Australia has avenged last year's painful Pacific Cup final loss to New Zealand with a 22-10 victory that propels the Kangaroos into the decider of this year's tournament. Almost a year after the Kiwis handed Australia their most significant defeat, a try-scoring double by Zac Lomax ensured there would be no repeat in front of a hostile Christchurch crowd on Sunday.

The Kangaroos seemed to be underperforming, with Angus Crichton missing an early try and new halfback Mitch Moses making errors with a kick and a line dropout. Nevertheless, the win over a weakened New Zealand side justifies the changes made to the Australian team after last year's 30-0 humiliation in Hamilton.

Australia will face the winner of New Zealand's match against Tonga in the Pacific Cup final at Sydney's CommBank Stadium on November 10. The Kiwis played spiritedly despite injuries that sidelined players like Jahrome Hughes, Moses Leota, Dylan Brown, and Ronaldo Mulitalo in Stacey Jones's first game as head coach.

The Kangaroos exploited the left side of the Kiwis' defense, where weaker players Matt Timoko and Will Warbrick were positioned next to makeshift five-eighth Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Lomax scored both his tries from attacks down that flank, first capitalizing on Tom Trbojevic's line break and then latching onto a Harry Grant pass in the second half.

The Kiwis threatened to turn the tide when Warbrick scored and reduced the deficit to six points as the final 15 minutes approached. However, fullback Dylan Edwards, despite a knee injury, dummied through the line and passed to Moses, who sealed the victory.

Crichton had an unforgettable moment when he missed a try in the opening minutes, juggling Tom Dearden's pass before planting the ball down. Replays showed he had dropped the ball just centimeters above the grass without any defender near him. Lindsay Collins helped Crichton save face by scoring the first points, bursting through the defense on a 40-meter run to the line.

Shaun Johnson, on his return from rugby league retirement, kicked superbly all afternoon, contrasting with Moses' mixed performance. Johnson's short kicking game forced back-to-back line dropouts, signaling a Kiwi dominance early in the second half after assisting in the hosts' opener.

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