Australia have survived a scare in a see-sawing World Cup opener, claiming a 24-22 win over New Zealand.
In front of 41,255 at Allianz Stadium, Kangaroos debutant Jack Bostock scored a hat-trick of tries as Australia narrowly avoided their first home defeat in 11 years.
Bostock crossed three times to avoid an opening-night embarrassment for the Australians.
But the real story was the battle between Kangaroos fullback Reece Walsh and New Zealand counterpart Kalyn Ponga.
Ponga scored twice in the second half, the best of which was when he sidestepped Walsh and left him for dead.
It would have been a near-perfect debut for the Newcastle captain, but he was taken off with 10 minutes left with a wrist injury, his future in the tournament now under a cloud.
Walsh didn’t go quietly in his battle with Ponga and also chalked up a solo try for the ages.
Walsh showed few signs of rust in his first game in two months, and there will be significant intrigue through Australia’s campaign as to whether Kevin Walters settles on the Brisbane No.1 or James Tedesco for the fullback jersey.
But Walters is likely to face a headache after Mitchell Moses limped off soon after halftime with a calf injury.
The teams were level 10-10 at the break, but despite Ponga’s best efforts, the Kiwis couldn’t put their foot down on the Aussies’ throats.
Walsh’s late try took the Kangaroos within a score, and when Bostock climbed above Jamayne Isaako, Australia sealed a narrow victory.