Australia 17 New Zealand 21

The All Blacks won back the Bledisloe Cup courtesy of a 21-17 win over the Wallabies in an enthralling Tri-Nations encounter -- the final one in the 2003 competition -- at Eden Park in Auckland.

This match had a bit of everything, with the New Zealanders once again impressing when they sent the ball wide, but when the weather conditions worsened, both sides kept it tight as they tried to outwit each other when handling became that much tougher.

The Kiwis were deserved winners, which gave them a Tri-Nations clean-sweep -- the fourth squad to achieve this, after New Zealand in 1996 and 1997 and South Africa in 1998, but the Wallabies certainly pushed them to the very end, with a well-taken try from George Smith just six minutes from full-time, no doubt raising the ABs' stress-levels.

Smith's touchdown, Australia's only try of the day, came after incessant Wallaby pressure in the All Black 22 had gone unrewarded.  Skipper George Gregan -- as he did in the Tri-Nations opener in Cape Town -- spurned kicking opportunities at goal, opting, instead, for tries.

The All Black defence, however, which leaked just six tries in four Tri-Nations fixtures, was once again up to it, with the Kiwis even launching a wonderful counter-attack from their own 22, threatening the Wallaby defence at that late stage.

But the Wallabies turned the ball over on the half-way line and when they sent the ball wide, with George Smith sending a neat pass out to Mat Rogers, the All Black defence became brittle, with a Gregan probe and pass freeing Smith on the left-wing for a try in the corner.

Inside centre Elton Flatley missed the near-touchline conversion, leaving the score at 21-17, but the New Zealanders held out and the final whistle was sounded as the self-same Flatley managed to break a tackle, only to see his wild pass not going to hand, signalling a scrum for the knock-on, which then became full-time.

The home side ran in two first-half tries, both from speedy right-wing Doug Howlett, with the Australians once again guilty -- as they were in Sydney -- of kicking the ball at the Kiwi back three and giving them enough time and space to run it back with interest.

Howlett's first try came directly from a stray Wallaby kick, as fullback Mils Muliaina ran the ball back, hooker Keven Mealamu ran into space perfectly and popped up a pass to Howlett, who glided over for yet another Test try.

Howlett then made history a few minutes later when he became the first All Black to score more than one try against the Wallabies at Eden Park when he chased a clever kick-ahead from Carlos Spencer after Jerry Collins had stolen the ball from an Australian ruck.

Spencer's chip, from the Wallaby 10-metre line, was well-weighted, giving Howlett enough time to hunt the ball down in the Australian deadball area, beating a helpless Elton Flatley to the ball in process.

Interestingly enough, that kick from Spencer was the 20th time New Zealand had put boot to ball.  It was, however, the first time that they managed to regain the ball -- and how it mattered.

Spencer's conversion attempt hit the uprights, but a penalty from the Blues and Auckland first five-eighth took his side into a 15-9 lead -- Australia's points having come from three Elton Flatley penalties.

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones made an interesting substitution shortly before half-time, bringing on debutant tighthead prop Al Baxter for Glenn Panoho, the latter seemed sluggish around the park, but it mattered little as New Zealand stepped up a gear shortly before the half-time whistle, with Chris Jack coming very close to getting over on the stroke of half-time.

South African referee Jonathan Kaplan, who was playing advantage for a Wallaby infringement, needed the Television Match Official's help, but the request was turned down and the visitors could breath a sigh of relief.

A converted try would have given New Zealand a 22-9 half-time lead, and as it turns out Spencer missed the subsequent penalty attempt, leaving the score at the break at 15-9.

Man of the Match:  Plenty of contenders here from both sides.  Let us start with New Zealand, where Keven Mealamu, Chris Jack, Richie McCaw, Tana Umaga and Doug Howlett impressed.  For Australia, David Giffin, Phil Waugh and George Smith all stood out.  Our winner, however, is a Kiwi, with all-action hooker Keven Mealamu impressing in most facets of play.  His line-out throwing was a bit off-colour at times, but his ball-carrying and support-play are a joy to witness.  At times he moves like a flank, but, then, with the simple drop of his head he can transform himself into a powerful front rower.

Moment of the Match:  The final whistle and New Zealand's celebrations.  Despite the fact that these teams play against each other so often, the All Blacks' delight was evident as they managed to win back the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 1997.  It was a superb encounter, with plenty of power and skill on show, but the final whistle was a joy to behold.

Villain of the Match:  The rain!  It nearly spoilt this wonderful encounter ...

The Teams:

Australia:  1 Glenn Panoho, 2 Brendan Cannon, 3 Bill Young, 4 David Giffin, 5 Daniel Vickerman, 6 George Smith, 7 Phil Waugh, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Wendell Sailor, 12 Elton Flatley, 13 Mat Rogers, 14 Lote Tuqiri, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Matthew Burke, Owen Finegan, Matt Giteau, Jeremy Paul, Alastair Baxter, Nathan Sharpe
Unused:  Chris Whitaker

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Keven Mealamu, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Ali Williams, 6 Richie McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Jerry Collins, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Carlos Spencer, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 15 Mils Muliaina
Reserves:  Leon MacDonald
Unused:  Daniel Carter, Steve Devine, Marty Holah, Brad Thorn, Mark Hammett, Kees Meeuws

Attendance:  45000
Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Smith G.B. 1
Pen K.:  Flatley E.J. 4

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 2
Conv:  Spencer C.J. 1
Pen K.:  Spencer C.J. 3

New Zealand 19 South Africa 11

The boot of first five-eighth Carlos Spencer proved to be the difference as New Zealand clinched the 2003 Tri-Nations title with a 19-11 win over the Springboks at Carisbrook in Dunedin.  The teams ended the game with one try each.

In the end it was a conversion and four penalties by Spencer, who produced a 100 percent kicking record, which beat an erratic Louis Koen's two penalties.

For a change there were far more positives coming out of a game involving South Africa than the negatives.  It was a traditional hard scrap between New Zealand and South Africa, with the Springboks showing that pride and passion which have been so inconspicuous in other matches this year as they managed to keep the Kiwis in check with some solid defending, another aspect which was badly lacking in most of their games this year.

The one question which has to be asked, and deserves an honest non-sugar coated answer, is why do the Springboks only play like this when they are under pressure after weeks of shocking execution?

This is a game that will certainly provide some answers to the Boks, even though a couple of key questions remain.  It is also a result which will ensure that they keep their feet firmly on he ground.

As for the Kiwis, they showed that their game is better suited to the dry grounds of South Africa, as opposed to a night game in the cool and windy evening air of Dunedin, where the night-time dew affects the handling.

The Springboks also put the Kiwis under pressure, from the outset, and contested every facet with the ferocity one would expect from the men in Green and Gold.

In fact, from the moment Bok prop Lawrence Sephaka and his All Black counterpart Kees Meeuws came into contact during the Haka, it was clear this was a game in which the Boks would not back off.

And by half-time, with the score at 13-11, in favour of the Kiwis, the Springboks had enjoyed a significant advantage in both territory and possession.  They held the ball for 57 percent of the time and took it through 51 phases (rucks and mauls).

At that stage the All Blacks managed just 26 rucks and mauls, as they attempted to spread it wide and stretch the big Bok pack.

But after the break the Kiwis picked up the pace and when the final whistle went they had secured a massive advantage in both territory and possession, with the visitors reduced mainly to a defensive role.

The All Blacks had enjoyed an overall advantage in the possession stakes of 54 percent, having taken the ball through 68 phases after the break, which saw them spend most of the second half in the Boks' territory.  In return, the Boks managed to take the ball through 45 phases only.

The Boks used their big forwards to take the ball up the middle and close to the rucks, where the All Blacks traditionally have fewer defenders.  This worked for most part, but South Africa's finishing let them down.

The All Blacks, with Spencer in control as usual, varied their options better, but found the Boks' defence much harder to break down this time.  As a result, they were forced into kicking more often than they normally would have.

The big difference is that their kicking was far more purposeful, effective and not as erratic as some of the South African punts were.

For the All Blacks the big question is still how they will react when their forwards are really under pressure.  At times, with the Bok pack in full cry, they did look vulnerable.  An England pack at their best could make life very unpleasant for this All Black team.

The Springboks will be concerned about their scrumming, with the All Blacks again putting them under pressure and even managing to hook once against the head.

Then there is their decision-making at scrum-half and fly-half, which certainly contributed to some of their problems on Saturday.

Man of the match:  When games get this close the difference is usually one moment of brilliance from one player.  All Black first five-eighth Carlos Spencer is not known for his kicking, but on the day he produced a 100 percent goal-kicking performance -- the difference on the board in the end -- and his overall kicking out of hand was also far more effective.

Moment of the Match:  It is a simple choice -- Richard Bands' try in the 16th minute.  There was a ruck just inside the All Blacks' half and the burly tighthead prop came charging up.  Scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen popped the ball to him as he charged into a gap.  30 metres downfield Carlos Spencer made a brave attempt to stop the rampaging Bok, but was brushed aside and Bands dropped over for his first Test try and one of the best forward tries you will ever see.

Villain of the Match:  Springbok fly-half Louis Koen and scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen both qualify for this award.  Van der Westhuizen for some of the shocking passes he flung in the general direction of his backline and Koen for trying to kick three drop-goals, with good quality ball, and all three were shockers.  He kicked far too many up and unders -- which may have been under instruction -- but his execution left a lot to be desired.  And his goal-kicking, the real reason why he is in the side, also left a lot to be desired.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Mark Hammett, 3 Kees Meeuws, 4 Brad Thorn, 5 Ali Williams, 6 Marty Holah, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Jerry Collins, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Carlos Spencer, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 15 Mils Muliaina
Reserves:  Keven Mealamu, Chris Jack, Greg Somerville
Unused:  Daniel Carter, Leon MacDonald, Rodney So'oialo, Byron Kelleher

South Africa:  1 Richard Bands, 2 Danie Coetzee, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 4 Geo Cronje, 5 Victor Matfield, 6 Corne Krige (c), 7 Joe Van Niekerk, 8 Juan Smith, 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Ashwin Willemse, 12 Gcobani Bobo, 13 Jorrie Muller, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Thinus Delport
Reserves:  Lukas Van Biljon, Christo Bezuidenhout, Selborne Boome
Unused:  De Wet Barry, Neil De Kock, Andre Pretorius, Pedrie Wannenburg

Attendance:  30200
Referee:  Marshall p.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Rokocoko J. 1
Conv:  Spencer C.J. 1
Pen K.:  Spencer C.J. 4

South Africa
Tries:  Bands R.E. 1
Pen K.:  Koen L.J. 2

Australia 29 South Africa 9

The world champion Wallabies bounced back from their big loss to the All Blacks last week, recording a 29-9 win over the Springboks at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, relegating the South Africans to third-place on the Tri-Nations standings.

While the obvious headlines of "Wallabies bounce back" and "Still the world champions" would be expected, truth be told, the Australians still face some hard work ahead, but, at least they came away from this match with a win, which is more than the South Africans can say.

The home side scored two second-half tries, which ultimately proved to be the major difference on the scoreboard, but the kicking boot of Elton Flatley -- he kicked seven from seven -- and the ill-discipline of the visitors also played into the Wallabies' hands.

Flatley kicked two conversions and five penalties, with Springbok fly-half Louis Koen managing just three penalties from five attempts, as the Boks attempted to play a low-risk game, trying to remain in Wallaby territory and hoping to force the penalties.

But the South Africans would have surprised even themselves as they managed to hold the ball for long periods of play, forcing the Australians into making some tackles, but when it came to the moment critique, the visitors were just not up to it, with Koen just not the man to take the game by the scruff of its neck and call the shots.

Wallaby No.10 Stephen Larkham was not his usual dominant self either -- his kicking out of hand is still not where it should be -- but he did force a few clever passes in the second stanza, especially to powerhouse wing Wendell Sailor when the Bok pack began to tire, stretching the South African defence to its limit.

Just two tries were scored in the match, both by the Wallabies, with centre Mat Rogers snapping up a stray long pass from Louis Koen early in the second half, when the scores were still tied at the half-time score of 6-6, before racing away from debutant Jorrie Muller for the try.

Flatley's conversion took the score to 13-6, and although Koen replied soon afterwards with his third penalty, Flatley managed to keep his team ahead with two more penalties, before Koen missed his second attempt just after the advent of the final quarter to leave the score at 19-9.

Cynical play from Robbie Kempson just a few minutes later saw the Boks forced to play with one man down again -- hooker Danie Coetzee had spent 10 minutes in the sin bin between minutes 38 and 48 for foul at the tackle -- but Flatley's subsequent penalty, in the 67th minute, took his team out to 22-9, with time quickly running out.

The introduction of Brent Russell -- on the right-wing for Stefan Terblanché -- soon afterwards signalled the intention of the Boks at that stage, but the solid Australian defence, which did not seem threatened for much of the game, held out once again before one final strike to put daylight between the two sides.

The Wallabies worked the ball wide to left-wing Lote Tuqiri, who did not see too much off the ball, and he held off Russell for long enough before being hauled down.  The ball went to the right where Toutai Kefu drew in the final defence out wide before Phil Waugh dotted down in the corner despite a brave tackle from Bok No.8 Juan Smith.

For his efforts, Kefu was stretchered off the field after taking a late and high hit from Kempson, but the Wallaby elation proved just how much this win meant to them, having, before this match, lost three games on the trot, to England, South Africa and New Zealand, conceding 50 points in the latter fixture.

The South Africans certainly deserve some praise for their brave showing, but if they are to have any say at the World Cup later this year -- or in Dunedin next week -- they need to get more flair and authority into their game and have a good, hard look at their ill-discipline.

Man of the Match:  Two Waratahs men stood out for the Wallabies, hooker Brendan Cannon, who was excellent against the All Blacks last week, and one of the two Wallaby opensides, Phil Waugh.  For the Boks, Selborne Boome began well, while the rest of his tight five was not far behind, while Joe van Niekerk hardly looked rusty.  In the end, however, our obvious choice was Waugh, who was everywhere on attack, supporting the ball-carrier at every opportunity, defending strongly and competing well at the breakdown, along with George Smith.

Moment of the Match:  We have two moments, and both occurred within six minutes of each other.  First Wallaby No.12 Elton Flatley struck a tough penalty in the 57th minute, which bounced off the uprights to put his side ahead by 19-9, just past that crucial seven-point barrier.  Then, in the 63rd minute, South African kicking ace Louis Koen missed a relatively easy shot at goal, leaving the scoreline at 19-9.  If Flatley had missed and Koen been successful, the score would have been 16-12 in the home team's favour.  It still would have been game on ...

Villain of the Match:  Danie Coetzee was pencilled in early on for his silly misdemeanour, which earned him a yellow card in the 38th minute.  But our vote, here, goes to fellow Bok front rower, Robbie Kempson, firstly for a yellow card for tripping George Gregan in the 67th minute, and then for his high tackle on Wallaby No.8 Toutai Kefu, which knocked the Australian vice-captain out and saw him stretchered from the field.

Yellow card(s):  Danie Coetzee (South Africa, 38), Robbie Kempson (South Africa, 67)

The Teams:

Australia:  1 Patricio Noriega, 2 Brendan Cannon, 3 Bill Young, 4 David Giffin, 5 Daniel Vickerman, 6 George Smith, 7 Phil Waugh, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Wendell Sailor, 12 Elton Flatley, 13 Mat Rogers, 14 Lote Tuqiri, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Matthew Burke, Owen Finegan, Matt Giteau, Jeremy Paul, Glenn Panoho, Chris Whitaker, Nathan Sharpe

South Africa:  1 Richard Bands, 2 Danie Coetzee, 3 Robbie Kempson, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Selborne Boome, 6 Corne Krige (c), 7 Joe Van Niekerk, 8 Juan Smith, 9 Craig Davidson, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Ashwin Willemse, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Jorrie Muller, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Andre Pretorius
Reserves:  Wikus Van Heerden, Bakkies Botha, Brent Russell, Dale Santon, Lawrence Sephaka, Joost Van Der Westhuizen
Unused:  Gcobani Bobo

Attendance:  51188
Referee:  O'brien p.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Rogers M.S. 1, Waugh P.R. 1
Conv:  Flatley E.J. 2
Pen K.:  Flatley E.J. 5

South Africa
Pen K.:  Koen L.J. 3

Australia 21 New Zealand 50

New Zealand finally laid their recent Sydney bogey to rest with an emphatic 50-21 win over the world champion Wallabies at the Telstra Stadium, the Men in Black outscoring their hosts by seven tries to three in their Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup fixture.

The Kiwis were simply awesome as they blew the Wallabies away, much like last week against the Springboks, after recovering from a slow start, which saw the home side run into an early 5-0 lead.

Matthew Burke was the Wallaby try-scorer after a scorching break from outside centre Mat Rogers, who broke through a tackle from Justin Marshall before speeding down the touchline.  The support was there, with Wendell Sailor and Elton Flatley both handling the ball before Burke nipped through a gap from a well-timed Toutai Kefu pass.

Burke missed the conversion, allowing New Zealand to narrow the gap to just two points through a well-struck Carlos Spencer penalty just two minutes later.

Daniel Vickerman conceded a silly penalty soon after the re-start, for holding back an opponent at a line-out, which saw the Kiwis turn up the heat.  A stray line-out throw from the Wallabies saw the ball get out to new wing sensation Joe Rokocoko and he flew past his marker Wendell Sailor, who looked like his feet were stuck in a cement block.

Sailor was obviously keen to make amends for his defensive blunder soon afterwards, but his over-exuberance saw the complexion of the match change completely when he was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle on All Black fullback Mils Muliaina.

The All Blacks were ahead by 8-5 when Sailor went into the bin and although the Wallabies made a good fist of things initially, with Burke slotting a penalty soon after Sailor's sin-binning, the Kiwis were patient as they slowly began gunning for the jugular.

With just minutes remaining in Sailor's spell off the field Aaron Mauger ripped the Wallaby defence apart when he spotted Pat Noriega in the backline before unloading to Doug Howlett to finish under the uprights.  Spencer converted for a 15-8 lead, but the Kiwis were not done yet as Rokocoko completed his brace, flying down the right-hand touchline with his marker warming up on the sidelines.

Spencer missed the conversion, but at 20-8 the Kiwis had knocked the stuffing out of the bewildered Australians, exactly as they had done to the Springboks last week.

Burke slotted his second penalty of the night to narrow the scoreline to 20-11, but Spencer cancelled that out with a long-range effort on the half-time hooter.  At 23-11 the Australians needed to come out firing after the break.

The start of the second half was muted in comparison with the end of the first period, but when the Kiwis had a chance to add to their scoreline they did, Spencer kicking another penalty to stretch his side's lead to 26-11.

More Kiwi pressure forced the Wallabies back into their 22-metre area, a wonderful kick-ahead from Chris Jack pinning them near their tryline before a failed touch-finder from Stephen Larkham found Rokocoko.  The Blues flyer flung the ball in-field and two long passes later it found Muliaina, who switched inside to Tana Umaga, the veteran Kiwi changing angle slightly and leaving George Smith clutching at thin air as he crashed over for try number four.

Spencer converted and at 33-11 it was game over for the home team, with All Black coach John Mitchell getting Spencer off the field soon afterwards -- a sure sign that it was mission accomplished for the "Men in Black".

Young Daniel Carter -- Spencer's replacement -- got in on the act soon after entering the fray, a show of the ball and a surprising turn of pace taking him to the goalline.  He missed the conversion of his own try, with the ball hitting the left-hand upright, but at 38-11 the Australians were facing a record loss.

Sailor, who missed Rokocoko twice on defence, got one back shortly before the start of the final quarter as he powered through the All Black defence from first receiver to add to his try against the Boks in Cape Town.

Rogers also got in on the act later on, with a superb long-range effort, but Rokocoko had already completed his hat-trick before then, while Mauger danced over from close-range on the final hooter to complete the humiliation.

This was not Australia's biggest-ever Test loss.  That record belongs to the class of '97, going down by 61-22 to the Springboks in Pretoria, while this was also not Australia's biggest-ever loss to New Zealand, with Sean Fitzpatrick's All Blacks handing the Wallabies a 43-6 thrashing in 1996.  It was, however, the biggest-ever score that they have conceded to New Zealand.

The All Blacks already have one hand on the Tri-Nations trophy with their second successive away win, while the Australians would need to play with some authority when they travel to Auckland in August for their return clash against the old enemy.

The Kiwis are a class above South Africa and Australia at present -- any bets for next week's clash in Brisbane? -- and the only team capable of stopping the rampant English side at the Rugby World Cup in Australia later this year.

Man of the Match:  It really is hard to single out one All Black player, with every single "Man in Black" impressing on the night.  For the Wallabies, hooker Brendan Cannon fought a lone battle, while the rest of his team-mates wilted under pressure.  Keven Mealamu and Chris Jack were the best Kiwi forwards and the entire New Zealand backline had the better of their opponents.  But one man in particular that was at the heart of the New Zealand's brilliant performance was second five-eighth Aaron Mauger, who was playing in only his second Test since last year's Tri-Nations series.  He combines so well with Spencer and takes the pressure off the classy Blues No.10 with his decision-making and power.

Moment of the Match:  Every single New Zealand try deserves a mention here, while the two Australian tries were not half-bad either.  But our Moment of the match came from a delightful bit of work from All Black second rower Chris Jack -- a deft kick-ahead off his left boot rolling into touch just metres from the Wallaby goalline in the build-up to Tana Umaga's try.  That kick would have pleased most fly-halves.

Villain of the Match:  Quite an easy one here -- Wallaby wing Wendell Sailor.  The "Big Del" was shown a yellow card for a silly tackle on Mils Muliaina as the All Black fullback was in the air fielding a high kick.  Sailor was guilty of ball-watching and it cost his team dearly.  He was carded in the 24th minute, with the score at 8-8.  When he returned to the field of play New Zealand were leading by 20-8.  Interestingly, Sailor's team-mate, hooker Brendan Cannon, was lucky to escape censure just a few minutes later for exactly the same offence on Muliaina.

Yellow card(s):  Wendell Sailor (Australia, 24)

The Teams:

Australia:  1 Patricio Noriega, 2 Brendan Cannon, 3 Bill Young, 4 David Giffin, 5 Daniel Vickerman, 6 George Smith, 7 Phil Waugh, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Wendell Sailor, 12 Elton Flatley, 13 Mat Rogers, 14 Lote Tuqiri, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Owen Finegan, Chris Latham, Ben Darwin, Adam Freier, Nathan Sharpe, Steve Kefu
Unused:  Chris Whitaker

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Keven Mealamu, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Ali Williams, 6 Richard McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Jerry Collins, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Carlos Spencer, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 15 Mils Muliaina
Reserves:  Daniel Carter, Steve Devine, Marty Holah, Brad Thorn, Mark Hammett, Kees Meeuws, Caleb Ralph

Attendance:  82096
Referee:  Spreadbury t.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Burke M.C. 1, Rogers M.S. 1, Sailor W.J. 1
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 2

New Zealand
Tries:  Carter D.W. 1, Howlett D.C. 1, Mauger A.J.D. 1, Umaga J.F. 1, Rokocoko J. 3
Conv:  Carter D.W. 1, Spencer C.J. 2
Pen K.:  Spencer C.J. 3

New Zealand 52 South Africa 16

Reuben Thorne's All Blacks, who have been under pressure in New Zealand of late for some poor performances, got their 2003 Tri-Nations campaign off to the best possible start with a record 52-16 win over the Springboks at Securicor Loftus.

All Black coach John Mitchell has received a hammering in New Zealand of late for dropping Anton Oliver and not selecting Taine Randell and Christian Cullen, but this victory would have bought the Kiwi mentor some time as the "Men in Black" plan their assault on the William Webb Ellis trophy later in the year.

In the process the All Blacks also re-wrote a host of records for Test matches against the Springboks, but for Rudolf Straeuli it was the second time in five Test matches that his side has conceded 50 points or more, with England being the most recent nation to do so (at Twickenham last year).

Not only was this New Zealand's biggest-ever win over the Springboks -- both home and away -- surpassing the 28-nil scoreline in Dunedin in 1999, but it was also South Africa's biggest-ever loss in the Tri-Nations, while New Zealand's record of seven tries on the day equalled their previous record of tries against the Boks in a single game.

Both wingers Joe Rokocoko -- on his Tri-Nations debut -- and Doug Howlett scored two tries, joining Christian Cullen, Jeff Wilson, Frank Bunce, Ben Tune, Joe Roff and Chris Latham as players to have done so in Tri-Nations Tests against South Africa.

The Springboks began the game like the proverbial house on fire, but a 15-minute try-scoring blitz from the New Zealanders shortly after the 10-minute mark shut the Boks out, with the "Men in Black" weighing in with tries from Carlos Spencer, Howlett and Rokocoko, with the visitors' superior skill proving too much for the home team.

Spencer's try came after a wonderful burst from lock Chris Jack, who spotted the smallest of gaps around a ruck in the Bok half.  He simply leant down, picked the ball up and ran ahead before powering through a tackle from Brent Russell.

The ball was re-cycled and Spencer went left, showed the ball to Stefan Terblanché and then coasted in.  Spencer missed the conversion -- after missing an earlier penalty attempt -- but the Kiwis were in the lead at 5-3 after 11 minutes.

But New Zealand's lead was to be short-lived, with Koen succeeding with a well-struck drop-goal from the All Blacks' 10-metre line, after the home side had come close to scoring their first try of the day -- only for Brent Russell, the hero from last week, to knock-on with an open tryline after the initial break from Koen and a superb assist from skipper Corné Krige.

Then the All Blacks stepped into over-drive, with their highly-skilled backs either punching holes or creating holes in SA's brittle defence through their superior power and pace.

New Zealand's second try came off a simple backline move, with Spencer passing to Aaron Mauger, who had drifted down the backline past his marker André Snyman, before unloading to a flying Howlett, who sped over.  Spencer finally converted and the visitors led by 15-6.

The Kiwis then began attacking from their own territory, with fullback Mils Muliaina exploiting some space down the blindside before Rokocoko got in on the act.

Russell managed to half-stop the powerful Kiwi wing and the ball eventually went loose when Richie McCaw could not control it, but a wild inside pass from Russell found the All Black No.11 again, instead of Krige, Russell's intended target, and Rokocoko ran over unopposed.

Spencer converted and suddenly the Boks were staring down the barrel at 22-6, which soon became 22-9 after Koen's second successful penalty attempt.

Any hopes of a Springbok comeback were dashed early in the second stanza when Spencer slotted a penalty soon after the break, while, crucially, just minutes later Stefan Terblanché somehow contrived to lose the ball as he dived for the corner with Thorne in close attendance.

The build-up to Terblanché's try -- courtesy of a strong run from De Wet Barry -- suggested that the Boks had some fight left, but his silly error, and the Kiwi's subsequent scrambling on defence, took them back into enemy territory where Spencer's boot earned them another three points.

A flood of replacements from both sides saw the game lose a bit of shape and structure, but when it returned some delightful handling from Spencer, Jerry Collins and Tana Umaga led to Rokocoko's second try -- which, it must be said, was not as easy as his first five-pointer.  Although his first score was like taking candy from a baby ...

Three more All Black tries -- and two Spencer conversions -- took their score past the 50-point mark, while South Africa's best back on the day, greenhorn left-wing Ashwin Willemse, scrambled over for his team's only try of the day.  Not that it mattered for much.

Amazingly, Willemse's try -- in the 72nd minute -- signalled South Africa's first points since a Koen penalty in the 33rd minute.

The Kiwis, who still need to brush up their forward play, can take a lot of confidence from this win -- their sixth out of a possible eight on South African soil in the Tri-Nations -- while South Africa must be wishing that these 80 minutes were nothing but a dream.

The truth is, the Boks can pinch themselves well into the night, but the sooner they realise their shortcomings the better, with some individuals -- Joost van der Westhuizen, André Snyman and Stefan Terblanché in particular -- just not up to the required standard of Test rugby, especially when compared to their awesome All Black opponents on the day.

Man of the match:  Just about all 15 of the New Zealanders deserve a look-in here, while for the home team, only Juan Smith and Ashwin Willemse can look back at this game with any pride at all.  The three key men in the All Black machine were back rowers Richie McCaw and Jerry Collins and first five-eighth Carlos Spencer, who recovered from a nervy start to control the game superbly from the No.10 position.  But, in the end we opted for Collins for his powerful defence and strong ball-carrying on attack, with the Hurricanes No.8 slowly, but surely, making a name for himself at the back of the All Black scrum.

Moment of the Match:  Joe Rokocoko's second try was a prime example of wonderful handling from the New Zealanders and the patience required to putting points on the board at the highest level.  Spencer timed his pass well, past two Bok defenders, Collins flung the "hot potato" out to Tana Umaga, who went inside, before flicking the ball out to the newest All Black wing sensation, who simply dived over for the try.

Villain of the Match:  The bumbling Boks were all headed for this award, but All Black replacement prop Kees Meeuws wins this award for his silly elbow in the face of Springbok front rower Robbie Kempson.  Meeuws had just scored a try, Kempson's hand fell on his face and Meeuws responded with a swift elbow into Kempson's nose.  Why do that when your team is winning?

Yellow card(s):  Kees Meeuws (New Zealand, 66)

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Keven Mealamu, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Ali Williams, 6 Richie McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Jerry Collins, 9 Steve Devine, 10 Carlos Spencer, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 15 Mils Muliaina
Reserves:  Rodney So'oialo, Brad Thorn, Mark Hammett, Justin Marshall, Kees Meeuws
Unused:  Daniel Carter, Caleb Ralph

South Africa:  1 Richard Bands, 2 Danie Coetzee, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Bakkies Botha, 6 Wikus Van Heerden, 7 Corne Krige (c), 8 Juan Smith, 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Ashwin Willemse, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Andre Snyman, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Brent Russell
Reserves:  Craig Davidson, Selborne Boome, Robbie Kempson, Andre Pretorius, Dale Santon, Pedrie Wannenburg
Unused:  Gcobani Bobo

Attendance:  50000
Referee:  Rolland a.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 2, Mauger A.J.D. 1, Rokocoko J. 2, Spencer C.J. 1, Meeuws K.J. 1
Conv:  Spencer C.J. 4
Pen K.:  Spencer C.J. 3

South Africa
Tries:  Willemse A.K. 1
Conv:  Koen L.J. 1
Pen K.:  Koen L.J. 2
Drop G.:  Koen L.J. 1

Australia 22 South Africa 26

The Springboks were always going to need something special to pull off a win in their Tri-Nations opener against the Wallabies.  Brent Russell provided that bit of magic as South Africa maintained their good record at home against Australia, with a 26-22 win over the world champions.

Russell, an early replacement for injured fullback Jaco van der Westhuyzen, helped himself to a try, while he also set up SA's second five-pointer, a crucial score in the final analysis.

The match started off well enough for the Springboks when Van der Westhuyzen fielded a high ball from the Wallabies, but that simple act could have destroyed his World Cup dream, with the Bok No.15 limping off immediately afterwards.

It was confirmed at half-time that Van der Westhuyzen tore the ligaments in his left knee, ruling him out of action for at least three months.

But Van der Westhuyzen's departure did not have an affect on the home side, with the energetic Russell breathing life into the Bok side just minutes after his arrival.

He ran with purpose and verve, teasing the Wallaby defence with every step he took, and with his forwards controlling the ball well through a series of phases, he was on hand just two minutes after he replaced Van der Westhuyzen, to round off the first try-scoring movement of the day.

Fly-half Louis Koen added the conversion and the Boks held a handy 7-3 lead – after an early Matthew Burke drop-goal.

The home side continued to pressurise the Wallabies, who were battling in the line-outs, with three throws going astray, but when former Cape Town boy Daniel Vickerman claimed some clean line-out ball the Wallabies put Wendell Sailor over for a try off a clever inside ball from his fellow Rugby League convert Mat Rogers.

Burke added the extras to put his side ahead by 10-7, but Koen equalised soon afterwards with his first penalty attempt in the 28th minute.

Another Koen penalty saw the Boks creep ahead at 13-10 before another moment of Russell brilliance led to their second try of the afternoon.

Sailor had made some ground down the right-hand touchline and after getting past Thinus Delport he chipped the ball in-field to his team-mates.  While it seemed like a clever enough move at the time, Sailor managed only to kick the ball straight to Russell on his own 22-metre line.

The little Sharks utility set off immediately, leaving a trail of Wallabies on the ground, before finding support from De Wet Barry.  The Bok No.12 found Russell in support again, who in turn found Stefan Terblanché, before the final pass going to lock Victor Matfield, who was up in support.

Koen, predictably, added the two points, but he missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time to leave his side ahead by 20-10.

The Wallabies got into their stride in the second half, outscoring the Boks by 12-6, but the home team managed to hold on after their rousing first-half display.

Interestingly, as with the start of the match, the Boks once again lost a player to injury, with centre Marius Joubert not returning after the first half.  He was replaced by Gcobani Bobo, with the Lions man having a solid half alongside the big hitting De Wet Barry.

Barry, recalled to the side after an absence of nearly one year, rattled the Wallabies' cages with some ferocious hits in the crucial inside centre position, and that helped unsettle his opposite number, rookie Steve Kefu.  Barry did, however, blot his copy-book when he was yellow-carded early in the second period for a foul at the tackle.

The Wallabies ran in two second-half tries, through Phil Waugh -- in Barry's absence -- and Joe Roff, but Koen's boot kept his team ahead at crucial moments, with the visitors continually having to chase a try in the latter stages of the match, instead of just a penalty, many of which were in kicking distance.

As it turns out, Matthew Burke did not have one penalty attempt at goal, with the much-talked about Bok discipline holding out at key moments -- except for Barry's 10 minutes in the sin bin, despite some huge pressure from the Wallabies.

For Wallaby coach Eddie Jones his team's line-out and ball control will be of major concern, while Bok coach Rudolf Straeuli and his charges will be full of confidence after this win, with the All Blacks in wait in Pretoria next week.

The Boks, however, have not beaten the Kiwis since 2000 -- something they will be keen to rectify next week, with this win coming at just the right time after uninspiring victories over Scotland (twice) and Argentina in June.

Man of the Match:  A host of contenders here, with the passionate Springboks providing most of them.  There was Lawrence Sephaka's work-rate, Victor Matfield's line-out prowess, Corné Krige's defence, Louis Koen's boot, De Wet Barry's punishing defence and Russell's running from the back.  For the Wallabies, hard-working flank Phil Waugh stood out, powerhouse No.8 Toutai Kefu and the clever Mat Rogers.  But our final vote goes to Brent Russell for his match-winning effort on attack and defence.  Yes, the little man can tackle, with a try-saving tackle on Toutai Kefu in the 22nd minute.

Moment of the Match:  Sailor's try was impressive, so, too, Russell's, but our moment was Victor Matfield's try, started, of course, by the Bok pocket-rocket from the edge of his 22.  The Boks showed good skill and composure when the move could so easily have broken down, but it was down to Russell, who did the initial running.

Villain of the Match:  Wallaby replacement Lote Tuqiri gets our vote here for his "little" flurry of kicks and/or punches on Springbok hard man Rob Kempson.  Sure, Kempson is no angel, but Tuqiri was lucky to escape any censure.

The Teams:

Australia:  1 Patricio Noriega, 2 Brendan Cannon, 3 Bill Young, 4 David Giffin, 5 Daniel Vickerman, 6 David Lyons, 7 Phil Waugh, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Elton Flatley, 11 Joe Roff, 12 Mat Rogers, 13 Steve Kefu, 14 Wendell Sailor, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Owen Finegan, Steve Larkham, Ben Darwin, Adam Freier, Nathan Sharpe, Lote Tuqiri
Unused:  Chris Whitaker

South Africa:  1 Richard Bands, 2 Danie Coetzee, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Bakkies Botha, 6 Wikus Van Heerden, 7 Corne Krige (c), 8 Juan Smith, 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Thinus Delport, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Marius Joubert, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Jaco Van Der Westhuyzen
Reserves:  Gcobani Bobo, Selborne Boome, Robbie Kempson, Brent Russell, Dale Santon, Pedrie Wannenburg
Unused:  Craig Davidson

Attendance:  48678
Referee:  Walsh s.r.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Sailor W.J. 1, Roff J.W.C. 1, Waugh P.R. 1
Conv:  Burke M.C. 2
Drop G.:  Burke M.C. 1

South Africa
Tries:  Matfield V. 1, Russell R.B. 1
Conv:  Koen L.J. 2
Pen K.:  Koen L.J. 4