“This should be the final, what a game,” emails Ashley Baxter. “I’ve not watched rugby league for a long time after being brought up on it but moving to Wales my focus became Union. But this game is sensational.”

It still may well be the final, Ashley. What tonight’s result means (other than bragging rights) is the Kiwis will have the more difficult of the semi-finals.

The Kangaroos grind to halfway but again rely on Dearden to engineer some space. Munster profits, and on the last he stops, cocks, and lobs that same wedge to the left corner. Isaako leaps in black. Bostock climbs in green. The two No 2s. Dolphin on Dolphin. Both get hands on the ball in the air. Both come down wrestling for control. AND IT’S BOSTOCK WHO WINS THE BATTLE! He has a hat-trick! Australia are ahead!

Walsh has enough energy to attempt this conversion – but he strikes the post! The Kiwis remain within a kick!

REECE WALSH! Rugby league we do not deserve you! What a match. What a moment. In their own red zone Australia try to run the ball out. Bostock dints the line, finds room to offload, and Walsh is there travelling 100mph to smash into hyperdrive in open field. Hughes and Ponga move in to corral but Walsh looks at his opposite fullback and says ‘anything you can do I can do better’, sliding laterally out of danger, forcing the two Kiwis to collide. With the corner in sight and Tapine chasing, the crowd is on its feet as the brilliant fullback completes the latest outrageous try of an exhilarating night.

Can Walsh add the extras to level the score? He won’t even take the conversion! He’s on his haunches, vomiting. Mitchell will take the shot instead – and he’s narrowly wide!

56 mins: New Zealand don’t just survive – they thrive! Hughes’ kick on the last is a mongrel punt, it carries barely 20m before nosediving out of the sky and bobbling in Tom Trbojevic’s direction. The Manly man slides to gather, fails to do so, and the ball dribbles underneath him. The black chase is on him in a flash, the ball is extracted, thrown wide to Mulitalo on the left wing, and he has the speed to make the left corner!

But hang on … the TMO is getting involved again. Papali’i was offside in the chase, and impacted play. No try! Huge let off for Trbojevic.

53 mins: Australia pack a scrum 20m out in the middle of an Allianz Stadium that’s starting to cut up. To prove the point Walsh slips on the right edge and the set play comes to nought. The Kangaroos go back to the right and almost find a way through, then they switch to the left, Munster almost breaks the line but he’s stopped unceremoniously by Ponga – but that looked ugly. Australia play on – and Dearden feeds Martin over, but the big Panther is held up on his back! Still the Kangaroos come, Mitchell inserts himself into the fray, there’s a bomb on the last, bodies go up, the ball comes down, and Walsh touches down! Is that a try? Adam Gee doesn’t think so. He adjudges Papali’i marked the ball above his head in-goal, and the TMO confirms. That is magnificent refereeing.

Another Australian set offers little. Ponga chances his arm running the ball back, sidestepping into a tackle then offloading to the dangerous left with Mulitalo and McLean dovetailing. Another attack brews like a menacing black wave on the horizon. The shift is to the right – the ball goes to ground – and there’s a penalty for offside. The two points are declined this time with New Zealand desperate to make the man advantage count. They try to run from 15m out. Willison is busy, Hughes engages the line, Papali’i accepts the tackle, spins, offloads, and Ponga is in support to crash over! Finally! Finally the Kiwis make the man advantage count.

Isaako extends the lead to six points.

44 mins: Australia go nowhere coming out of defence and with play stretched the Kiwis look set to exploit 13 v 12. There’s a linebreak, space and spee don the left, but McLean hurls an awful Hollywood pass infield that never looks like finding a teammate. The black jerseys get another shot, there’s a set restart, Ponga lines up on the left edge, the ball goes his way on tackle four, but Australia’s defence holds firm. On the last the Kiwis lose composure, it all becomes harum scarum until a harmless kick is mopped up by Trbojevic. It has been desperate and resolute defence from the hosts. It’s needed to be.