Rugby League World Cup: Wales 12-18 Cook Islands - Steve Marsters seals Kukis' victory

Rhodri Lloyd struck for Wales with the game's opening try

Cook Islands powered backmost from a half-time shortage to borderline Wales successful their Rugby League World Cup opener successful Leigh.

Those scores came either broadside of Anthony Gelling's effort for Cook Islands, with Steve Marsters kicking 4 points.

Davvy Moale bulldozed his mode done the Wales defence to level, earlier Marsters sealed it from a precocious kick.

The effect means Wales stay winless astatine World Cups since the 2000 tournament, with daunting Group D encounters against Tonga and Papua New Guinea to come.

Cook Islands find themselves 2nd successful the excavation and with their destiny successful their ain hands arsenic they question to flight the radical signifier for the archetypal clip successful their history.

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Wales part-time but afloat committed

Wales' matchday squad contained conscionable 1 full-time player, Salford Red Devils helping Rhys Williams - his nation's record-cap holder and effort scorer playing successful his 3rd World Cup.

Cook Islands, successful contrast, were sprinkled with players plying their commercialized successful the NRL down nether and successful Super League, including Esan Marsters - freshly signed to Huddersfield Giants and lining up astatine half-back successful Leigh.

Despite that statistic, the underlying information is that determination is plentifulness of acquisition successful John Kear's Wales squad and they proved that by taking the lead.

Mike Butt had already been stopped conscionable abbreviated of the enactment connected the close helping but Wales kept up the unit earlier Ralph stabbed done a grubber that Lloyd was sharpest to interaction down, with Matt Fozard's pursuing footwear making it 6-0.

Fierce Welsh defence and a agelong look from the video referee ruled Tepai Moeroa had mislaid power of the shot arsenic helium tried to dot down, arsenic Cook Islands looked to reply.

But the Kukis were soon level erstwhile Esan Marsters made a cleanable interruption to nonstop Gelling nether the posts, giving Steve Marsters a elemental conversion.

Back came Wales, with Ralph and Olds pulling the strings astatine half-back and it was Olds who struck with a dummy that wrong-footed the Cook Islands defence earlier stepping backmost doubly disconnected his near ft to spell implicit for the Dragons' 2nd try.

Fozard again added the extremity that gave Wales a 12-6 pb to support arsenic the archetypal fractional ticked past.

Cook Islands continued to unit done their large forwards, though Paul Ulberg conscionable failed to get his fingertips to a wide if somewhat wayward walk from Johnathon Ford - though successful astir other helium did the half-back was faultless - connected the near touchline with the effort enactment beckoning.

The video referee was again called upon erstwhile Kukis hooker Rua Ngatikaura went over, but large antiaircraft enactment from Wales interchange Ben Evans and full-back Caleb Aekins - playing connected his Leigh Centurions location turf - ensured helium was held up.

Steve Marsters added a precocious punishment footwear to trim the shortage but Wales led 12-8 astatine the break.

Cook Islands came retired for the 2nd fractional with fierce intent and immoderate bullocking runs from their large forwards.

The white, greenish and golden question washed up against Wales' effort enactment with each acceptable of five, but Kear's men held their crushed astatine the past - though video referee Tom Grant was again called upon erstwhile a precocious footwear went bobbling astir Wales' in-goal area.

The awesome from referee Robert Hicks was a brushed no-try and that was backed up by the replays, and Wales survived again.

As the crippled wore connected though, Cook Islands' size and spot began to archer connected the antecedently coagulated Dragons defence and Kukis interchange Moale shoved his mode done a pack of reddish shirts to the enactment for a effort which Steve Marsters converted.

What proved the game's decisive infinitesimal followed arsenic Steve Marsters managed to outjump Williams successful the country and conscionable dab down earlier going into interaction - though helium was abbreviated with the hard conversion attempt.

Wales had a let-off erstwhile Rua Ngatikaura crashed implicit but Cook Islands were called backmost for a penalty.

A superb charge-down and stitchery by Lloyd gave Wales a precocious sniff of a people to necktie the scores, but a forced walk deed a Cook Islands defender and the last hooter sounded moments later.

Wales: Aekins, Butt, W Evans, Kear (capt), R Williams, Olds, Ralph, Walker, Fozard, Fleming, Lloyd, Antrobus, Burke.

Interchanges: Butler, B Evans, Curtis Davies, Connor Davies.

Cook Islands: Iro, S Marsters, Gelling, Rennie, Ulberg, E Marsters (capt), Ford, Petterson-Robati, Teroi, Moeroa, Peyroux, Porter, Tetevano.

Interchanges: Makatoa, Moale, Ngatikaura, Takairanga.

Att: 6188