New Zealand go down to inspired Wallabies
A massive effort from Australia subjected New Zealand to their first defeat under Graham Henry ― a nail-biting 23-18 loss in Sydney on Saturday. Penalty kicks were traded galore before Wallaby wing Lote Tuquiri snuck across for a crucial try at the Telstra Stadium, the scene of the All Blacks' loss to the Wallabies in RWC 2003.
It was a tough, uncompromising, closely contested match ― but the Wallabies deserved their victory.
The match had been all Wallabies in the second half until they went into a 23-18 lead in the 68th minute. Then the All Blacks went into overdrive, but the Wallaby line did not yield.
But for most of the match the Wallabies looked stronger and more cohesive. The All Blacks appeared surprisingly ragged, almost seeming to hope for a gifted moment.
The Wallabies take four points from the match, the All Blacks a bonus point for being, thanks to penalty goals, within seven points of the winners ― the two sides are now tied on nine points each, with the Boks on two but with a game in hand.
The Bledisloe Cup stays in New Zealand as the series ends 1-1, and that means the holders keep the big trophy.
That the All Blacks scored no tries and now have two from three Tri-Nations matches will invite further questions about their new flat alignment. Things looked a bit better when Andrew Mehrtens became the general for the last half hour of the match, which will also invite further questions.
The first half was a real battle. At first it seemed that New Zealand would win it as they looked sharper, more powerful and more effective and went into a 9-0 lead which became 12-3. But then the Wallabies, with much thanks to flanker George Smith, fought their way back to a 12-all half-time score.
It was a still night in Sydney, but also very cool ― with breath on the air as Carlos Spencer barked the haka.
Australia ran the very first ball from the kick-off and Stirling Mortlock surged forward, but was tackled and the All Blacks won a turn-over. The Wallabies were off-side and Daniel Carter made it 3-0.
From the re-start it was the All Black turn to run the ball. Ali Williams broke and Carl Hayman took it on. It was much better than the Wallabies' first effort. It became a penalty against Justin Harrison but Crater's comfortable kick swung wide.
When Nathan Sharpe went off-side, Carter made it 6-0. When George Smith put his hands in a ruck, Carter made it 9-0. Indeed, at this point it looked like it would be a 'black' night in Sydney.
But then the Wallabies hit back ― Lote Tuqiri surged at the line and the television match official was called upon, only to advise that the big wing was millimetres short.
The referee went back to a penalty earlier at the tackle. Matt Burke, on for bleeding Mortlock, kicked the goal, 9-3.
The Wallabies then drove the best maul of the half and the ball went sweetly right to Clyde Rathbone who chipped ahead but the ball dribbled into touch.
The All Blacks lost three of their seven line-outs in the half, and they lost this one five metres from their line and the Wallabies bashed. Latham was almost there and then Carlos Spencer went grossly off-side. The referee penalised him, but George Gregan ― not for the first time ― added his pennyworth and the referee reversed the penalty right under the Wallaby crossbar.
Instead of a Wallaby three-pointer, Carter got a fourth when Nathan Sharpe held on in a tackle. 12-3 after 27 minutes.
Then the Wallabies took over.
Tuqiri was marked by three each time he touched the ball, but he battled manfully and ended up scoring the only try of the match.
He started an attack that became a penalty for Matt Giteau when Keven Mealamu was off-side. Giteau made it 12-9 when Xavier Rush wwnt off-side. The next All Black off-side earned Ali Williams a yellow card.
That gave the Wallabies an attacking line-out. Attack they did, and then Kees Meeuws kicked the ball whilst lying on the ground at the tackle and Giteau made it 12-12.
Right from the start of the second half ― and for the next half an hour ― the Wallabies dominated.
The Wallabies won the kick-off and Latham cut sharply down the left. He was tackled five metres short.
The Wallabies came right back, and Rush played a man without the ball. Giteau kicked the penalty to make it 15-12. The Wallabies were in front for the first time. They were not headed again in the next 39 minutes.
Sam Tuitupou came on for Carter and did bits of bashing in tandem with Marty Holah. But Spencer missed a comfortable kick when the Wallaby front row was penalised. Then Mils Muliaina cut sharply between Phil Waugh and George Smith and when Smith stayed in the wrong place at a tackle Spencer levelled the scores at 15-15.
Then the Wallabies flung themselves on sharp attack. They went right and came back left and with three to two David Lyons hung on and was tackled short of the line. It seemed a chance blown. But the ball came back quickly with a pass to Tuqiri. The great wing juggled, hung on and flopped over for the try which made it 20-15. Burke missed the conversion.
At this stage Williams came back. In his absence the Wallabies scored eleven points to three.
Tuitupou, Umaga and Holah combined to go directly for the impregnable Wallaby line and when Phil Waugh hung onto Marshall's arm, Mehrtens, on for Spencer, goaled. 20-18.
The tension was enormous and the Wallabies rode it best, especially after Smith stole a wonky pass from Mehrtens whose arm had been snagged by Waugh. Latham slashed through off a switch and got to a metre or two. Umaga was penalised for coming in at the side and the Wallabies chose a five-metre line-out. The All Blacks stood firm. Then there was a line-out six metres from the All Black line, but Gregan knocked on the knock-down.
Still the Wallabies attacked and Jeremy Paul, on for Cannon, produced a miracle steal from a New Zealand line-out and the Wallabies were attacking again. Tuqiri was held up over the line near the posts but when Marshall went off-side Burke made it 23-18.
That was the end of the scoring ― though the All Blacks had many attacking opportunities after Carl Hayman had charged down a Larkham clearance.
Latham saved in one attack when he pinched the ball from Mealamu as the hooker fell. The Wendell Sailor, on for Rathbone, saved by grabbing hold of a dropping pass.
The All Blacks were not finished as they won a Wallaby line-out and produced an overlap which Muliaina could not use.
The final hooter went and the All Blacks attacked and attacked, but when Sam Tuitupou knocked-on an awkward pass from Mose Tuiali'i, Gregan picked up the ball and booted it into touch to put the Wallabies ― and the Springboks ― back into Tri-Nations contention.
Man of the Match: Tana Umaga did so well in defence, and managed some sharp moments of his own when he had the ball. Marty Holah was all head-up and earnest endeavour, but really the award but go to a Wallaby. Brave Nathan Sharpe; clever Stephen Larkham with his judicious distribution; energetic, strong Chris Latham; never-defeated George Gregan; strong Lote Tuqiri ― and our choice, George Smith, who tackled, ran and stole enough to break New Zealand hearts.
Moment of the Match: The big moments could be the negative ones ― the scrap over the hoarding when Carlos Spencer wanted to take a quick throw-in and Stephen Larkham was silly. In fact the whole incident was silly ― astonishingly silly for an international match. Ali Williams went off-side in a series of New Zealand back-foot offences ― seven in all ― and earned a yellow card, which produced ten productive minutes for the Wallabies. But the moment must be that Wallaby attack and the juggle, grab and flop for the only try of the match by Lote Tuqiri.
Villain of the Match: The Larkham-Spencer silliness over the hoarding was unedifying and undignified. George Gregan could have provided a telling moment when he mouthed off and elicited a reversed penalty for his trouble. Justin Harrison just carries on being silly. But really the award must go to Ali Williams ― his yellow card laid the way for the Wallabies' match-winning points.
The scorers:
For Australia:
Try: Tuqiri
Pens: Burke 2, Giteau 4
For New Zealand:
Pens: Carter 4, Spencer, Mehrtens
The teams:
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Clyde Rathbone (Wendell Sailor, 73), 13 Stirling Mortlock (Matthew Burke, 17-23, 62), 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 George Gregan (captain), 8 David Lyons (John Roe, 70), 7 Phil Waugh, 6 George Smith, 5 Nathan Sharpe (Daniel Vickerman, 70), 4 Justin Harrison, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Brendan Cannon (Jeremy Paul, 57), 1 Bill Young (Matt Dunning, 13-20, 74).
Not used: 20 Chris Whitaker.
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Tana Umaga (captain), 12 Daniel Carter (Sam Tuitupou, 41), 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Carlos Spencer (Andrew Mehrtens, 60), 9 Justin Marshall, 8 Xavier Rush (Mose Tuiali'i, 71), 7 Marty Holah, 6 Jono Gibbes, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Kees Meeuws (Greg Somerville, 71).
Not used: 16 Andrew Hore, 19 Craig Newby, 20 Byron Kelleher.
Yellow card: Ali Williams (NZ), 38.
