Australia 15 South Africa 20

Visitors Australia were unable to shake their Loftus Versfeld hoodoo, losing by five points to South Africa in their Tri-Nations clash.  The final score was 20-15.

The Bok victory was laid by their powerful pack.  With tighthead Cobus Visagie, hooker Lukas van Biljon, flank André Venter and captain and No.8 Bob Skinstad leading from the front, the home team's forwards built the foundation for a great victory in front of a capacity crowd at Loftus Versfeld.

For the world champions, in their first Test under new coach Eddie Jones, it is back to the drawing board if they are to successfully defend their Tri-Nations crown after the highs of a series win over the Lions.

No-one gave the Springboks a chance to win this game, but they came out firing on all cylinders, and had the Wallabies on the back-foot from the outset.

The score probably flatters Australia, and they can count themselves lucky that they are returning Down Under with one log point in the bag.  They tried their best to break the Springbok defence, but failed to do so.  The South Africans defended like men possessed, and it paid off for them.

The Springboks took a 14-0 lead at the break after their captain Bob Skinstad scored a brilliant try in the corner as the Wallaby defence went AWOL.  Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen fed the Bok No.8 who ran all of 20 metres before crashing over with Matt Burke on his back.

Although Braam van Straaten missed the conversion, he justified his inclusion in the Bok side early when he slotted a penalty goal from inside his half of the field.  That was the first of two first-half penalty goals that Van Straaten struck from more than 50 metres.

After the first penalty, the Boks immediately went on the attack again.  From the restart Breyton Paulse made a break before offloading to Skinstad, who gave the ball to Joost van der Westhuizen who was stopped inside the Wallaby 22, but the visitors' backline were offside and Van Straaten increased the Bok lead to 6-0.

Both sides were keen to throw the ball around, but the defence was good all round.  Butch James and Van Straaten did well in keeping the Wallabies pinned back in their own half with good tactical kicking, while Elton Flatley and Walker did the same for the visitors.

The Wallabies looked dangerous when they got into the Boks' 22, but everytime they spoiled a good overlap with someone trying to break the homeside's defensive line.  Nathan Grey and Toutai Kefu were the culprits, not sending the ball wide when they should have.

Australia's best attacking move came in the 30th minutes when Grey chipped a kick into South Africa's in-goal area, but Andrew Walker knocked on as he was going for the touchdown and the Boks escaped from jail for the third time in the opening stanza.

Burke, who missed two relatively easy attempts early on, got his side's first points in the first minute after the break with a penalty goal.  His second three-pointer came four minutes later when Burke landed a 50 metre attempt with ease.  But Van Straaten increased his side's lead to 11 points from the restart when Nick Stiles went offside.

Burke added two more penalty goals (in the 50th and 58th minutes) before the Wallabies got a good attacking scrum on the Boks' 22.  They spread it wide and the try was on, but Joe Roff held on in the tackle and the Boks were awarded a penalty.

The Boks spent most of the time between the 60th and 70th minutes camped in the Wallaby half and almost scored from a brilliant chip-and-chase by fullback Conrad Jantjes.  Unlucky for the Boks Dean Hall did not get a good bounce in the Australian in-goal area after Butch James kicked through.

However, the Boks' relentless pressure paid off when the visitors were penalised with less than 10 minutes remaining.  Van Straaten did the necessary and the scored changed to 20-12 with nine minutes left on the clock.

With four minutes left, after replacement flyhalf Manny Edmonds narrowed the lead to five points, the Springboks got a good attacking scrum inside the Wallaby 22, but Breyton Paulse, who had a good game, attempted a drop goal, his second of the night, and failed.

The Wallabies were awarded a scrum in their 22, they attacked, the Boks tackled them man for man, the siren went and the referee ended the game.  The Boks are still unbeaten against Australia in Pretoria.

Man of the match:  A few contenders here -- André Venter and Joost van der Westhuizen for the Boks, and George Gregan for the Wallabies.  However, nobody was better than Braam van Straaten.  He proved that you need a good kicker at this level of rugby -- not only at goal, but tactically as well.  His goal-kicking was great and Van Straaten slotted five kicks from six attempts at goal.

Moment of the match:  Bob Skinstad's try late in the first half saw the Wallabies turn 14 points behind the Boks.  They never had it in them to close that gap, and Skinstad left the field smiling after his first taste of victory as captain in the Tri-Nations.

Villain of the match:  Wallaby lock David Giffin for his elbow-charge on Robbie Fleck late in the first half.  Neither the referee nor the touch-judges spotted him, but Giffin deserves to be cited for the incident.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Elton Flatley, 11 Joe Roff, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Andrew Walker, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, Manuel Edmonds, Chris Latham, Ben Darwin, David Lyons
Unused:  Brendan Cannon, Chris Whitaker

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Johan Ackermann, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Robbie Fleck, 13 Braam Van Straaten, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  John Smit, Corne Krige, Ollie Le Roux, Joe Van Niekerk
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Thinus Delport, Deon Kayser

Referee:  Mchugh d.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 4, Edmonds M.H.M. 1

South Africa
Tries:  Skinstad R.B. 1
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 5

New Zealand 12 South Africa 3

The All Blacks of New Zealand defeated South Africa 12-3 in a hard-fought opening 2001 Tri-Nations encounter at Newlands in Cape Town.

Whilst the Springboks will take some heart from their brave performance, once again the bad out-weighed the good as the Men in Black showed the value of having a well-organised defence and a specialist goalkicker.

Whilst tries were non-existent, blood and guts were a hallmark of a game that did not quite reach the level of play that the near 50 000-strong crowd would have hoped for.  Sure they got a bit of rain and a torrent of tackles, but for the first time in Tri-Nations history no tries were scored in an entire match.

South Africa dominated much of the possession and territory stakes in the first-half, but other than a third-minute penalty by Percy Montgomery they had nothing to show for their efforts in the entire match as New Zealand defended as if their lives depended on it.

There were good moments for the Boks, especially at line-out time where novices Victor Matfield and Lukas van Biljon impressed, but it was New Zealand flyhalf Tony Brown who stole the show with a faultless goalkicking performance in the first 40 minutes, whereas Springbok fullback Percy Montgomery missed three attempts at goal and Butch James missed one fairly long-range attempt very late in the match.

At one stage South Africa spent a considerable amount of time in the All Blacks' half, but they could only watch minutes later as the visiting side entered their territory and Tony Brown kept the scoreboard ticking over with four penalties from different parts of the ground, although none of them were long-range attempts.

There were no real try-scoring opportunities in the first stanza, but in the last five minutes wings Jonah Lomu and Doug Howlett threatened the homeside's defence on numerous occasions.

Some brave defence from vice-captain Robbie Fleck saved the Boks on one occasion in particular when Lomu managed to get his hands through a tackle from André Venter and Breyton Paulse, before feeding lock Troy Flavell on his outside.  Fleck hunted Flavell down and won a penalty for his side.

But the All Blacks continued their knew-found dominance, which was reminiscent of the last time the two countries met at Newlands, and Brown extended their lead by yet another three points shortly before half-time.

The Boks' second half onslaught began with earnest some eight minutes into the second stanza.

They went left, they went right, they re-cycled the ball for over 10 phases, but the All Black defence, with retreaded opensider Taine Randell and skipper Anton Oliver the stand-outs, just stood firm in the face of danger.

The Boks managed to force a scrum on the All Black tryline after Dean Hall was held up by Jonah Lomu with the tryline only a metre away, but despite winning a penalty, which Joost van der Westhuizen took quickly, they did not make any impression on the All Black defence or the scoreboard.

The All Blacks almost managed a break-away try through wing Doug Howlett in the last quarter and the match ended with an interlude from an adventurous spectator dressed in a wet-suit and a botched penalty attempt from Springbok flyhalf Butch James, which could have given his team an all-important bonus-point for losing by less than seven points.

New Zealand will no doubt be delighted with a hard-fought opening Tri-Nations win but where to from here for South Africa?  Well, that is a good question, which could perhaps be answered against Australia next week.  They were not embarrassed, but simply beaten by a side that seemed to want it more in the second half, which produced no score and only one penalty attempt by South Africa.

Man of the match:  Springbok hooker Lukas van Biljon had an outstanding match in only his first start for his country.  He did the basics first.  Cleaning out at rucks and mauls, his line-out throwing was spot-on, he stood his ground at scrum-time and he ran with much power and purpose when given a chance with ball in hand.

Villain of the Match:  Nobody.  Sure there were some niggles and a bit of "how's your father", but boys will be boys.

Moment of the Match:  When the very brave spectator, clad in a wet-suit, emerged on to the pitch abd got the loudest cheer from a subdued crowd.  He even had the guts to initiate a tackle on the policeman, who was about to apprehend him.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver (c), 3 Carl Hoeft, 4 Troy Flavell, 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Taine Randell, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Ron Cribb, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Tony Brown, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jonah Lomu, 15 Jeff Wilson
Reserves:  Marty Holah, Chris Jack, Leon MacDonald
Unused:  Carl Hayman, Mark Hammett, Byron Kelleher, Andrew Mehrtens

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Robbie Fleck, 13 Marius Joubert, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Percy Montgomery
Reserves:  John Smit, Johan Ackermann, Deon Kayser, Ollie Le Roux, Joe Van Niekerk
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Conrad Jantjes

Attendance:  49720
Referee:  Young s.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Pen K.:  Brown T.E. 4

South Africa
Pen K.:  Montgomery P.C. 1

Argentina 38 Italy 17

Argentina scored four tries (three converted) and four penalties to Italy's one try and four penalties.

On Saturday, Argentina defeated Italy 38-17 in a one-off Test in front of 20 000 spectators at Ferreocarril Oeste soccer stadium.

The tough Italians put up more of a fight than expected in an evenly matched first half, but the Argentinians got the upper-hand in the second half after leading 13-6 at half-time.

Diego Albanese's try after 23 minutes was the only highlight of the first half.

Felipe Contepomi converted Argentina's try and slotted two penalties in the first half, compared to Francesco Mazzariol scoring Italy's only first-half points with two penalties.

Mazzariol added two early penalty goals after the break, but with the Azzurri trailing 13-12 the Argentines ran away with the score courtesy of stand-off Gonzalo Quesada, who came on just before the end of the first half as a substitute.

Quesada scored a penalty and a try, converted by himself within five minutes to make it 23-12 after 50 minutes.

Argentina's two other tries were scored by Eduardo Simone, converted by Quesada in the 54th minute, and Albanese.

Italy attacked furiously during the last 10 minutes, but could only get over the tryline once as Los Pumas mounted a sturdy defence.  Giovanni Rainieri crossed the line two minutes before the end.

The Italians lost a Test to South Africa, but beat Uruguay last week and now return home to rest.

The Teams:

Argentina:  1 Omar Hasan Jalil, 2 Federico Mendez, 3 Mauricio Reggiardo, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Gonzalo Longo Elia, 6 Rolando Martin, 7 Santiago Phelan, 8 Lucas Ostiglia, 9 Agustin Pichot, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Diego Albanese, 12 Lisandro Arbizu (c), 13 Eduardo Simone, 14 Gonzalo Camardon, 15 Bernardo Stortoni
Reserves:  Martin Durand, Mario Ledesma Arocena, Gonzalo Quesada
Unused:  Leopoldo De Chazal, Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, Mariano Sambucetti, Facundo Soler

Italy:  1 Andrea Muraro, 2 Alessandro Moscardi (c), 3 Salvatore Perugini, 4 Wim Visser, 5 Mark Giacheri, 6 Salvatore Garozzo, 7 Aaron Persico, 8 Carlo Checchinato, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 10 Francesco Mazzariol, 11 Luca Martin, 12 Walter Pozzebon, 13 Giovanni Raineri, 14 Massimiliano Perziano, 15 Nicola Mazzucato
Reserves:  Luca Mastrodomenico, Fabio Ongaro, Roberto Pedrazzi, Andrea De Rossi, Tino Paoletti
Unused:  Filippo Frati, Ramiro Pez

Attendance:  20000
Referee:  Whitehouse n.

Points Scorers:

Argentina
Tries:  Albanese D.L. 2, Quesada G. 1, Simone E. 1
Conv:  Contepomi F. 1, Quesada G. 2
Pen K.:  Contepomi F. 2, Quesada G. 1
Drop G.:  Quesada G. 1

Italy
Tries:  Raineri G. 1
Pen K.:  Mazzariol F. 4

Australia 29 British Isles 23

Two tries from centre Daniel Herbert helped Australia to a 29-23 win over the Lions in the decisive third Test in Sydney, claiming an enthralling 2-1 Test series win at a tension-filled Stadium Australia.

The scores were tied at 23-23 going in to the last 12 minutes, but fullback Matt Burke stepped up and shrugged off the pressure to become the Wallabies' hero landing two penalties to fend-off a gallant, if at times headstrong Lions' challenge.

The home side had gone into the half-time interval at 16-13 in front after an early Lions' try from wing Jason Robinson, but Herbert's touch down just before the break set the tone for a see-saw match, which had pulses on both sides of the equator racing as the Lions mounted a failed late challenge.

The Lions' other try on the day came from Jonny Wilkinson just after half-time, putting the Lions in front only until Herbert's second in the 49th minute.

In truth, the series could have swung either way, but it was the Wallabies' tenacity in the 50/50 contests which saw them edging ahead, Justin Harrison in the second row having a debut to remember, stealing a memorable late lineout from Lions skipper Martin Johnson with the hooter imminent to drive a further nail into the Lions' coffin.

The tourists far from disgraced themselves, with the back-row in particular exposing the soft underbelly of the home side in the loose, where they repeatedly drove through the heart of the Wallaby pack with a string of surging rolling mauls.  But in the battle on the ground, it was Wallaby openside George Smith who emerged victorious, with team-mates Kefu and Finegan not far behind him.

Without late injury withdrawal Austin Healey, the 84,000 crowd at Stadium Australia were denied the chance to witness the Leicester wing's pre-match slurs against all things Australia being rammed down his throat.

His late replacement was Welshman Dafydd James, but with Healey also due to serve as Matt Dawson's scrum-half replacement, the Lions' management had to take desperate measures and recruit Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol to the bench.

Nicol had not even been part of the squad, being in Sydney merely as a tour guide, but found himself thrown into the cauldron of Stadium Australia.  He was not used in the end, but his inclusion in the squad served as a fitting marker of the drama surrounding the 2001 tour right from day one.

But the real drama unfolded on the pitch and it was Jason Robinson -- one of the shining lights for the Lions -- who made the first in-roads to the Wallaby defence out wide when he touched down in the left corner after 20 minutes.

It was a move which proved that the tourists -- underdogs going into this match -- were capable of playing their own brand of "total rugby", two front row players out wide playing a valuable part in the score.  Firstly hooker Keith Wood drew in Andrew Walker ten metres out, and then loosehead Tom Smith pulled in the last defender before putting Robinson in for a textbook 2 on 1 overlap try next to the corner flag, with Wilkinson nailing the tricky extras in a mixed kicking half.

By this time though Matt Burke had already kicked three penalties to Wilkinson's one, and Herbert's try just before the half-time whistle was the next score as both teams sparred around the fringes of the ruck -- the Wallaby front-row again given a rough ride by the Lions as Nick Stiles and Rod Moore looked out of sorts.

Herbert's try when it came was a result of constant Wallaby pressure, the marvellous George Gregan in particular back to his marshalling best at the base of every ruck, capitalising on some quick breaks by the three-quarters to set the scene for the try, which eventually came after a quick exchange between Herbert and Andrew Walker on the right flank, Burke hitting the conversion for a 16-13 half-time lead.

Jonny Wilkinson gave the vast and noisy legions of Lions fans something to cheer when he jinked over from short range just after the break, showing a shimmy to Toutai Kefu before cutting in past Dan Herbert for the try, and then hitting the conversion to snatch the lead.

Herbert made amends five minutes later when he was on the end of a quick transfer through the Wallaby hands, their speedy continuity play creating the stage for hooker Michael Foley out wide to unselfishly offload to Herbert for his second try.  Foley could well have gone himself, but made sure of the score by putting in the Queensland centre on the overlap, Burke again converting.

Herbert's next contribution to the match was not so glorious when his clothes-line tackle on the below-par Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll landed the Wallaby a ten-minute spell in the sin-bin.

The Lions failed to make the most of the space though, Wilkinson's penalty drawing the scores, but no more points coming in what could have been a crucial ten-minutes.

The England man missed his third kick of the day shortly after, the pivot's hit-and-miss kicking day giving heart to the Wallabies, particularly during the enforced absence of Herbert.

Almost immediately after Herbert's return to the fray, Burke again put the home side in front with a penalty.  It was a decisive moment, and the Lions had a mountain to climb as injury-time approached.

The Lions' rolling-maul got into full swing, and as a Lions' lineout came with seconds to go in Wallaby territory, the visitors knew this was the moment they had to sieze the initiative.

Keith Wood threw in, and Justin Harrison claimed an awesome take at the front, eclipsing Martin Johnson at the front, leaping across his line of sight, stealing the ball, and shutting the door firmly on the Lions.

Referee Paddy O'Brien pulled the curtain down on a memorable series with the final whistle, Australia on balance deserved victors in a series which had everything, great tries, big-hits, controversy, injury, two well-matched teams and most of all, a true rugby atmosphere.

Australia were wounded after their first Test humiliation, but the last eight days have seen them stamp their mantle as true champions, obliterating the Lions in Melbourne, and then finding the scrapping spirit to pull out a win under adversity in Sydney.

The 2001 Lions may have been only seven points away from emulating their 1997 counterparts, but the Wallabies will be partying away in to the wee small hours, knowing that they have beaten the northern hemisphere's finest.

It was a fitting way for the cerebral and dignified Rod Macqueen to end his tenure as Wallaby coach, and sets up a fascinating Tri-Nations series as Eddie Jones takes the reins.

So, a day of joy for Australia but disappointment for the many thousands of away supporters who had journeyed across the globe to yell themselves hoarse for their team.  No matter, after this epic series, the majority of them will already have begun their plans to play their part in British and Irish rugby's next great crusade -- the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand.

Man of the match:  Justin Harrison.  What a debut!  On this showing, it is hard to imagine why the aggressive Brumbies lock has been frozen out of the starting XV for the first two Tests.  His edgy, abrasive play may have earnt him the wrath of opponents and Lions' fans, but his lineout play and general combative game will surely see him as a must for the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations.  Two try hero Dan Herbert may be the scoreboard's choice for our award, but although his support play may have earned him his two scores, Harrison's excellence throughout shades our vote.  Not a vast abundance of Lions' contenders, with Martin Corry and Scott Quinnell the main two that spring to mind, as well as a largely impressive showing from Jonny Wilkinson.

Moment of the match:  Daniel Herbert's second try.  Herbert's first score may have been easier on the eye, but the sheer importance of this try wins the vote by a mile, as it eventually led to the scores being ties going in to the final stages with Burke's conversion.  Coming from a quick series of Wallaby phases, Michael Foley created the overlap for Herbert to dive in the left corner and set the scene for a Wallaby series win.

Villain of the match:  Daniel Herbert.  The only blot on Herbert's copybook was his deserved second-half sin-binning after flattening opposite number Brian O'Driscoll with a stiff-arm clothesline tackle round the neck.  Not normally a malicious competitor, Herbert served his ten-minute penance with relative calm as the Lions failed to capitalise on his absence.

Sin bin:  Herbert (Aus, 52-62 mins)

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 Justin Harrison, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Elton Flatley, 11 Joe Roff, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Andrew Walker, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, James Holbeck
Unused:  Brendan Cannon, Chris Latham, Chris Whitaker, Ben Darwin, David Lyons

British Isles:  1 Phil Vickery, 2 Keith Wood, 3 Tom Smith, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 7 Martin Corry, 8 Scott Quinnell, 9 Matt Dawson, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Jason Robinson, 12 Rob Henderson, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Matt Perry
Reserves:  Iain Balshaw, Colin Charvis, Darren Morris
Unused:  Dorian West, Ronan O'Gara, Andy Nicol, Martyn Williams

Referee:  O'brien p.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Herbert D.J. 2
Conv:  Burke M.C. 2
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 5

British Isles
Tries:  Robinson J.T. 1, Wilkinson J.P. 1
Conv:  Wilkinson J.P. 2
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 3

Canada 7 Japan 39

In the third-place play-off in the Pacific Rim Championship, Japan thrashed Canada 39-7 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.

A year ago, at Markham in Canada, Canada thrashed Japan 62-18.  This Tokyo result is a remarkable turn-around.

In the semi-finals Japan had been thumped 47-8 by Samoa, which made this victory over Canada all the sweeter.  In their semi-final Canada had been well beaten by Fiji, 52-23.

Japan were simply too fast and too skilful for the Canadians.  They scored five tries to one.

Wing Toru Kurihara scored two tries and Yuya Saito, Hideki Namba and Luatangi Vatuvei scored one each.  Kurihara added another 14 points with the boot.  Phil Murphy, the Canadian No.8, scored his team's only try.

The teams:

Canada:  1 Rod Snow, 2 Harry Toews, 3 Kevin Wirachowski, 4 Ron Johnstone, 5 Ed Knaggs, 6 Brad Major, 7 Colin Yukes, 8 Phil Murphy, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Bobby Ross, 11 Jeremy Cordle, 12 John Cannon, 13 Shane Thompson, 14 Sean Fauth, 15 Jeff Williams
Reserves:  Ryan Banks, Garth Cooke, Mike Danskin, Pat Dunkley, Kyle Nichols, Kevin Tkachuk

Japan:  1 Shin Hasegawa, 2 Masaaki Sakata, 3 Ryo Yamamura, 4 L. Vatuvei, 5 Hiroyuki Tanuma, 6 Kouichi Kubo, 7 Yuya Saito, 8 Takeomi Ito, 9 Yuji Sonoda, 10 Syotaro Oonishi, 11 Toru Kurihara, 12 Yukio Motoki, 13 Hideki Nanba, 14 Terunori Masuho, 15 Hirotoki Onozowa
Reserves:  Sinichi Tsukida

Referee:  Aiolupotea a.

Points Scorers:

Canada
Tries:  Murphy P. 1
Conv:  Ross R.P. 1

Japan
Tries:  Vatuvei 1, Kurihara T. 2, Nanba H. 1, Saito Y. 1
Conv:  Kurihara T. 4
Pen K.:  Kurihara T. 2

Fiji 28 Samoa 17

Fiji beat holders Samoa 28-17 to win the Pacific Rim Championship in a tough final played at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.

This was the third time the two teams have met in the last five weeks.  Before the final they had each won a match.

For Fiji it was a glorious end to troubled season that saw their performance at Sevens take a dive and the sudden departure of their 15-a-side coach.

Fiji dominated most of the match as their forwards got on top to send their backs running.  Manu Samoa did not really get into the game till the last ten minutes, when they, the proud holders of the Epson Cup, threw attack after attack at the Fijian defence which held firm.

Tries were scarce.  Each side scored only one.  In the end it was the boot of Nicky Little, the Fijian flyhalf, which won the day.  He scored with eight of nine attempts at goal.  At half-time Fiji led the kicking duel and were ahead 12-9.

Both tries were scored early in the second half -- by Alfie Uluinayau for Fiji from a backline movement after a line-out and scrumhalf Steven So'oialo for Samoa.

For most of the match the Samoans looked sluggish, which was hardly surprising as they were playing their eighth test in six weeks, their fourth in a fortnight.  Losing both locks in the first half did not help their cause.

In the second half the match threatened to boil over and the referee, Bruce Kuklinski was forced to keep a firm hand on proceedings.

The Teams:

Fiji:  1 Billy Cavubati, 2 Greg Smith (c), 3 Henry Qiodravu, 4 Apisai Naevo, 5 Simon Raiwalui, 6 Alifereti Doviverata, 7 Jope Tuikabe, 8 Inoke Male, 9 Jacob Rauluni, 10 Nicky Little, 11 Vilimoni Delasau, 12 Viliame Satala, 13 Alfred Uluinayau, 14 Adriu Rinakama, 15 Norman Ligairi
Reserves:  Dan Baleinadogo, Peniasi Damu, Sisa Koyamaibole, Sami Rabaka Nasagavesi, Isaia Rasila, Saimoni Rokini

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Ace Tiatia, 3 Kas Lealamanu'a, 4 Opeta Palepoi, 5 Lama Tone, 6 Craig Glendinning, 7 Semo Sititi (c), 8 Junior Paramore, 9 Stephen So'oilao, 10 Earl Va'a, 11 Brian Lima, 12 Inga Tuigamala, 13 To'o Vaega, 14 Elvis Seveali'i, 15 Tanner Vili
Reserves:  Terry Fanolua, Trevor Leota, Silao Leaega, Mark Luafalealo, Alfie To'oalo

Referee:  Kuklinski b.

Points Scorers:

Fiji
Tries:  Uluinayau A.B. 1
Conv:  Little N.T. 1
Pen K.:  Little N.T. 7

Samoa
Tries:  So'oilao S. 1
Pen K.:  Va'a E.V. 3, Leaega S. 1

Australia 35 British Isles 14

A resurgent Australia put to bed the ghosts of Brisbane a week earlier by dominating the Lions in the second Test in Melbourne, claiming a powerful and well deserved 35-14 win as Joe Roff touched down two tries.

The third Test in Sydney is now the series decider after Rod Macqueen's Wallabies battled back from an 6-11 half-time deficit, Roff's score immediately after the break cancelling out Neil Back's first-half try.

Roff added another five minutes later, and when Matt Burke went over for Australia's third on 64 minutes, the result was beyond all doubt.

Burke was equally potent with the boot after his recall at fullback, kicking six penalties and a conversion under the Colonial Stadium roof.

There were only brief early signs of the Lions' penetration in the backs, with Rob Henderson in particular failing to summon up the sort of composure and pace which typified their first Test win seven days previously.

In truth, the Lions weren't given half the room to play that they had last time out, with the Wallaby back-row a constant threat, Toutai Kefu and George Smith first to the breakdown more often than not, and George Gregan marshalling the whole team with superb poise throughout.

Ominous signs for the Lions were the departures through injury of Jonny Wilkinson and Rob Howley in the second-half, with Richard Hill also leaving the field with a facial injury as a result of Nathan Grey's clumsy high challenge just before the interval.  Andrew Walker went off looking groggy for the Wallabies after a clattering Jason Robinson tackle.

For all the Australian Rugby Union's free handouts of flags, scraves and baseball caps, it was clear from the start that the vast legions of Lions' fans would not be easily silenced -- even tinkering with the traditional Australian pre-match rugby anthem in their own rendition of Waltzing O'Driscoll, but their volume was only to last 40 minutes as the Wallabies fought back.

Just as in Brisbane last week, the early momentum was with the Lions, but with both sides showing signs of nerves, a one-dimensional start to the match saw the Lions take a 6-0 lead via two Jonny Wilkinson penalties.

There was no Wallaby defensive capitulation though, with George Smith finally living up to at least some of the hype, spoiling Lions' ball in the ruck in tandem with Toutai Kefu.

Matt Burke -- shipped in for goal-kicking duties after last week -- missed his first ambitious shot from the halfway line, but got the Wallabies back in the game with an elementary penalty on 20 minutes after a needless offside at the base of the scrum from Lions scrum-half Rob Howley, showing his impatience as Kefu kept the ball at his feet.

The Wallaby scrum also showed added steel after their abysmal performance last week, and held their own in the set piece, although in the loose, it was the constant battering-ram running of Scott Quinnell early on which punctured the defensive line time after time.

The Lions put their foot on the pedal after 25 minutes, and the result sent the vast Lions' contingent in to delirium, when Brian O'Driscoll's breath taking chip-and-chase down the right wing saw the ball worked back to Jonny Wilkinson on the Australia 22.

Wilkinson fired a precision crossfield kick right on top of right wing Andrew Walker near the try line, and Richard Hill's pressure on the Brumbies star forced a close lineout on the left flank for the Lions.

A typically Leicester-esque rolling maul saw the ball worked first left then right, and as the heap of bodies crossed the line, it was recalled openside Neil Back who emerged with the ball, excellent referee Jonathan Kaplan awarding the try, with Wilkinson slicing the wide conversion attempt.

George Gregan continued to test the Lions' defence around the fringes, and Australia narrowed the tourists' lead two minutes before the half-time whistle after a clothes-line tackle by Martin Johnson on Steve Larkham in midfield -- not a malicious stiff-arm, but still round the neck as Richard Hill clattered in to Larkham's ribs.

Wilkinson dropped a 45 metre penalty effort from way out on the left just short of the posts, before the hooter went for half-time with the Lions in front at 11-6.

The lead was instantly diminished as the game restarted, a careless miss pass by Wilkinson in the loose, snapped up by Joe Roff on the 22, with Roff beating Howley for pace and evading the challenge of O'Driscoll for the touchdown.

It took a video-referee decision to confirm the score, but after the brief wait, Burke had the chance to give the Wallabies the lead for the first time with the conversion attempt.  He missed though, leaving the game on a knife edge at 11-11.

For the first time in the Test series, the Wallabies took the lead as Burke nailed a long penalty.  Andrew Walker left the field looking groggy after a massive, but legal tackle from Robinson, with Chris Latham coming on for the former League flyer.

The Wallabies turned the screw as the Lions' gameplan went up in smoke, their discipline and cohesion seemingly evaporating as Kefu and Smith in the scrum conspired to wheel the Lions' put-in.

From the turnover, Gregan picked the ball up in midfield, shipping it to Larkham at pace on the left.  With an overlap at their disposal, Larkham put in Roff.  The Brumbies wing ran through the tackle of Dafydd James on the 22, stepping inside O'Driscoll for the try, converted by Burke as the Australian crowd finally made some noise.

A penalty miss from Wilkinson failed to reel-in the 21-11 deficit as Iain Balshaw replaced Perry at fullback for the Lions as they looked desperately for some kind of spark.

Owen Finegan gave the Lions a chance of points when once again he was on the wrong side of a ruck on the floor, presenting a penalty for Wilkinson outside the 22 which the Newcastle man made no mistake with, the Lions finally finding some forward momentum as the Wallaby lineout started to dominate, Giffin and skipper Eales both taking clean ball to set the platform.

Now at full tilt in both the forwards and backs, the Wallabies' quick recycling had the Lions on the ropes, with the knockout blow coming on 65 minutes, with phase after phase of swift ruck ball.

It was the break of Owen Finegan down the left wing near the 22 which did the damage, Henderson standing him up in the tackle, but giving him sufficient space to sneak out a basketball pass to Burke on the flank, with the fullback wriggling over the line for a try, but failing to hit the tough conversion attempt from the touchline.

A further Burke penalty put the game beyond the reach of the Lions, with Jonny Wilkinson's early exit through injury not cheering up their already miserable day, Neil Jenkins replacing him for the last five minutes.

Burke kicked two injury-time penalties to end proceedings, setting up a fitting climax to a dramatic series when the two sides clash at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Not a great evening for the Lions, in a game which saw Australia reveal their true colours with a physical and dominant 80 minutes, and demonstrated the tourists' failings under adversity.

The best of Britain and Ireland now have to draw on the positives, but after such a brutal dismantling, all the momentum lies with the impressive Wallabies.

Roll on Sydney.

Man of the match:  Joe Roff.  Harsh to deny contenders such as George Gregan, Owen Finegan and the sole standout for the Lions Scott Quinnell, but Roff finished the opportunities which came his way with pacy ruthlessness, burning off Dafydd James for the first, and showing brilliant support play for the second.  Biarritz fans must be raising a glass of the finest chablis to his imminent arrival.

Moment of the match:  Joe Roff's first try.  It came immediately after the half-time break, and obliterated the Lions' lead.  A foolish, misjudged lob pass from Wilkinson was sniffed out by Roff on the intercept, leaving Rob Howley for dead down the left flank for the touch down.  From then on it was all Wallaby.

Villain of the match:  Nathan Grey.  Not a dirty game by any stretch, but Grey's challenge on Richard Hill in the first-half saw the Waratahs' centre catch Hill in the face, forcing the flanker to leave the field after an initial blood-bin period.  Arguably a sin-binning offence, but more clumsy than brutal in the heat of battle.  Steve Larkham took two uncalled for late challenges from Rob Henderson and Scott Quinnell, but neither had the effect of Grey's, drawing blood and leaving the Lions without one of their most effective back-row weapons.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Joe Roff, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Andrew Walker, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Brendan Cannon, Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Chris Latham
Unused:  Chris Whitaker, Ben Darwin, David Lyons

British Isles:  1 Phil Vickery, 2 Keith Wood, 3 Tom Smith, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 7 Richard Hill, 8 Scott Quinnell, 9 Rob Howley, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Jason Robinson, 12 Rob Henderson, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Matt Perry
Reserves:  Martin Corry, Matt Dawson, Jason Leonard, Iain Balshaw, Neil Jenkins
Unused:  Dorian West, Martyn Williams

Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Burke M.C. 1, Roff J.W.C. 2
Conv:  Burke M.C. 1
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 6

British Isles
Tries:  Back N.A. 1
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 3