Reece Walsh backflip celebration Kangaroos, Digi Mart USA News: Kangaroos fullback Reece Walsh has been knocked down a peg by coach Kevin Walters after pulling off a backflip to celebrate a try during the Rugby League World Cup semi-final against Samoa on Sunday night.
The fullback broke through late in the first half and immediately made room for the acrobatics. Walsh kept celebrating and then produced a momentary injury scare when he nicked a security guard’s chair.
Thankfully, he only needed to put his boot back on.
Asked at half-time whether fans could expect more backflips, Walters was quick to shut the idea down. “No, we’ve had a word there,” Walters told Channel 7 with a laugh.
“We love what he does and he’s having a good game but we just need to keep it at that.”
Walsh was at fault for Samoa’s first try early in the second half when he unnecessarily leapt to catch a bomb and dropped it, allowing Stephen Crichton to pounce for a four-pointer. He quickly made amends, however, counting the numbers in Samoa’s defence and spinning around Crichton to score his second try.
Commentator Luke Keary joked that Walsh “has a memory like a goldfish.” Shaun Johnson said that forgetting mistakes quickly is what the best players do, noting that every young player makes errors.
Walsh kept his promise to Walters, soaking up the applause instead of attempting another backflip. “I got in trouble at half-time,” he said after the game, explaining that he brought the move out in the first half because children at his team hotel had repeatedly asked him to perform one.
“I thought I may as well put on a show for the kids.”
The No. 1 later scored his first Kangaroos hat-trick when he crossed again in the 65th minute.
