World Cup: Kiwis, Italy and Ireland earn first-up wins

A hat-trick from Sunshine Coast Falcons winger Jake Maizen helped propel Italy to a 28-4 win over Scotland in Newcastle.

The main takeaways

• In addition to his three tries, Jake Maizen ran for 222 metres, joining backline teammate Daniel Atkinson (256 metres) as Italy's best yardage makers. 
• Italy completed 80 percent of their sets, but will be concerned at missing 33 tackles in a game in which they made 318. 
• The result puts Italy in the box seat to qualify for the next round, following Fiji's loss to Australia. 

Star performers

You can't look past Maizen, whose second-half blitz was key to Italy running away on the scoreboard, but the unsung hero was skipper Nathan Brown. The Parramatta forward played all but six minutes of the match and dominated the middle, running for 194 metres and added 34 tackles. Dolphins-bound Euan Aitken was strong in a beaten side, making 37 tackles. 

What the result means

Italy are right in the hunt to secure a historic World Cup quarter-final berth, while it's a crushing blow for Scotland who will now need to cause an upset result in order to keep their hopes alive, with Australia and Fiji to come in their group. 

Recap 

• Brown leads Italy to historic win over Scotland
• Injuries: Nil.

Ireland proved too much for tournament newcomers Jamaica, with a late try-scoring blitz seeing them to a comfortable victory in Leeds. 

The main takeaways

• Ireland's sole NRL player, Luke Keary, was best on ground and played a key role in three of his side's tries before being rested for the final 20 minutes. 
• Jamaica scored their first-ever World Cup points through a Kieran Rush penalty right on half time. 
• Ireland made 17 line breaks in the win, but at times struggled to break Jamaica down inside the attacking 20.

Star performers

Keary added real class to the Wolfhounds on his way to player of the match honours, while his halves partner Joe Keyes enjoyed a strong game too. Between them the pair were directly involved in five of Ireland's 10 tries, while Keyes (206 metres) and Keary (166 metres) had a field day in the running game.

What the result means

Ireland have set themselves up with a showdown v Lebanon, with the winner likely to claim a place in the next round, and at the end of the first match day for Group C the Wolfhounds sit atop the table with a better differential than New Zealand. Jamaica will take plenty of positives from the loss ahead of playing the Kiwis. 

Recap 

• Ireland too strong for newcomers Jamaica
• Injuries: Nil.

After a slow start, the Joey Manu-inspired Kiwis went on to record a big win against Lebanon, who showed plenty of promise across the 80 minutes.

New Zealand left Jahrome Hughes (thigh) and Moses Leota (groin) out of their squad for the match, while Lebanon will be sweating on the punishment handed out to Adam Doueihi after he was sent off for dissent 20 minutes from full time. 

The main takeaways

• Jeremy Marshall-King made his Test debut, while Kieran Foran performed well at halfback in the absence of Storm half Jahrome Hughes. 
• Mitchell Moses stood out for Lebanon in his first game as skipper, with a strong kicking game and a couple of dynamic plays on attack. 
• Lebanon playmaker Adam Doueihi could be in some trouble after being sent directly from the field for dissent.

Star performers

Last week coach Michael Maguire challenged Joey Manu to become the best fullback at the tournament, and the Roosters star took a positive first step towards that against Lebanon. He scored a brilliant try, set two up and had 224 run metres with 15 tackle busts. Lebanon meanwhile will like what they saw from Mitchell Moses, who looked composed in the halves.

What the result means

The Kiwis are on track, despite actually sitting second in Group C right now, and crucially appeared to get through the match without any significant injury concerns. It's far from a disaster for Lebanon, who were always likely to face a must-win match against Ireland in the second round of play anyway.

Recap 

• Manu magnificent as Kiwis beat determined Lebanon
• Injuries: Nil.