Australia 38 South Africa 27

Australia, with an early try for the much talked about winger Ben Tune, survived a strong second-half comeback from South Africa before a late Chris Latham try secured a 38-27 win, and a bonus point, in a thrilling Tri-Nations Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The Wallabies raced into an early 24-3 lead thanks to three tries and some sub-standard Springbok defence and at one stage they looked likely to run away with things as the Boks committed one clanger after another.

Wallaby right-wing Ben Tune, who dominated the news in the build-up to this Test with his drug-scandal, powered his way over in the fourth minute after an elaborate Wallaby backline move.

Matt Burke, who had a solid game in the No.13 jersey, struck the conversion from close-in and he was on target soon afterwards when Stirling Mortlock ran through attempted tackles from Johannes Conradie, André Pretorius and Werner Greeff after Chris Latham had made the initial running when Joe van Niekerk couldn't hold onto him in a tackle.

Mortlock's try was also as a result of a poor attempted skip-pass from Pretorius flew into touch and the Wallabies used the ensuing line-out to attack the Bok defence.

Latham was the next try-scorer after Daniel Herbert had done well to retain the ball -- despite being hit from both sides by Victor Matfield and Corné Krige -- and George Gregan spun the ball to Larkham before the Wallaby fullback ghosted over.

Burke kicked his first penalty just before the half-hour mark to take the scoreline to 24-3 -- the Boks had a solitary Pretorius penalty to show for their efforts at that stage -- but the next bit of action came from the players' fists as tempers flared somewhat after Greeff tackled Latham in the air when the Boks had a rare foray into enemy territory.

The players took the law into their own hands after Greeff's awkward tackle and it ended rather ugly with Wallaby hooker Jeremy Paul and his main line-out target Justin Harrison ending up in the sin bin along with Greeff.

Paul and Harrison landed a torrent of punches on Bok tighthead Faan Rautenbach as nearly all the players got involved.  Bok skipper Corné Krige left the field shortly afterwards with a bloodied face, but it seems that his ribs were bothering him after making another one of his usual bone-crunching hits.

Krige was replaced by debutant Hendro Scholtz, who finally injected some zest into the Boks' play.  Scholtz put in some strong runs and his flanking partner Van Niekerk also started punching small holes in the Wallaby defence.

The Boks were however guilty of rushing things with their one-man overlap, but they were finally rewarded with a try after some excellent play from outside centre Marius Joubert.

The South Africans, with Breyton Paulse at the fore, ran the ball from their own 22 and Joubert found some space just inside the Wallaby 10-metre area before dummying a kick and rounding Latham for the try.

Pretorius wasted no time by drop-kicking the conversion through the uprights, but the Boks' ill-discipline came back to haunt them as James Dalton conceded three points on the stroke of half-time to leave the score at 27-10.

Joubert's try gave the visitors a sniff as they came out firing in the second stanza and it was the self-same man who cork-screwed his way over for the Boks' second try.

Bob Skinstad, who took over the captaincy from Krige, did well to pick up a bouncing ball from a wayward line-out throw before getting the ball to hard-working second rower Jannes Labuschagne.  The Boks recycled the ball quickly and De Wet Barry through a neat long pass to Joubert, who spun through Latham's brave tackle, despite having Stefan Terblanché on his inside.

Burke kept the Wallabies' score ticking over with another penalty soon afterwards, but the Boks hit back shortly before the final quarter when Skinstad showed good power from close-range.

The talented No.8 -- who performed much better than he did against the All Blacks last week -- held off a tackle from Harrison after Paulse presented the ball to him from five metres out.  Paulse had hunted down the ball after a Barry grubber and when Tune could not control the ball the nippy Bok left-wing picked it up and calmly passed it back to Skinstad.

Pretorius missed his first kick of the night, but, at 30-22 it was game-on!

Both sides made some changes shortly after the 60-minute mark and when Burke was replaced by his namesake Mat Rogers, and Mortlock had to step up to the plate to give the Wallabies another three points after yet another Bok infringement near their own goalline.

Springbok utility back Brent Russell gave the Boks a glimmer of hope in the last five minutes of play with a brilliant try shortly after replacing Terblanché on the right-wing to cut the scoreline to 33-27.

Russell showed that he has pace to burn after some great interplay from Joubert and Van Niekerk on his inside and he recovered from a desperate last-ditch tackle from Larkham before diving over.

The Boks had a few chances in the dying minutes of the game, but the Wallabies managed to keep them in their own half before forcing a penalty on the Boks' goalline with the final whistle imminent.

Gregan signalled for the attacking scrum -- when a kick at goal or to touch would have ended the match -- but the Wallaby skipper's faith was rewarded with Latham squeezed over in the left-hand corner for his team's fourth and final try, which also happened to clinch their second bonus point of the 2002 Tri-Nations.

Both teams got four-try bonus points, but Latham's second try at the end robbed the Boks of what should have been a well-deserved bonus point for finishing within seven points.

Man of the match:  There are numerous contenders here ... For the Wallabies, Bill Young was very effective up front, George Smith was brilliant on the ground, Stephen Larkham was his usual self, Daniel Herbert was at his powerful best in the midfield and Chris Latham took his chances.  For the Boks Faan Rautenbach, Joe van Niekerk and Hendro Scholtz were superb up front, while Marius Joubert was the best Bok back with his incisive and powerful running.  But, in the end our wise men opted for George Smith for his crucial turnovers and massive tackle-count.  He was evidently under pressure in the build-up to this game, but he certainly silenced a few doubters with his energetic and ultimately match-winning performance.  Van Niekerk and Joubert pushed him hard for this award.

Moment of the match:  Nippy utility back Brent Russell wasted no time in getting involved when he replaced Springbok right-wing Stefan Terblanché in the 72nd minute.  He showed pace and good determination, but the build-up to his try was superb with Joe van Niekerk the central figure.  It was also the Boks' fourth try and only their second four-try bonus point in Australasia.

Villain of the match:  We have a tie this week and it is hard to separate the two.  Wallaby hooker Jeremy Paul and his Brumby team-mate Justin Harrison were very lucky to get just a yellow card for their efforts in the 32nd-minute punch-up.  They launched a vicious attack on Springbok prop Faan Rautenbach and somehow Springbok skipper Corné Krige ended up with a bloodied face when the players were finally parted.  The fight began after Werner Greeff tackled Chris Latham in the air and the players decided to take the law into their own hands.  But, we have one question -- what more must players do before they are shown red cards?

The teams:

Australia:  1 Patricio Noriega, 2 Jeremy Paul, 3 Bill Young, 4 Justin Harrison, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Matthew Burke, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Ben Tune, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Brendan Cannon, Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Mat Rogers, Ben Darwin, David Lyons
Unused:  Chris Whitaker

South Africa:  1 Faan Rautenbach, 2 James Dalton, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 4 Jannes Labuschagne, 5 Victor Matfield, 6 Corne Krige (c), 7 Joe Van Niekerk, 8 Bobby Skinstad, 9 Bolla Conradie, 10 Andre Pretorius, 11 Breyton Paulse, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Marius Joubert, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Werner Greeff
Reserves:  Delarey Du Preez, Adi Jacobs, Hendro Scholtz, Ollie Le Roux, Brent Russell
Unused:  Neil De Kock, A.J. Venter

Attendance:  37528
Referee:  Lander s.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Latham C.E. 2, Mortlock S.A. 1, Tune B.N. 1
Conv:  Burke M.C. 3
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 3, Mortlock S.A. 1

South Africa
Tries:  Joubert M.C. 2, Russell B. 1, Skinstad R.B. 1
Conv:  Pretorius A.S. 2
Pen K.:  Pretorius A.S. 1

New Zealand 41 South Africa 20

An 18-point blitz either side of half-time was all the impetus that the All Blacks needed to record a comprehensive 41-20 Tri-Nations win over the Springboks in Wellington.

New Zealand led 21-13 at half-time despite the Springboks running into an early 10-3 lead after a sensational individual try from fullback Werner Greeff in the sixth minute.

Greeff beat Mark Robinson, Christian Cullen and Doug Howlett en route to the tryline and André Pretorius's conversion put the visitors into a 7-3 lead after an Andrew Mehrtens penalty got the scoreboard ticking over in the second minute.

Pretorius soon added a penalty to stretch the Boks' lead to 10-3, and although Andrew Mehrtens cut the lead to four points, Greeff was on target with a drop-goal just a few minutes later to put the Boks in control at 13-6.

But All Black skipper Reuben Thorne rallied his troops and they hit back with a try of their own shortly before the end of the first quarter.  Kiwi hooker Mark Hammett, who had a nightmarish performance against the Wallabies last week, finally found one of his jumpers -- Chris Jack -- at a line-out, and scrumhalf Justin Marshall made some ground before Richard McCaw carried the ball further.

A third Crusader, No.8 Scott Robertson, soon arrived on the scene to make a telling forage into enemy territory and although Marshall took the wrong option by turning the ball inside to Mark Robinson, the Kiwis quickly re-cycled the ball to the right for Doug Howlett to dive over.

Mehrtens swung in a wonderful conversion from far out to tie the scores 13-all, but that was where the Boks' scoring ended for some time as the All Blacks slowly started making and breaking first-time tackles.

Mark Hammett was the man to benefit from the Kiwis' renewed vigour as he streaked over from a clever line-out move with Robertson, although replays suggest that Hammett's throw did not go five metres and both his feet were in the field of play at the time of his throw.

Mehrtens missed the conversion, but he added a penalty on the stroke of half-time and a drop-goal soon afterwards to put his side ahead at 24-13.

Then Greeff, who could do no wrong up till then, mis-judged a chip-ahead from Kiwi second five-eighths Aaron Mauger from the re-start to Mehrtens's drop-goal, which allowed Mauger to have another hack at the ball.  Caleb Ralph nailed Stefan Terblanché in the tackled and Tana Umaga, who had replaced the injured Mark Robinson, won the ball on the ground and presented it to Justin Marshall.

Marshall went right and the Boks defended bravely, but a change of direction saw Thorne crash over for the try.  Mehrtens did the necessary and at 31-13 the All Blacks had ripped the heart out of the young Bok side.

To their credit Krige's side did manage to pull one try back -- Marius Joubert won the race to the goalline after Pretorius's attempted penalty kick to touch bounced loose -- but 31-20 soon became 36-20 after Justin Marshall powered his way over for his fifth career try against the South Africans.

Marshall's try came just after the self-same Joubert had been sin-binned in rather dubious circumstances after a high-tackle on Doug Howlett and a few swats at Tana Umaga, who came to Howlett's assistance.

Scott Robertson rubbed more salt into the Boks's already infected wound with a late try after yet another well-executed line-out move close to the Bok line.

In the end a 21-point winning margin -- as predicted by the Zurich Computer rankings -- seems massive.  And, indeed it is.

The All Blacks will feel well-satisfied with their ninth straight Test triumph -- and bonus point -- that reinforces their position at the top of the Tri-Nation standings while Bok captain Corné Krige believes his team can take something out of the performance.

The Bok performance had shades of Nick Mallett's side's determination in 1998, but it also provided us with a trip down memory lane into Carel du Plessis' beleaguered side of 1997, which lost 55-35 to New Zealand at Eden Park.  Hopefully the Boks will remember next week to keep their error-rate down as the world champion Wallabies lie in wait.

Man of the match:  Springbok fullback Werner Greeff started the match like a house on fire and his captain Corné Krige did not stand back to anyone.  For the All Blacks, opensider Richard McCaw was at his brilliant best -- ripping the ball away from hapless Bok attackers and supporting his team-mates on the run -- while flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens ran things well from the crucial flyhalf spot.  But, in the end our vote goes to All Black No.8 Scott Robertson for his complete performance from the base of the Kiwi scrum.  He broke numerous Bok tackles on attack and tackled like a man possessed and for good measure he also scored the All Blacks' fifth try.  He completely out-played his opposite number Bob Skinstad.

Moment of the Match:  At first we pencilled in Werner Greeff's try -- the Boks' first in New Zealand since Pieter Rossouw's try during their 13-3 triumph in Wellington in 1998 -- but once the complexion of the game changed so did our moment of the match.  Our moment then?  Robertson's try, which came shortly before the final whistle.  It was fully-deserved by the Canterbury and Crusaders No.8 and just-reward for hard work a wonderful performance from him.

Villain of the Match:  It may be a bit rough on him, but Marius Joubert wins our vote here for his sin-binning in the 55th minute.  He cannot be blamed for the high-tackle, as he was going in the opposite direction to Doug Howlett, but his flurry of punches afterwards were unnecessary.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Mark Hammett, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Simon Maling, 6 Richard McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Scott Robertson, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Mark Robinson, 14 Caleb Ralph, 15 Christian Cullen
Reserves:  Sam Broomhall, Joe McDonnell, Tom Willis, Byron Kelleher, Jonah Lomu, Tana Umaga, Royce Willis

South Africa:  1 Willie Meyer, 2 James Dalton, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 4 Jannes Labuschagne, 5 Victor Matfield, 6 Corne Krige (c), 7 Joe Van Niekerk, 8 Bobby Skinstad, 9 Bolla Conradie, 10 Andre Pretorius, 11 Dean Hall, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Marius Joubert, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Werner Greeff
Reserves:  Neil De Kock, Adi Jacobs, Faan Rautenbach, A.J. Venter, Ollie Le Roux,
Unused:  Hendro Scholtz, Breyton Paulse

Referee:  Dickinson s.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 1, Hammett M.G. 1, Marshall J.W. 1, Robertson S.M. 1, Thorne R.D. 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 2
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 3
Drop G.:  Mehrtens A.P. 1

South Africa
Tries:  Greeff W.W. 1, Joubert M.C. 1
Conv:  Pretorius A.S. 2
Pen K.:  Pretorius A.S. 1
Drop G.:  Greeff W.W. 1

Canada 36 United States 13

Canada has stayed at the top of the Americas Zone World Cup qualifying table with a resounding 36-13 victory over the USA in Chicago in front of 2,400 fans.  A pair of Marco DiGirolamo tries in the first half proved to be the difference, while fly-half Jared Barker had a perfect day, kicking four penalties and two conversions for 16 points.

The US got a late second half try from replacement fullback Mike Hercus who also had a conversion and two penalties to account for all the US points.

Fly-half Link Wilfley's first shot at goal -- from 39 metres into a stiff breeze went instantly off course -- and it appeared the Rotherham player was still struggling to find his once prominent kicking form.

"We took advantage of [US] mishaps, and it comes from pressure defense," Canadian captain Al Charron said after the match.

"Our execution today was a lot more crisp.  You can't expect to win test match football if you don't convert pressure into points.  We didn't do that today," USA coach Tom Billups said.

Barker got his side on the board in the eleventh minute with a 41 metre kick, punishing a US offside to make the score 3-0 to the visitors.

Olo Fifita went down at 16 minutes and after some treatment on the pitch went off, with Brian Surgener coming on as a blood substitution.

Canada was awarded a penalty on the play for obstruction, and Barker hit the long 42 metre penalty.  6-0 Canada.

Wilfley then had a 15 metre shot go awry, and a few boo-birds began to whistle.

Referee Nigel Whitehouse continued to call the USA for a variety of infractions and it was Barker again two minutes later to extend the Canuck lead to 9-0.

At 27 minutes Sean Fauth found a seam inside the US 22 and then off-loaded to late substitution Marco DiGirolamo who touched down under the posts.  Barker added the extra two points and the Canadians were out to a storming 16-0 lead.

DiGirolamo then added his second of the day in the 32nd minute, diving into the left corner, and with the touchline conversion by Barker Canada was in control 23-0.

Just before the half Canada threatened again with a five metre scrum, but the Eagles dodged that bullet as the Canucks wheeled giving possession to the US.  The next scrum resulted in a penalty for boring in, and the US kicked out of trouble.

The US went to Mike Hercus, who had come on just before the break as a replacement for Mose Timoteo, and he was true on a 45 metre effort, bringing the pro-USA crowd to its feet.  26-3.

Hercus added another penalty at 61 minutes to cut the Canadian lead to 26-6.

With a hard day of work behind him, Jared Barker came off, to be replaced by veteran Bob Ross, who promptly slotted a shot from 39 metres 29-6 Canada.  Barker is now 12 for 12 in the kicking department over the last two qualifying games.

With the US showing little forward momentum Canada continued to press, winning a lineout at the American ten metre line, and the ball was spun wide with Sean Fauth coming in from the opposite wing, taking a quick pass and then feeding Fred Asselin who touched down in the right corner.  Ross converted and the score ballooned to 36-6

The US managed to organize a drive, getting down to the Canadian five metre line with the a US ruck freeing Mike Hercus under the posts.  He converted his own score to take the sting out of a poor US performance, making the final score 36-13.

The USA now takes on Chile in Salt Lake City on August 10th, while Canada plays Uruguay in Edmonton on the same day as Americas Zone qualifying continues.

Man-of-the-match:  As a replacement for John Cannon, Marco DiGirolamo took all the guessing out of what his abilities are in the mid-field, scoring two tries but also showing tremendous defensive resolve and solid distribution skills.  As team captain Al Charron said following the victory:  "Discounting his two tries Marco still was outstanding in defense and with the ball in hand, so a real great effort by him!"

Moment of the match:  The final Canadian try which came from a Canadian penalty lineout.  It was a complete team try with the forwards winning the ball cleanly, quick ball down the line, and Sean Fauth showing innovation coming off the opposite wing with Winston Stanley also helping from the fullback spot to free the speedy Fred Asselin for the score.

Villain-of-the-match:  While he is a talented and very fast wing, Jone Naqica continues to put his side in jeopardy with poor decision making.  On a day when his team was under pressure and all hands on deck were required his yellow card offence for disrupting a quick tap ball by Morgan Williams was the last thing the Americans needed.

The teams:

Canada:  1 Ryan Banks, 2 Adam Van Staveren, 3 Phil Murphy, 4 Alan Charron (c), 5 Mike James, 6 Pat Dunkley, 7 John Thiel, 8 Rod Snow, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Jared Barker, 11 Fred Asselin, 12 Marco Di Girolomo, 13 Nik Witkowski, 14 Sean Fauth, 15 Winston Stanley
Reserves:  Jamie Cudmore, Bobby Ross, Colin Yukes, Matt King

United States:  1 Olo Fifita, 2 Kort Schubert, 3 Dave Hodges (c), 4 Philippe Farner, 5 Eric Reed, 6 Dan Dorsey, 7 Kirk Khasigian, 8 Mike MacDonald, 9 Kevin Dalzell, 10 Link Wilfley, 11 Johnny Naqica, 12 Jason Keyter, 13 Phillip Eloff, 14 David Fee, 15 Mose Timoteo
Reserves:  Juan Grobler, Mike Hercus, Kimball Kjar, Brian Surgener, John Tarpoff

Attendance:  2500
Referee:  Whitehouse n.

Points Scorers:

Canada
Tries:  Asselin F. 1, Di Girolomo M. 2
Conv:  Barker J. 2, Ross R.P. 1
Pen K.:  Barker J. 4, Ross R.P. 1

United States
Tries:  Hercus M. 1
Conv:  Hercus M. 1
Pen K.:  Hercus M. 2

Australia 6 New Zealand 12

The All Blacks, playing the last few minutes with only 14 men, held onto a six-point lead with the Wallabies attacking relentlessly to win this Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup clash by 12-6 at a cold and wet Jade Stadium in Christchurch.

It was the first tryless encounter between New Zealand and Australia since 1991, but what the game lacked in attack, the two teams more than made up for with superb defence.

The Wallabies, after being pinned back in their half for most of the game, changed that trend in the final 15 minutes and launched the one attack after the other.

And when outside centre Mark Robinson was sent to the sin-bin with less than 10 minutes left on the clock, the tide seemed to be turning for the visitors.

But the Australians miscalculated the All Blacks' resilience in defence, and every time they got a promising move going, the home team tackled them into the ground and won back the ball.

The miserable conditions turned the game into a kicking contest between All Black pivot Andrew Mehrtens and the Wallabies' Stephen Larkham and Chris Latham, a battle Mehrtens won in the end.

The outside backs saw very little ball as both sides elected to mince it up in the forwards, and it is here where the All Blacks laid the platform for their win.

The home team had the upper-hand up front, and with Richard McCaw and Scott Robertson leading the charge, they had the Wallabies under pressure at rucks at mauls.

McCaw, despite the few penalties he conceded, was brilliant, and the turn-ver count of 28-19 in New Zealand's favour shows that he had the acsendancy on the ground over Wallaby opensider George Smith.

Chris Jack and Greg Somerville also had good games for the home team, while Toutai Kefu and Nathan Sharpe were the Wallabies' best forwards on the night.

But the All Black General Andrew Mehrtens was the biggest thorn in the Wallabies' side.

His tactical kicking was superb and he constantly had the Australians turn around with probing kicks downfield.  In total, the All Blacks kicked the ball almost 90 times, with Mehrtens doing the honours most of the time.

From there Larkham and Latham were forced to find touch, and although the All Blacks struggled at the line-outs (the Wallabies poached five of their throws), the enjoyed territorial advantage to such an extent that, before the last quarter, the Wallabies had less that 40 percent of the ball.

It was clear that New Zealand coach John Mitchell had told his team -- and Mehrtens in particular -- to keep Australia away from their 22, something the All Blacks did with clinical perfection.

And although the Wallabies had 60 percent of the ball, there was nothing they could do with it as the All Blacks drilled into them every time they tried to get an attack going.

The Wallabies also made life difficult for themselves with too many handling errors.  And as Australian coach Eddie Jones rang the changes in the second half, Mitchell stuck with the team he had sent onto the field, not disrputing their rhythm, a tactical move that paid off towards the end as the All Blacks stuck to their game-plan that eventually won them the match.

Man of the match:  Richard McCaw was good, as was Toutai Kefu.  But Andrew Mehrtens, the man who did most of the pre-match talk in the media, played his part to perfection, keeping the Wallabies as far away from the All Black try-line as possible.  He was also successful with all his kicks at goal under difficult circumstances, while Wallaby kicker Matt Burke missed two penalties.

Moment of the match:  The last movement of the game was quite special.  The Wallabies got a penalty, which Chris Latham stabbed into touch on the New Zealand 22, with 45 seconds left on the clock.  They did get the ball back, but the All Blacks applied so much pressure that when the Wallabies finally lost possession, they were on their own 10-metre line.  Justin Marshall kicked the ball into touch and the final whistle went.

Villain of the match:  Seeing that the game was quite clean, Mark Robinson, who got yellow carded for an early tackle late in the game, wins this dubious award.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Patricio Noriega, 2 Jeremy Paul, 3 Bill Young, 4 Justin Harrison, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Matthew Burke, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Ben Tune, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Mat Rogers, Ben Darwin, David Lyons
Unused:  Brendan Cannon, Chris Whitaker

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Mark Hammett, 3 Greg Somerville, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Simon Maling, 6 Richard McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne (c), 8 Scott Robertson, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Mark Robinson, 14 Caleb Ralph, 15 Christian Cullen
Unused:  Ben Blair, Sam Broomhall, Joe McDonnell, Tom Willis, Daryl Gibson, Byron Kelleher, Royce Willis

Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 2

New Zealand
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 4

Chinese Taipei 3 Japan 155

It was a day of records at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo, when Daisuke Ohata scored eight tries and Japan equalled the biggest victory margin ever in an international, beating Chinese Taipei by 155-3 in a 2003 Rugby World Cup Asian qualifying match.

Ohata's eight tries are a new Japanese record, while his 40 points are also the most scored in an international for his country.

The most tries ever scored in an international are the 10 scored by Ashley Billington for Hong Kong, against Singapore, in 1994.  G.M. Jorge (for Argentina against Brazil in 1993) and Lance Fitzpatrick (for the Cook Islands against Tahiti in 2001) have both scored eight tries in a Test -- equal second to Ohata's mark.

The flying winger's try-scoring feat improves on the previous Japanese mark, set by Terunori Masuho against Taiwan in 1998, when he touched down five times.  Toru Kurihara, who scored 35 points against South Korea three weeks ago, held the previous record for most points in a Test for Japan.  Japan won that match 90-24.

Ironically Ohata's last try came in injury-time, giving him his 30th Test try and making him the greatest try-scorer in Japan's history.

Japan also equalled the world record for the biggest winning margin in a Test, with the 152 points equal to the 152-0 win Argentina posted against Paraguay in a South American championship match earlier this year.

This was also Japan's highest score in a Test match, eclipsing the previous mark of 134 points against Taiwan in Taipei at the Asian championships in 1998.

For Japanese coach Shogo Mukai it also put to rest one of the most embarrassing moments in his career.  Mukai was the coach of Japan when they were beaten 145-17 by New Zealand at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

"I had always expected our team to play better than Taiwan in all aspects," he told the media.  "Japan had been at the receiving end of a 145 points defeat before, so I wanted to score more than that," Mukai added.

But for captain Hideki Nanba the main goal, qualifying for RWC 2003, was far more important than the victory margin.  They have two more matches in the Asian qualifying tournament left and will meet South Korea next Sunday and Chinese Taipei a week later -- two matches which should see them qualify.

"The best thing today was that we didn't give a single try to Taiwan," Nanba told the media.  "But we haven't yet won a ticket to the World Cup.  I just want to concentrate on our text match, to beat South Korea," he added.

South Korea head the standings with seven points from two wins and one defeat, while Japan are second with two straight wins for six points.  Bottom of the Asian standings are Taiwan, with just two points after failing to win any of their matches.

Taiwan's captain Lin Yi-te said that Saturday's match had illustrated how far behind his country was in competing realistically against the Asian super powers.

"We've played many games, but today's game was the toughest.  The Japanese are really strong.  In Taiwan there are not so many rugby players, while facilities and conditions are not on par with that in Japan.

"I hope we can reduce the points deficit a bit when we play Japan next time," he said.

Flyhalf Andrew Miller of New Zealand, who replaced Toro Kurihara at half-time, kicked 12 conversions, also a new national record breaking the previous mark of 11 made by Kurihara.

Japan scored a total of 23 tries.

The Teams:

Japan:  1 Shin Hasegawa, 2 Masaaki Sakata, 3 Masahiko Toyoyama, 4 Koichi Kubo, 5 Adam Parker, 6 Naoya Okubo, 7 Dean Anglesey, 8 Yuya Saito, 9 Sinichi Tsukida, 10 Andy Miller, 11 Toru Kurihara, 12 Yukio Motoki, 13 Hideki Nanba (c), 14 Daisuke Ohata, 15 Hirotoki Onozowa
Unused:  Takeomi Ito, Ken Iwabuchi, Kazuya Koizumi, Ryohei Miki, Wataru Murata, Masahito Yamamoto, Ryo Yamamura

Referee:  Deaker k.

South Africa 60 Samoa 18

In their last game before the 2002 Tri-Nations, South Africa ran in eight tries, including a brace each for centre De Wet Barry and winger Dean Hall, as the Springboks overcame Samoa 60-18 in a one-off Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

But never mind what the scoreboard said, this was not the kind of performance coach Rudolf Straeuli would have liked to see with the All Blacks waiting in Wellington in two weeks' time.

The Bok forwards struggled against a Samoan pack not exactly known for their brilliant forward play.  The home team played far too loose and never looked like a unit.

A few players did catch the eye, and Joe van Niekerk and Hottie Louw showed that Straeuli can't leave for Australasia without them.  Van Niekerk was rewarded with a late try, but got a fist on the eye when he accidentally hit a Samoan player, lying on the ground, with the ball in his celebration.

On the other hand, Samoa's pack did very well, with their three loose forwards -- Semo Sititi, Maurie Fa'asavlu and Kitiona Viliamu -- making life difficult for the Boks with superb play in the loose.

They were well backed up by Trevor Leota, who could teach the Boks a few things about playing with vigour.  Yes, the gold-haired hooker did get sin-binned, but he was the heart of the Samoan pack.

André Pretorius again showed his worth in the Bok No.10 jersey, while Werner Greeff's stock also rose considerably with a great game at fullback before he left the field after 55 minutes with what looked like a knee injury.

The visitors deserve praise for the way that they played.  Coach John Boe had said during the week that they came to Pretoria to play rugby, which is what they did when they got the ball.

Samoa played much more enterprising rugby, and the Boks and England can take notice of this young islanders team ahead of next year's World Cup.

The Springboks were slack on defence and they won't be happy with the three tries scored against them.

In fact, the Samoans scored the try of the game when Fereti Tuilagi crossed after a move that had started behind their own goalline.  The Boks' poor defence, and a crucial missed tackle from No.8 Bob Skinstad, did help Samoa get on the scoreboard, but that was a good indication of how the Samoans play rugby.

The line-outs and the restarts were a huge problem for the Boks, and with players like Chris Jack and Justin Harrison waiting for them, the South Africans will have to give serious attention to these areas.

Straeuli could take some heart from a few good tries scored by the home team.

The first five-pointer, after 14 minutes, was a beauty.

Greeff kicked downfield, with a speeding Van Niekerk chasing.  The loose forward gathered the ball 10 metres out and unselfishly passed to Greeff after he had crossed the line for the fullback to dot down under the uprights.

Five minutes later the visitors got one back after Tuilagi scored a superb effort that started behind the Samoans' own posts.  Their rich Sevens heritage showed and after a few great passes -- and poor tackles by the Boks -- the inside centre was able to get over for his second Test try.

But from then on it was plain sailing for the home team, and although they failed to grab the imagination, the South Africans scored two more tries -- by recalled lock Victor Matfield from a line-out drive, and De Wet Barry from a five-metre tap-kick -- to lead 27-5 at the break.

The second half was not a very memorable affair, and the Boks got most of their points in the last 20 minutes when the game had opened up and the Samoans tired in the thin highveld air.

The Boks also scored two tries -- through Delarey du Preez on his Test debut and big Dean Hall -- while Trevor Leota was in the sin bin for a late charge on his opposite number Danie Coetzee.  But, even with 14 men on the park, Samoan skipper Semo Sititi also crossed for a try.

Man of the match:  André Pretorius was the best back on the park, but loose forward Joe van Niekerk showed that the Boks can't keep on persisting with him on the bench.  He played a superb game, defended well and is a more than useful option in the line-outs.  He played a lot like a young Bob Skinstad, only a bit tighter.

Moment of the match:  Samoa's first try, in the 19th minute, was pure class.  For a moment they forgot that this was not a Sevens game and threw the ball around with finesse, beating tackles before Fereti Tuilagi crashed over for a superb five-pointer.

Villain of the match:  The game was played in good spirit, but Trevor Leota was yellow-carded for a needless late-charge on Danie Coetzee.

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Faan Rautenbach, 2 Danie Coetzee, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Hottie Louw, 6 Corne Krige (c), 7 Joe Van Niekerk, 8 Bobby Skinstad, 9 Bolla Conradie, 10 Andre Pretorius, 11 Dean Hall, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Marius Joubert, 14 Stefan Terblanche, 15 Werner Greeff
Reserves:  Neil De Kock, Delarey Du Preez, Adi Jacobs, Shaun Sowerby, Quinton Davids, Daan Human, Breyton Paulse

Samoa:  1 Jeremy Tomuli, 2 Trevor Leota, 3 Tamato Leupolu, 4 Leo Lafaiali'i, 5 Opeta Palepoi, 6 Maurie Fa'asavlu, 7 Kitiona Viliamu, 8 Semo Sititi (c), 9 Stephen So'oilao, 10 Earl Va'a, 11 Lome Fa'atau, 12 Elvis Seveali'i, 13 Fereti Tuilagi, 14 Alesana Tuilagi, 15 Silao Leaega
Reserves:  Aleki Toleafoa, Potu Leavasa, Kas Lealamanu'a, Carl Manu, Jonathan Meredith, Ponaly Tapela, Denning Tyrell

Referee:  Cole a.

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Tries:  Barry De W. 2, Du Preez G.J.D. 1, Greeff W.W. 1, Hall D.B. 2, Matfield V. 1, Van Niekerk J.C. 1
Conv:  Pretorius A.S. 7
Pen K.:  Pretorius A.S. 2

Samoa
Tries:  Sititi S. 1, Tuilagi F. 1
Pen K.:  Va'a E.V. 1