George Gregan's Wallabies promised the world that they had a few aces up their sleeve for the first of two 2003 Rugby World Cup semi-final. And, they certainly showed at Sydney's Telstra Stadium that they are not just all talk -- stunning pre-tournament favourites, the All Blacks, 22-10 to advance to next week's RWC Final.
This result, apart from surprising virtually every rugby pundit across the globe, also produced a number of firsts, with the Wallabies becoming the first defending champions to advance past the semi-finals and also the first-ever team to play in three World Cup Finals.
For the All Blacks it was yet another RWC gone wrong, having won the inaugural tournament in 1987, they have now lost in the play-off stages in every tournament since -- the semi-finals in 1991, the Final in '95, the semis in '99 and the semis, again, in 2003.
But more importantly, the Wallabies turned all the pre-match predictions on their head in Sydney on Saturday with a world-class performance of structured attacking rugby and rock-solid defence. They lifted the intensity of their game and limited their mistakes.
Where the Kiwis fumbled their way through 80 minutes, the Australians were focussed and lifted their game to a new high. They appeared to be the hungrier team and never wavered, even when the Kiwis threatened to get back into the game.
From the opening minutes, Gregan's team took control of the ball and never gave the Kiwis a sniff of the possession. In fact, it took the All Blacks a full five minutes before they touched the ball, other than to re-start play.
The Wallabies hit the rucks with ferocious vigour, ensuring a steady stream of quick ball going back to halfbacks Gregan and Stephen Larkham. But they also kept the All Blacks under pressure in the set-pieces.
And with such quality possession it was easy for the Wallabies to stick to their gameplan.
Here Larkham played a pivotal role. At the outset he often took the ball wide, and with the Wallabies quicker to the point of breakdown, the Kiwis were forced into a defensive role.
In the first five minutes, the Kiwis had to make 28 tackles. While it did not show on the scoreboard immediately, it did have a major influence in the latter stages of the game ... with the Wallabies finishing the stronger of the two teams.
And as the game wore on, Larkham varied his play brilliantly and made "King" Carlos (Spencer) look more like a Joker than a King. On several occasions he slipped past the inside in the No.10 channel, with Spencer nowhere to be found. The Spencer magic that was so prevalent all year, was suddenly gone!
It would be easy to give all the plaudits to the outstanding Australian backs, but much of the credit must go to the Wallaby pack, who certainly outplayed their more-fancied Kiwi rivals on the day. In the line-outs, Justin Harrison was a tower of strength, while Bill Young did a lot more than just scrum.
And without the ball, the Kiwis' dangerous runners were not a factor. Not only did Spencer look lost for most of the game, but wings Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko also never saw enough of the ball to have made any inroads into any defensive lines. Mils Muliaina tried bravely at fullback, but he, too, was never a factor.
And when the Kiwis eventually did get their hands on some ball, the Australians made sure that their defensive lines remained structured and solid. In this department, flanker George Smith deserves credit for all the work he did in snuffing out any potentially dangerous moves.
Another standout aspect of this game was the way in which the Wallabies made the All Blacks pay for their mistakes. Not only did they make the Kiwis' normally impressive defence look rather ordinary, but the pounced on every loose ball as if their very lives depended on it.
There will be some concern for Australia, with prop Ben Darwin having been stretchered off after a collapsed scrum in the 49th minute. It is uncertain what the full extent of the injury is at this stage.
For now, however, they will enjoy the moment. They are into a World Cup Final.
Their opponents will determined on Sunday, and they will then shift their focus to next week's game at this very same venue.
Man of the Match: For New Zealand, openside flanker Richie McCaw fought a lone battle in the face of the ferocious Wallaby onslaught. For Australia, there were many stars. Stirling Mortlock was a star in the midfield, causing all sorts of problems for the defence, while forwards like George Smith and David Giffin also went that extra yard. But, in the end, our vote goes to fly-half Stephen Larkham, who on the day made all the right calls and played the role that was expected of him. He even managed to turn ball over at the breakdown.
Moment of the Match: With two tries only, one would be tempted to go for a turnover or tackle somewhere, but the crucial play came in the ninth minute when Stirling Mortlock intercepted Carlos Spencer's floating pass and sprinted 90 metres to score. From that moment on you knew the Kiwis would play catch-up rugby and they never quite managed to do so.
Villain of the Match: Brilliant, clean, hard rugby. No villains.
The Teams:
Australia: 1 Ben Darwin, 2 Brendan Cannon, 3 Bill Young, 4 Justin Harrison, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 6 George Smith, 7 Phil Waugh, 8 David Lyons, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Wendell Sailor, 12 Elton Flatley, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 14 Lote Tuqiri, 15 Mat Rogers
Reserves: Matt Cockbain, David Giffin, Nathan Grey, Jeremy Paul, Joe Roff, Alastair Baxter
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 Leon MacDonald, 13 Aaron Mauger, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 15 Mils Muliaina
Reserves: Marty Holah, Brad Thorn, Byron Kelleher, Kees Meeuws
Unused: Daniel Carter, Mark Hammett, Caleb Ralph
Attendance: 82444
Referee: White c.
Points Scorers:
Australia
Tries: Mortlock S.A. 1
Conv: Flatley E.J. 1
Pen K.: Flatley E.J. 5
New Zealand
Tries: Thorne R.D. 1
Conv: MacDonald L.R. 1
Pen K.: MacDonald L.R. 1
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