extent once more.

Wingers Jack Bostock and Tom Trbojevic each finished with hat-tricks in front of 19,172 fans.

But last Sunday in Christchurch the Kiwis downed the Kukis 82-16 and when asked his tournament favourite, Cronulla’s Iro said: “I think you can’t go past New Zealand. Obviously, Australia … I think that’s going to be the grand final.

“At the end of the day it’s going to come down to who backs up, I think. But I’m backing New Zealand.”

Australia's form has been a talking point since the tournament opened on October 15 but coach Kevin Walters played a straight bat over that issue and team selections, saying of the latter: “I’ll make a decision in the next few days.

“I keep telling everyone but you seem to think I’m a bullshitter, I’m lying to you. I haven’t made any decisions around who’s playing where. We give players opportunities.

“I feel the best way to get our players to play their best football is to give them opportunities and let them express themselves - and I feel I’ve done that with our players.

“Now I’ll sit down with our leaders and the like and we’ll come up with a team for this week."

Asked if the green and golds had “another gear”, captain Isaah Yeo said: “I’d like to think so.

“I feel like our best footy’s still in front of us. There’s been a lot made (of our form) over the last few weeks but ultimately we’re into the finals with three wins.

“Last game against Fiji there were areas we wanted to fix and I thought we fixed them tonight. We’re learning lessons while we’re still winning.

“We’re chasing our best game and you need to do that in the finals and that’s why there’s some pressure in and around that. It’s who plays their best game in those moments.

“I’d like to think we’ve got another gear in us but I’m happy with tonight.”