Italy 17 Canada 22

Stand-off Jared Barker netted 17 points for Canada through four penalties, a drop kick and a conversion to lead his team to a 22-17 victory over a largely experimental Italy in Rovigo.

For Italian coach Brad Johnstone it could be a costly loss as well, with rumours circulating that he would be sacked if the Azzurri lost to the 12th ranked North Americans.

Barker opened the scoring in the tenth minute with a 26 metre penalty after the Azzurri were called for offside by referee Didier Mene.

Barker's opposite number Francesco Mazzariol evened it up with a 46 metre effort a few minutes later after Canada were called for offside as well.

It was the James Bay player taking Canada into the lead again with a penalty kick, showing that the Italians would have to pay for the mistakes as his kicking game was on.

Canada showed aggressive defense by the backs, coming up quickly to snuff any Italian threat, and often regaining possession with good work in the rucks by the forwards.

The partisan Italian crowd began to coo in admiration as both Dan Baugh and Rod Snow made punishing runs into the Azzurri forwards, driving for valuable extra metres with each contact.

Italy's work in the lineout seemed effective on their own ball, and Canada began to withdraw quickly on three man throw-ins, setting up a solid defensive wall.

Mazzariol appeared to be putting his team under constant pressure with short kicks, poor decision making and, along with passing problems from debutant scrumhalf Filippo Frati, the Italians had little consistent ball to play with.

Barker slotted two more to take the Canadians into a 12 -3 lead before Mazzariol slotted a 10 metre penalty in the 36th minute and another in the 40th to reduce the lead to 12-9

It was Barker opening the scoring in the second half with a 29 metre drop goal just 56 seconds after the restart.

Both teams were reduced by one as flanker Dan Baugh and wing Denis Dallon were told to sit out for ten minutes after a brawl broke out on the Italian goal line.

A few minutes later another Azzuri penalty on their own goal line gave Morgan Williams a chance to use his quick tap magic to great affect getting within a metre of the line before Kevin Wirachowski rumbled in to get his second try of the tour.  Barker converted to take the lead to 22-9.

In the 67th minute Canada were down to 13 on 14 after Ryan Banks was shown the door for ten minutes following an incident in a ruck.  With the advantage the Italians began to put some impressive passages of play together culminating in an overlap that freed centre Manuel Dallan for a try in the left corner.  Replacement fly half Ramiro Pez could not make the touch line coversion and the Azzurri were within 8, 22-14.

The lack of numbers began to bend the Canadian defense with the Italians attacking late in the game, netting a penalty from Pez in the 39th minute to make the score 22-17.

Canadian captain Al Charron received a sin bin in the 81st minute for offside, and Italy pressed with a kick to the Canadian ten metre line.  After winning the lineout the Italians knocked on in the backline and the final whistle preserved the Canadian victory.

Morgan Williams was named the Jaguar man of the match by a panel of Canadian and Italian journalists.

Italy:  1 Andrea Lo Cicero, 2 Alessandro Moscardi, 3 Andrea Muraro, 4 Wim Visser, 5 Andrea Gritti, 6 Fabio Ongaro, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 8 Carlo Caione, 9 Filippo Frati, 10 Francesco Mazzariol, 11 Denis Dallan, 12 Manuel Dallan, 13 Cristian Stoica (c), 14 Luca Martin, 15 Marco Baroni
Reserves:  Luca Mastrodomenico, Andrea De Rossi, Tino Paoletti, Ramiro Pez
Unused:  Nicola Mazzucato, Stefano Saviozzi, Lisandro Villagra

Canada:  1 Rod Snow, 2 Harry Toews, 3 Kevin Tkachuk, 4 Mike James, 5 John Tait, 6 Dan Baugh, 7 Alan Charron, 8 Ryan Banks, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Jared Barker, 11 Sean Fauth, 12 Kyle Nichols, 13 Nik Witkowski, 14 Winston Stanley, 15 Scott Stewart
Reserves:  Gregor Dixon, Kevin Wirachowski
Unused:  Dale Burleigh, John Cannon, Garth Cooke, Nick Milau, Jeff Tomlinson

Referee:  Didier Mene
Touch Judges:  Joel Dume, Joel Jutge

Points Scorers:

Italy
Tries:  Dallan M. 1
Pen K.:  Mazzariol F. 3, Pez R. 1

Canada
Tries:  Wirachowski K.M. 1
Conv:  Barker J. 1
Pen K.:  Barker J. 4
Drop G.:  Barker J. 1

Ireland 78 Japan 9

At Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland duly overwhelmed Japan, although they failed to top the 100 point mark some were expecting with a 78-9 win.

Wing Denis Hickie grabbed a hat-trick as the home side ran in a total of eleven tries.

Right from the kick-off the Japanese were penalised for going over the top and Ireland's fly-half Ronan O'Gara landed the penalty goal from 30 metres after just one minute's play.

But Japan hit back almost immediately when Ireland's full-back Geordan Murphy was penalised for not releasing the ball and Keiji Hirose equalised with a penalty goal from 42 metres.

After 12 minutes play Hirose put Japan into the lead with his second penalty goal, this time from 20 metres after the Irish had been caught offside.

Murphy made amends by scoring Ireland's first try which was converted by O'Gara.  Six minutes later Ireland increased the lead when an attacking move by Keith Wood was carried on by Malcolm O'Kelly, O'Gara and Shane Horgan and scrum-half Peter Stringer was put loose to score a try beside the post which O'Gara converted.

Eight minutes before half-time Ireland's right wing Dennis Hickie ran from defence and outwitted the Japanese cover to score a superb individual try which O'Gara failed to convert.  Five minutes before the interval Ireland went over the top as a ruck after defensive dithering by Murphy and Hirose kicked his third penalty goal.

Ireland struck back almost immediately when Hickie again outwitted the defence to score Ireland's fourth try which O'Gara converted.

By the end of the third quarter Ireland had increased their lead to 57-9 by piling on 28 points.  Just after half-time left wing Tyrone Howe got in for a try.

The Irish went further ahead when centre Brian O'Driscoll ran in for two tries, before Howe again breached the Japanese defence to score his second try.

In the final quarter Ireland added three more tries scored by Peter Clohessy, Rob Henderson and Dennis Hickie, all converted by O'Gara.

The Teams:

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Keith Wood, 3 John Hayes, 4 Paddy Johns, 5 Malcolm O'Kelly, 6 Kieron Dawson, 7 Andy Ward, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 14 Tyrone Howe, 15 Geordan Murphy
Reserves:  Rob Henderson, David Humphreys, Gary Longwell
Unused:  Eric Miller, Brian O'Meara, Justin Fitzpatrick, Frankie Sheahan

Japan:  1 T. Fumihara, 2 Noboru Yasuda, 3 Naoto Nakamura, 4 Hiroyuki Tanuma, 5 Karl Todd, 6 Takeomi Ito, 7 Hiroshi Sugawara, 8 Kouichi Kubo, 9 Katsuji Ohara (c), 10 Keiji Hirose, 11 Michinori Oda, 12 Reo Kawai, 13 Hideki Nanba, 14 Patiliai Tuidraki, 15 Daisuke Ohata
Reserves:  Soshi Fuchigami, Mamoru Ito, Yasunori Watanabe
Unused:  Takashi Akatsuka, Masao Amino, Masahiko Toyoyama, Hideyuki Yoshida

Referee:  Whitehouse n.

Points Scorers:

Ireland
Tries:  Clohessy P.M.N. 1, Henderson R.A.J. 1, Hickie D.A. 3, Howe T.G. 2, O'Driscoll B. 2, Murphy G.E.A. 1, Stringer P. 1
Conv:  O'Gara R. 10
Pen K.:  O'Gara R. 1

Japan
Pen K.:  Hirose K. 3

Wales 50 Samoa 6

Wales stormed to a record win over Samoa at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff on Saturday evening to notch up their first victory over the Islanders since 1988.

It was a good day for Graham Henry's team, particularly recalled No.10 Arwel Thomas who was at the heart of his side's effort and finished the day off with a personal tally of 20 points.  The Swansea maestro thrived in the perfect conditions, the pitch having been saved from a soaking by the sliding roof at the stadium.

Despite suffering an injury scare in the week leading up to the game, Neath wing Shane Williams scored two tries showing an impressive turn of pace against a typically abrasive Samoa side.

Wales started slowly but eventually the gulf in class told between the men in red and a Samoa team who were missing many of their star players through a player boycott.

There were also tries for new skipper Mark Taylor, Northampton's Allan Bateman and Newport lock Ian Gough, while Australian referee Stuart Dickinson also awarded Wales a penalty try in the 69th minute.  "We had to win -- and win well," said coach Henry.  "There was pressure on us to score points against an experienced Samoan side, and I thought we played some good stuff in the second half.

"Having said that, I thought that we were a bit rusty.  It was our first international of the season and hopefully we can move further up the ladder next week when we play the USA.  We need to produce a more complete performance for longer periods of the game."

Wales led by 16 points at half-time and cut loose in the second half and it augurs well for Wales' upcoming matches against the USA and South Africa.

"I am over the moon with the result," said captain Taylor.  "It was a bit nerve-wracking early on and we took time to settle.  But we ended up with six tries, and I have got to be happy with that."

The Teams:

Wales:  1 Iestyn Thomas, 2 Garin Jenkins, 3 Ben Evans, 4 Ian Gough, 5 Deiniol Jones, 6 Geraint Lewis, 7 Colin Charvis, 8 Scott Quinnell, 9 Rob Howley, 10 Arwel Thomas, 11 Shane Williams, 12 Scott Gibbs, 13 Mark Taylor (c), 14 Allan Bateman, 15 Rhys Williams
Reserves:  Nathan Budgett, James Griffiths, Dafydd James, Neil Jenkins, Spencer John, Andrew Lewis, Rupert Moon

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Onehunga Matauiau Esau (c), 3 Tuaifuaina Veiru, 4 Opeta Palepoi, 5 Sika Poching, 6 Luke Mealamu, 7 A. Vaeluaga, 8 Junior Maligi, 9 Stephen So'oilao, 10 Quintan Sanft, 11 Faasuaga Taua, 12 Fa'apulou So'olefai, 13 Fereti Tuilagi, 14 Filipo Toala, 15 Veli Patu
Reserves:  Joe Mamea, Pule Misa, Mahonri Schwalger, Dan Tafeamalii, Setefano Tone
Unused:  Aleki Toleafoa, Ioane Evalu

Referee:  Dickinson s.

Points Scorers:

Wales
Tries:  Gough I.M. 1, Williams S.M. 2, Penalty Try 1, Bateman A.G. 1, Thomas A.C. 1
Conv:  Thomas A.C. 4
Pen K.:  Thomas A.C. 4

Samoa
Pen K.:  Patu H.V. 1, Sanft Q. 1

New Zealand 39 France 26

Aided by an extraordinarily erratic Wayne Erickson, New Zealand extracted a measure of revenge by grinding out a comfortable 13-point victory over France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday night, winning 39-26.

To be fair though, Erickson handicapped New Zealand as much as he aided them with a display of whistle blowing that at times left the players open-mouthed in their dismay.

But he waited until the final minute to play his trump card in the flabbergast stakes.  With France on the drive, Erickson perhaps saw a chance to curry favour with the Parisians after a less than sympathetic approach towards the locals.

With two All Blacks sprawled beneath him and the ball clutched to his chest as he stared at the lights, French skipper Fabien Pelous was awarded France's second try.

In a way, that decision cancelled an earlier howler when he gave Christian Cullen a try after collecting a pass from Jonah Lomu that was palpably forward.

As a wag remarked, the game could have been dubbed "Nightmare on Erickson Street".  Even without his peculiar interpretation though, this game never came close to being a humdinger.

The last time these two met at last year's World Cup, France stung the Championship favourites with a magnificent display of Gallic flair.  There was very little of it on display at a chilly Paris tonight.

Instead, the boot ruled the first half, with Christophe Lamaison and Andrew Mehrtens exchanging nine penalties.  Lamaison kicked the homeside to a 9-3 lead before committing a string of offences that gave Mehrtens the opportunity to reach 700 Test points.

Mehrtens, who was born in Durban in South Africa before his parents went back home to New Zealand, reached the milestone faster than any other player, eclipsing the record of Michael Lynagh.  The Australian achieved the feat in 54 Tests, while the All Black managed it in 46 internationals.

He scored 15 of those points -- from an eventual match tally of 29 points -- before the break to give the visitors a 15-12 lead.

The second half was a far more purposeful affair, but although the French made all the running, it was the Kiwis who surged to a 36-12 lead.

In the ninth minute of the second half, France were driving the ball up the midddle and where within 10 metres of the All Black line when they were blown, for the umpteenth, for going over the top.

Scrumhalf Justin Marshall took a quick tap and handed to Christian Cullen, who broke with his customary pace.  Tana Umaga, playing at outside centre, received the pass and unleashed Doug Howlett who sped over for the first try.

France continued to bang away at the All Black defence but, with Erickson blowing merrily away, failed to find any way through a magnificently stout Kiwi defence.

Against this almost constant pressure, New Zealand managed to break out of their own half.  Cullen chipped ahead and Lomu collected.  The big fella was hauled to the ground but not before he popped the ball forward for Cullen to finish off his own manoeuvre.

Down 39-12, and with just two minutes of regulation time remaining, replacement wing Philippe Bernat-Salles rounded the Kiwi defence before Erickson's great act of charity ended proceedings.

Man of the match:  Xavier Garbajosa.  Although on the losing side, the French fullback bounced back from last week's poor display and was unfailingly impressive.  His constant darts, on top of his solid defence and quick reading of the game, marked him as a constant threat for the Kiwis.

Villain of the Match:  Wayne Erickson.  Adjectives fail me.  It is not a game that the Australian will recall as one of his finer achievements.

Moment of the Match:  Howlett's try after nine minutes in the second half came when France was on the attack.  They conceded a penalty on New Zealand's 22 and Marshall took it quickly.  He sent it wide to Cullen and eventually to Howlett who scored under the posts.  That put the All Blacks up 25-12 and really put the game beyond the Frenchmen.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver, 3 Greg Feek, 4 Todd Blackadder (c), 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Ron Cribb, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Scott Robertson, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Daryl Gibson, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jonah Lomu, 15 Christian Cullen
Reserves:  Troy Flavell, Gordon Slater, Carlos Spencer
Unused:  Bruce Reihana, Mark Hammett, Byron Kelleher, Taine Randell

France:  1 Christian Califano, 2 Fabrice Landreau, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 4 David Auradou, 5 Fabien Pelous (c), 6 Olivier Magne, 7 Christophe Moni, 8 Christophe Juillet, 9 Fabien Galthie, 10 Christophe Lamaison, 11 Thomas Lombard, 12 Richard Dourthe, 13 Franck Comba, 14 David Bory, 15 Xavier Garbajosa
Reserves:  Philippe Bernat-Salles, Serge Betsen Tchoua, Olivier Brouzet, Philippe Carbonneau, Pieter De Villiers
Unused:  Olivier Azam, Yann Delaigue

Attendance:  80000
Referee:  Erickson w.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 1, Cullen C.M. 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 1, Umaga T.J.F. 1
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 9

France
Tries:  Bernat-Salles P. 1, Pelous F. 1
Conv:  Lamaison C. 2
Pen K.:  Lamaison C. 4

Australia 30 Scotland 9

A convincing second half performance at Murrayfield saw Australia come back from an uninspiring 9-9 half-time score to beat Scotland 30-9 on Saturday.

Once again it was fullback Matt Burke (pictured) who was the main man, scoring a try, three penalties and three conversions for a 20-point personal tally, fresh from his match-winning performance in Paris seven days ago.

Chris Latham and Joe Roff were the other try-scorers for Rod Macqueen's side, who ended nearly four halves of try-less rugby with an expansive second-half display in front of 64,000 fans in Edinburgh -- a record for a non Five/Six Nations Test.

Speaking after the game, Australia coach Rod Macqueen hailed his side's second-half performance, but credited a gallant dfensive display by the Scots, who never made it easy for the world champions.

"We've been finding new combinations, but we looked a bit lost in the first half.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel for us though, and we showed some good structure in the second half.

"Scotland looked to have done a lot of homework, especially on our lineouts.  They were the best team we've come up against in terms of lineouts."

On a surprisingly bright day given the recent flooding in Britain, it was Australian kicking machine Matt Burke who broke the deadlock with a penalty in what was to be a kicking-dominated half after the Scotland scrum made the first of many infringements.

Gregor Townsend made a nervous kicking start for Scotland, putting wide a drop goal early on, but keeping his cool to equalise at 3-3 with a penalty five minutes after Burke's opener.

Glimpses of try-scoring chances were rare in the first half, and as the usually prolific Burke hooked a penalty wide of the posts, the capacity crowd at Murrayfield upped the volume, and appeared to inspire their troops to a string of rolling mauls in Australian territory, ultimately coming away empty handed though.

Townsend kicked Scotland in to the lead soon after with an easy penalty in front of the posts, only for Burke to tie the scores again at 6-6 only two minutes later.

Burke, fresh from kicking Australia to victory with six penalties in Paris against France was increasingly having a big say in proceedings as the game slowed down even further, both packs failing to maintain discipline in and around the ruck.

It was Burke indeed who gave the world champions the lead back after 29 minutes with yet another penalty, before Townsend equalled the scores a minute later with the boot.

Scotland had the chance to snatch a half-time lead after their drive in to the left corner gained momentum in the Australia 22.

As play ground to a halt though the Scot were awarded yet another penalty.  This time the kick from the right touch was too much of an ask for Townsend, as the sides went in neck-and-neck at 9-9.

A dour 50 minutes of solid defensive rugby was finally broken down by the Wallabies, who after a period of sustained pressure on halfway broke through the centres with Stirling Mortlock at pace.  Mortlock held his nerve though and waited for the superbly timed diagonal run of fullback Chris Latham, who scithed through the three-quarters from the 22 for the try, converted by Burke.

The Scottish defensive resolve was always apparent though, and even the most hanging of crossfield Garryowens could not rattle them, as Australia probed in the 22.

The introduction of Elton Flatley at stand-off appeared to have ignited the Australian back line, as their more adventutous play started to develop from depth instead of the stale flat lines of the first 60 minutes, where Kafer looked horizontally more often than forward.

Good rucking from both packs ensured that the ball stayed mainly in the grasp of the forwards, but Scotland's Gregor Townsend and Chris Paterson looked like illuminating the play if only their eight could get them that elusive ball in hand.

The Wallabies though gradually wore down the Scottish battlers upfront, and as the ball sat at the feet of the Australian ruck on halfway, Cordingley spun the ball out to the left, with the three-quarters gaining ground on their weary opponents.

Daniel Herbert surged forwards, and as the defence came up in his face on the 22, shipped the ball out left to the flank for Chris Latham to deftly palm the ball in to Joe Roff's hands five metres out in the corner.

Only Cameron Murray stood between Roff and the try line, and Roff burst through him to claim Australia's second try of the game, with Burke making the touch-line conversion look easy for a 23-9 lead going in to the last 20 minutes.

Australia started to show their class as the second half entered its final stages, with their willingness to get the ball out wide combining with the apparent capitulation of the superb defence shown by Scotland in the first half.

The third try of the game came from the kicking hero Matt Burke, when Joe Roff came off his left wing to burst in to the outside centre channel as the ball was worked right by the Wallabies.

His cutting run on halfway saw him burst through the weak attempted tackle by Allan Bulloch.  Roff sped down the right touchline, before drawing the last defender on the 22 and passing to Matt Burle on the outside to dive in the corner.

Again, not even the sternest of kicking tests could curtail Burke's inspired kicking form, as he slotted over from the right touchline with ease.

The Murrayfield crowd willed Scotland on for a consolation try, but it was not forthcoming, and the day belonged to the world champion Wallabies, who ended the first of their Tests on British soil for this season as 30-9 winners.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Fletcher Dyson, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Bill Young, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Matt Cockbain, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 Sam Cordingley, 10 Rod Kafer, 11 Matthew Burke, 12 Dan Herbert, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Mark Connors, Elton Flatley, Nathan Grey, Jeremy Paul, Glenn Panoho, Chris Whitaker, Jim Williams

Scotland:  1 George Graham, 2 Steve Brotherstone, 3 Tom Smith, 4 Stuart Grimes, 5 Scott Murray, 6 Budge Pountney (c), 7 Jon Petrie, 8 Simon Taylor, 9 Bryan Redpath, 10 Gregor Townsend, 11 Jon Steel, 12 Alan Bulloch, 13 John Leslie, 14 Cammie Murray, 15 Chris Paterson
Reserves:  Richard Metcalfe, Gordon McIlwham, Gordon Bulloch, Jason White
Unused:  Graeme Beveridge, Duncan Hodge, Craig Joiner

Referee:  White c.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Burke M.C. 1, Latham C.E. 1, Roff J.W.C. 1
Conv:  Burke M.C. 3
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 3

Scotland
Pen K.:  Townsend G.P.J. 3

Australia 18 France 13

A succession of missed penalty kicks from French flyhalf Christophe Lamaison proved to be the difference between France and Australia on Saturday night at the Stade de France as Australia ran out 18-13 winners.

Lamaison missed three penalties and centre Richard Dourthe one, while Australian wing Matt Burke made no mistake with six attempts at goal.  The game had its fair share of drama before kick-off, with the news that in-form fullback Thomas Castaignede would not take part in the game.  Castaignede had been in doubt in the build-up, but now talk is that the Saracens star might have a torn or broken an Achilles tendon, which could keep him out of the game for a considerable time.

Xavier Garbajosa, who would no doubt have had bad memories from the last time he played against Australia, replaced Castaignede.  Stade Francais prop Pieter de Villiers was brought on to the bench to replace Garbajosa, which was about as surprising as the initial front row selected for the match.

The French made all the play in the first quarter of the match, but it was Australia's Matt Burke who got the scoreboard ticking over with a well-taken penalty in the 20th minute.  Before then Lamaison had already missed his first kick of the day, which, it must be said, was a long-range effort.

Lamaison's restart was knocked forward by Wallaby lock David Giffin from restart and it almost resulted in a try for French centre Franck Comba.  Comba rounded his Australian counterpart Stirling Mortlock with ease, but a quick recovery from the Brumbies utility saw him ankle-tap the French No.12 and avoid the five-pointer.

The Wallabies managed to work their way out of their own territory and when Burke was given another shot at goal, he didn't miss, making it 6-0 to the Wallabies.

Shortly before half-time Lamaison managed to get his team on the board with a penalty after Australia went off-sides, but from the restart, France were penalised for the same offence.  Burke stepped up and put his team into a 9-3 lead at the break.

With the second half only minutes old, the French were given a chance to cut the lead back to three points after Australia were penalised for collapsing a maul, but Lamaison missed the kick again.

When the French were awarded their second penalty of the half the kicking duties went to centre Richard Dourthe.  Dourthe followed Lamaison's example by missing the kick at goal, but the crowd seemed more upset than usual.  Some quarters of the crowd had noticed on the big-screen replay that the kick had in fact crept over the crossbar.  Scottish referee Jim Fleming ruled that the kick was not over, whereas replays after the match proved that it was.

Burke was soon presented with another kick at goal after some incessant pressure from the Wallabies resulted in a professional foul from French halfback Fabien Galthie.

The restart from Lamaison saw the ball spilt forward by the French, but with the referee playing advantage for Australia the Wallabies got the ball down their backline.  Daniel Herbert couldn't get the ball to his wing, but the French had gone off-sides by then.  Burke again -- and the Wallabies led 15-3.

Going into the last 10 minutes of the match, Burke had stretched the lead to 18-3 and it seemed as if the match was going to fizzle out into a big Wallaby win, but it all changed when debutante flanker George Smith was penalised and sent to the sin bin for a dangerous and high tackle on Comba.  It's questionable whether or not referee Paul Honiss was in the right, but it seemed to spur the French on.

Some of the best rugby of the match was played in the period Smith spent in the bin, and the dreadlocked rookie must've been hoping that his exit didn't leave too much of a void.  But Smith's worst fears would have been confirmed when French prop Christian Califano drove over from close-in.  The French could smell blood and Lamaison's conversion was greeted with relief from the crowd.

Lamaison soon added another kick, this time a penalty, and with three minutes left it was game on, but the Wallabies were afforded the luxury of completing the game with Smith, whose time in the sin bin was over.

The Wallaby defence held firm in the closing stages, which forced Lamaison into a kick ahead in the Australian in-goal area.  Australian fullback Chris Latham managed to get there first and when dotted down was greeted with the final whistle.

Man of the match:  Matt Burke.  At the end of the day Burke's goalkicking proved to be the difference between the two teams.  He slotted back into the Wallaby team, in the unfamiliar role of right wing, as if he had been playing there all year.

Moment of the match:  The sin-binning of George Smith seemed to raise France's performance.  It allowed them an overlap, but it also seemed to make them play with more purpose and allowed for a pulsating finish.  The decision from Mr Honiss seemed a bit harsh at the time.  While one can't argue that it was dangerous, there was no intent to harm and perhaps a warning could have sufficed.

Villain of the match:  In a match of this magnitude, touch-judge Jim Fleming's decision on Dourthe's "missed" penalty was shocking.  While it was a tough call to make, if he had any doubt at all he should have told the ref.  Even Wallaby wing Matt Burke conceded after the game that he thought the kick was over.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Fletcher Dyson, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Bill Young, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Matt Cockbain, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 Sam Cordingley, 10 Rod Kafer, 11 Matthew Burke, 12 Dan Herbert, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Mark Connors, Jeremy Paul, Glenn Panoho, Jim Williams
Unused:  Elton Flatley, Nathan Grey, Chris Whitaker

France:  1 Christian Califano, 2 Fabrice Landreau, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 4 Olivier Brouzet, 5 Fabien Pelous (c), 6 Olivier Magne, 7 Christophe Moni, 8 Christophe Juillet, 9 Fabien Galthie, 10 Christophe Lamaison, 11 Thomas Lombard, 12 Richard Dourthe, 13 Franck Comba, 14 David Bory, 15 Xavier Garbajosa
Reserves:  David Auradou, Olivier Azam, Serge Betsen Tchoua, Franck Tournaire
Unused:  Philippe Carbonneau, Yann Delaigue, Pieter De Villiers

Attendance:  65000
Referee:  Honiss p.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 6

France
Tries:  Galthie F. 1
Conv:  Lamaison C. 1
Pen K.:  Lamaison C. 2

Scotland 53 United States 6

Date:  04 Nov 2000
Venue:  Murrayfield
Attendance:  35638
Referee:  Deluca p.

Gregor Townsend's virtuoso performance helped Scotland beat the United States 53-6 at Murrayfield, giving the Scots an ideal start to their autumn Test programme.

The game only came to life for the 35,638 crowd in the second half when the hosts rattled in five tries without replay after leading 15-3 at the interval.

Townsend, restored at fly-half, kicked four successive penalties in the opening quarter as Scotland ran into an early 12-0 lead.

But Scotland's focus wavered and the Americans responded, full-back Kurt Shuman prevented from scoring by some determined Scottish defence.

Roused by the scare Scotland reorganised and Townsend, intelligently drawing his cover defence, allowed John Leslie to snipe through but he was caught in possession when attempting to feed the unmarked Jon Steel.

Fly-half Grant Wells put America on the board with a well struck 25-yard penalty goal on the half-hour mark to reduce the deficit to nine points as his team applied pressure.

Scotland were increasingly becoming frustrated by the Americans' persistent infringement of the offside line as well as their own inability to penetrate through well-timed support.

With the break beckoning Townsend extended Scotland's interval lead to 15-3 with his fifth penalty goal of the evening as the United States strayed offside again.

Responding to coach Ian McGeechan's dressing down at the break, Scotland resumed the second period in more determined heart.

But America refused to lie down and in reality offered far more than simple raw courage and commitment.

In the 50th minute Scotland's persistence was finally rewarded when Leslie, a pivotal figure in the Scots' second-half resurgence, snaffled Shuman's misdirected pass and Bryan Redpath fed Budge Pountney, who scored from close range.

Five minutes later Scotland increased their advantage following some slack building-up play.

Scott Murray palmed a line-out ball after Scotland had kicked a penalty to touch and Leslie crashed over.

The Americans' resolve had now gone and with the ship creaking Chris Paterson (pictured) finished off in the far left-hand corner on the hour mark after John Petrie's blind-side surge had caught the Americans napping.

In the 62nd minute Wells suddenly found his kicking boots, converting a second American penalty goal to give his side some relief.

But Scotland were now well in charge and in the 67th minute Townsend effectively ended the game as a contest, knifing through a gap after Cammie Murray's initial incision.  The Scotland stand-off also converted and Scotland were cruising.

In a rousing finale Scotland scored two further tries as their penetration and cutting edge reduced the Americans to bemused bystanders.

In the 79th minute Leslie, now back to full fitness since injuring his ankle against South African in the World Cup last October, cut loose to score his second try.

Not to be outdone, though, Townsend extended the final margin of victory with a superb try of his own, shimmying his way through two attempted tackles to score.

Scotland
Tries:  Budge Pountney, John Leslie (2), Chris Paterson, Gregor Townsend (2)
Conversions:  Townsend (4)
Penalties:  Townsend (5)

United States
Penalties:  Grant Wells (2)

Australia 19 South Africa 18

Wallaby wing Stirling Mortlock landed a penalty goal ten minutes into additional time to give Australia a thrilling 19-18 victory over South Africa, as well as the Tri-Nations crown for the first time in their proud history.

Only minutes previously, South Africa stand-off Braam van Straaten had slotted a monstrous 52-metre penalty that set up the almost unbearable tension at Durban's Kings Park.

However, while there may have been tension, there was very little evidence of flair and excitement.

When both the Australian and South African camps warned that this Tri-Nations would not be as spectacular as last week, they certainly weren't kidding.  No one realistically expected another dazzling 10-try bonanza, but neither were they prepared for the grim slog that followed.

In stark contrast to the Ellis Park game a week before, this was a game dominated by myriad mistakes and turnovers, some pretty mindless kicking and an extraordinary high number of scrums and set pieces.

Amidst all that, the Springboks had a wonderful opportunity to finally win against Australia this week.  They pinched three lineouts from the mighty Wallaby locks and had the advantage of playing a man to the good when Australian replacement Matt Cockbain was sin binned for a bit of thuggery.

He had been on the field for less than 60 seconds during the second half when he was sent to the sin bin for unleashing a flurry of punches at the fallen Rassie Erasmus.  However, whereas last week against New Zealand when fate smiled on the struggling Springboks, they found the going substantially tougher today against a solid and uncompromising Australia.

For South Africa, the clever overhead kicks bounced awry, the grubbers ended up in Wallaby hands and the gaps that Robbie Fleck and Co. had surged through in Johannesburg were just no longer there.  They were discovering that Australia were a far tougher proposition that New Zealand.

Unlike the fireworks at Ellis Park, the opening half of this Tri-Nations was a dour affair.  South Africa were awarded a penalty as early as the third minute when the Wallabies went off-side, and Braam van Straaten converted.  The Boks, though, were lucky to get the three points after an official failed to notice Fleck's ridiculously late challenge on Joe Roff after the whistle had gone.

From the kick-off, the 'Boks were penalised and Stirling Mortlock levelled the score.  He put Australia in the lead minutes later when Werner Swanepoel and Thinus Delport made a hash of clearing the ball in their own 22.

Matters could have been even worse for the home side were it not for desperate tackling and the clever footwork of Breyton Paulse in his own in-goal area.  On the other wing though, Chester Williams' senses temporarily took leave of him.

Having won a penalty, Williams took a quick-tap and tried to run out of his own half.  Alas, he succeeded only in knocking on.  In the mad-rush to defend, the Boks went off-side, but Mortlock somehow construed to hook the penalty left of the poles from virtually point blank range.

To add to the home woes, Charl Marais' lineout throwing went AWOL again, squandering vital attacking opportunities.

The tide almost turned though when Rassie Erasmus pounced on a stray George Gregan pass and surged towards the line in a tangle of bodies.  TV ref Jonathon Kaplan, however, decided against a try and instead the action moved to the Bok side of the field.

Then just before half-time as Wallaby eplacement hooker Jeremy Paul took a quick tap, rumbled forward and put fullback Chris Latham away in the left corner for what would turn out to be the only try of the corner.  Although Van Straaten pulled a penalty back, South Africa trailed 13-6 going into the break.

The Springbok stand-off slotted another penalty immediately after the break and then the Boks achieved the unheard of;  they won a lineout on Wallaby ball.

So upset was Cockbain, who had been on the field for an entire minute, that he decided to vent his frustrations on Rassie Erasmus' face.  Erasmus had taken over the captaincy when Andre Vos failed to emerge from the tunnel after the break, and he in turn had to hand it over to Corne Krige in order to have his face cleaned up.

Cockbain received a yellow card for his efforts, but the Boks showed that they were not adverse to the rough stuff straight after the kick-off following Van Straaten's penalty.

When the maul cleared, Jim Williams was prone on the turf, and Mortlock extended the lead to four points once more.

It was back to one point when Van Straaten slotted an effort from 45 metres out, before lining up the monster penalty that almost denied Australia their victory.

However, Stirling Mortlock who has been such a points scoring machine all season, stepped up, held his nerve and slotted a kick over from a tricky angle to hand Australia the win and the title.

Man of the match:  A close-call between Rassie Erasmus and Mortlock, but the Aussie gets the nod -- not only because Australia won, but mainly because it took enormous nerve to slot that penalty in front of a baying Kings Park grandstand.

Moment of the match:  That penalty from Mortlock.  At last the Wallabies proved that they could win a test in South Africa.

Villain of the match:  Probably Matt Cockbain who did his reputation, in South Africa at least, no good by indulging in the rough stuff.  His attack on Erasmus could have cost the Aussies the Test and could arguably resulted in a red card instead of the yellow.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Richard Harry, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Fletcher Dyson, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Mark Connors, 7 David Wilson, 8 Jim Williams, 9 George Gregan, 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Dan Herbert, 13 Jason Little, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, Rod Kafer, Toutai Kefu, Jeremy Paul, Glenn Panoho, Ben Tune
Unused:  Sam Cordingley

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Charl Marais, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Mark Andrews, 5 Andre Venter, 6 Johan Erasmus, 7 Corne Krige, 8 Andre Vos (c), 9 Werner Swanepoel, 10 Braam Van Straaten, 11 Breyton Paulse, 12 Grant Esterhuizen, 13 Robbie Fleck, 14 Chester Williams, 15 Thinus Delport
Reserves:  John Smit, Warren Brosnihan, Ollie Le Roux, Albert Van Den Bergh
Unused:  Jaco Van Der Westhuizen, Percy Montgomery, Joost Van Der Westhuizen

Referee:  Honiss p.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Latham C.E. 1
Conv:  Mortlock S.A. 1
Pen K.:  Mortlock S.A. 4

South Africa
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 6

New Zealand 40 South Africa 46

At a pulsating Ellis Park the Springboks shook off a run of poor results to record a stunning 46-40 win over hot-favourites New Zealand.

In all, the Springboks ran in six tries to the All Blacks' four, securing for the Boks their highest tally against the old enemy, and their first victory since beating England in June.

Ever since the horrors of the Antipodes, coach Nick Mallett and his players have had to endure criticism and even ridicule as they battled to convince a sceptical public, let alone SARFU, that they were on the right track.

In the build-up to the game, Mallett said that he felt that his side deserved a win.  In Johannesburg this evening, there won't be many to disagree.  The Boks played with a passion and commitment that characterised Mallett's early reign in charge.

That the Boks may not have any chance of winning the 2000 Tri-Nations is neither here nor there.  What matters is that the Boks, to all intents and purposes, are back and finally a worthy opponent in this year's Tri-Nations.

While the second half failed to live up to frantic scoring of the first (how could it possibly?) the intensity was undiminished.  For long stages in the second period it was as though the Stadium was holding its breath as the Kiwis refused to give up, always smashing their way back into the reckoning.

As expected, it was Christian Cullen who spearheaded the All Black advance and, had he not left the field midway through the second half, may have turned it around for the Kiwis.

Before the game Mallett warned that kicking a ball down Cullen's throat spelt trouble.  From the first set piece, that is exactly what Werner Swanepoel did.  The All Blacks countered and the Boks conceded a penalty which Andrew Mehrtens converted.

The Boks, though, countered immediately.  From a Bok scrum on the Kiwi 22, Andre Vos picked up from the base, creating an extra man in Swanepoel.  He slipped through a tackle, drew another defender before sending the ball wide to Chester Williams.  The right wing, starting his first Test since 1995, easily rounded Cullen to score South Africa's first try since the inaugural Mandela Cup in Sydney in June.

Mehrtens kicked the restart directly out and the Boks were on the attack again.  Cullen sliced the clearance and Charl Marais managed to find Mark Andrews in the line-out.  The ball passed down the line and Robbie Fleck nipped between the defence to give the Boks an unbelievable start and a 14-3 lead.

Two minutes later, Thinus Delport failed to gather a Braam van Straaten pass.  Mehrtens picked it up, handing on to Tana Umaga who strolled over to close the gap.

The frenetic toing-and-froing continued as Justin Marshall uncharacteristically fumbled at the scrum.  The Boks turned it over and Fleck skipped past Taine Randell without breaking a sweat to dot down for his second.

The Boks though weren't done yet.  Corne Krige made a blinding break from within his own half, almost outstripping the entire New Zealand defence before being brought to ground metres from the line.  The Boks put on an almighty push, with Swanepoel darting round the side of the maul for a 26-13 lead.

Then enter Delport;  South Africa's most exciting player of the Super 12 finally came good at his home ground.  The fullback received the ball in his own half and, ala the Cats versus Highlanders game, slipped through tackles until finally rounding Cullen.

Cullen however made up for those defensive lapses immediately, hammering through a South African gap.  South Africa were further let down when Marais let Umaga through for the simplest of tries as the hooter sounded, with the Boks leading 33-27.

After the break, Cullen turned on the pace to score a brilliant try in the corner.  It signalled a period of sustained pressure on the Bok line.  To their credit, the Boks soaked it all up and when Williams turned Leon MacDonald and Esterhuizen kicked into touch, the relief was almost palpable.

It was short-lived however, as Mehrtens sunk a drop-goal from 35m out to silence the crowd.

Down 39-40 with 10 minutes on the clock, Van Straaten set off on a wonderful break, punching a huge hole through the Kiwi tacklers.  From the breakdown, John Smit almost bulldozed over before Swanepoel once again twisted over for the try that finally gave the Boks victory.

Man of the match It was a close call between Fleck and Swanepoel.  Fleck came into particular censure and only won his place through injury to De Wet Barry.  Despite playing at inside centre, Fleck was magnificent, his darting breaks a constant thorn in the New Zealander's side.  This much-valued accolade though goes to "Smiley" Swanepoel for his two tries, his clever kicks over the top and his incredible work rate.

Villain of the match That part of the western grandstand that pelted officials with bottles.  They showed how superior they were to the Kiwis in Wellington by mimicking their actions when they disagreed with a decision.

Moment of the match For any South African.  That final whistle from Andrew Cole.  What blessed relief.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Carl Hoeft, 2 Anton Oliver, 3 Kees Meeuws, 4 Todd Blackadder (c), 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Josh Kronfeld, 7 Taine Randell, 8 Ron Cribb, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Jonah Lomu, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Alama Ieremia, 14 Tana Umaga, 15 Christian Cullen
Reserves:  Troy Flavell, Leon MacDonald, Greg Somerville, Mark Hammett, Scott Robertson
Unused:  Tony Brown, Byron Kelleher

South Africa:  1 Ollie Le Roux, 2 Charl Marais, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Mark Andrews, 5 Andre Venter, 6 Johan Erasmus, 7 Corne Krige, 8 Andre Vos (c), 9 Werner Swanepoel, 10 Braam Van Straaten, 11 Breyton Paulse, 12 Grant Esterhuizen, 13 Robbie Fleck, 14 Chester Williams, 15 Thinus Delport
Reserves:  John Smit, Jaco Van Der Westhuizen, Warren Brosnihan, Willie Meyer, Albert Van Den Bergh
Unused:  Percy Montgomery, Joost Van Der Westhuizen

Attendance:  57250
Referee:  Cole a.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Cullen C.M. 2, Umaga T.J.F. 2
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 4
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 3
Drop G.:  Mehrtens A.P. 1

South Africa
Tries:  Delport G.M. 1, Fleck R.F. 2, Swanepoel W. 2, Williams C.M. 1
Conv:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 5
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 2

Australia 24 New Zealand 23

Christian Cullen and Andrew Mehrtens claimed the records but the Wallabies claimed the Bledisloe Cup through a dramatic injury-time penalty goal by their heroic captain John Eales gave Australia a 24-23 win in another blockbusting trans-Tasman rugby test at Wellington's WestpacTrust Stadium.

Three weeks after the All Blacks won the Greatest Test Ever 39-35 in Sydney, the world champion Wallabies won this one 24-23 after trailing from the 35th minute and appearing to be down and out.

But the never-say-die Aussies stole two lineouts in injury time to stay alive.  And when replacement prop Craig Dowd infringed in a ruck, the opportunity to steal a fairytale victory presented itself.

Because the team's goalkicker Stirling Mortlock had been replaced, the responsibility for one of the most important kicks in the history of the game fell to Eales.

From 15 metres in on the 22, on an afternoon when goalkicking was challenging because of the swirling breeze, Eales raised the flags -- to the absolute delight of his colleagues and the dismay of the All Blacks.

Eales hadn't landed a goal for Australia since 1998 but must have known something was coming up because he practiced goalkicking diligently at training on Friday.

So much rested on this one kick.  It secured the Bledisloe Cup, which Australia had held since 1998, it brought the Wallabies level with the All Blacks in the Tri-nations championship and, of course, it allowed Rod Macqueen's men to justify their status as world champions.

Eales admitted afterwards he thought the game was lost as time ran out.  "We got away with it, albeit through a penalty goal.  The All Blacks won in the last minute in Sydney and we managed it here.  It was another very special game and we admire the way the All Blacks are playing the game."

In the reverse of the Sydney encounter, it was the Wallabies who established the early advantage this time, leading 12-0 after 16 minutes through well-taken tries by Stirling Mortlock (who is becoming a first-try specialist) and Joe Roff.

But just like Sydney, back came the other team and in a flash the amazing Christian Cullen bagged a brace of tries to put the All Blacks in front.

Those two five-pointers give Cullen eight for the year and put him equal with Jeff Wilson on 39 Test tries, the record for New Zealand.

Before halftime, Mehrtens was also among the records, his first penalty goal taking him past Grant Fox's mark of 645 as the All Blacks' most prolific Test pointscorer.

The All Blacks were ahead 20-18 at halftime and in a desperately tight second half kept their noses in front until those frantic final few moments.

When referee Jonathan Kaplan indicated two minutes to play, the Wallabies were under their goalposts, a million miles away from the zone they needed to be in to salvage the match.

But encouraged by their captain Eales they dug deep.  When they stole a lineout on their own 22, flyhalf Stephen Larkham bravely kicked deep.

It was a calculated gamble with only seconds remaining, but he knew Australia's best chance of creating something was inside All Black territory.

Came the final lineout and once again Australia pilfered poor Mark Hammett's throw.  It gave them the opportunity to launch one last attack, at which, to the despair of an entire nation, the All Blacks infringed, allowing Eales to slot the winning goal.

The All Blacks will be enormously disappointed but they still have a chance to win the Tri-nations title, currently being locked on 10 points with Australia.

New Zealand has to play South Africa in Johannesburg while Australia will meet them (in the final game of the series) at Durban.

Australia's heroes, besides Eales, were playmaker Larkham, powerful centre Daniel Herbert and ever-enterprising fullback Chris Latham.

New Zealand's best were captain Todd Blackadder, flanker Josh Kronfeld, centre Tana Umaga and the tryscoring freak Christian Cullen.

The team, without a specialist openside flanker on the reserves bench, sorely missed Kronfeld when he limped off with an ankle injury in the 56th minute.

Man of the match:  Wallaby captain John Eales, without a shadow of a doubt.  Eales showed why he is considered as one of the best footballers on the planet when he stepped up to slot the three-pointer that gave Australia victory and secured them the Bledisloe Cup for the third successive season.

Moment of the match:  The moment Eales' kick sailed through the uprights the whole Australian team were off their feet in jubilation.  They had done it yet again, with captain Eales the man of the moment.

Villain of the match:  The two villains, in this case, were All Black hookers Anton Oliver and Mark Hammett, who both missed their jumpers regularly.  Hammett's last two throws were poached by the Wallabies and the final lineout eventually led to the match-winning penalty.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Richard Harry, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Fletcher Dyson, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Toutai Kefu, 7 David Wilson, 8 Jim Williams, 9 George Gregan, 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Dan Herbert, 13 Jason Little, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Mark Connors, Jeremy Paul, Ben Tune
Unused:  Matt Cockbain, Rod Kafer, Glenn Panoho, Sam Cordingley

New Zealand:  1 Carl Hoeft, 2 Anton Oliver, 3 Kees Meeuws, 4 Todd Blackadder (c), 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Josh Kronfeld, 7 Taine Randell, 8 Ron Cribb, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Jonah Lomu, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Alama Ieremia, 14 Tana Umaga, 15 Christian Cullen
Reserves:  Tony Brown, Craig Dowd, Mark Hammett, Byron Kelleher, Reuben Thorne
Unused:  Troy Flavell, Leon MacDonald

Attendance:  36500
Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Mortlock S.A. 1, Roff J.W.C. 1
Conv:  Mortlock S.A. 1
Pen K.:  Mortlock S.A. 3, Eales J.A. 1

New Zealand
Tries:  Cullen C.M. 2
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 2
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 3

Australia 26 South Africa 6

So concerned was Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen about his side's goal-kicking that he seriously considered using lock and skipper John Eales in Saturday night's Tri-Nations clash against South Africa at Stadium Australia.  But his last-minute decision to persevere with ACT Brumbies ace Stirling Mortlock paid handsome dividends as the youngster landed six-from-six and a try for a personal tally of 21 points in Australia's grinding 26-6 victory.

The Springboks may have come out blazing, with a stray boot opening up Wallaby No.8 Jim Williams' head in the first minute, but it was the Australians who opened the scoring, when winger Mortlock landed a penalty after two minutes.

Williams recovered and three minutes later flyhalf Stephen Larkham split the Boks' defence in a movement that eventually saw the big Wallaby No.8 bundled into touch near the left-hand corner flag.

Larkham was at it again soon after when he sent the ball wide for Herbert, who placed a well-wighted kick into the South African 22.  New Bok fullback Thinus Delport collected the ball and his opposite Chris Latham at the same time and Latham managed to drive Delport backwards for a five metre scrum.

But for all their spirit and endeavour, the Wallabies couldn't capitalise and in the 10th minute Springbok flyhalf Braam van Straaten levelled the scores with a well-struck penalty goal.  Australia 3 South Africa 3.

Throughout the week the Australian and South African press corps repeatedly sang the praises of Larkham.  Even Bok coach Nick Mallett referred to Larkham as the main danger to his side's success, while van Straaten copped abuse for his performance against the All Blacks a week ago.  Van Straaten reacted by stating that he thought he played well at Christchurch, but when during an interview on Wednesday, Larkham's name popped up again, Van Straaten stormed off in frustration.

In the early stages at Stadium Australia Van Straaten played like a man possessed.  He took the ball to the line and his forwards were at his side; time and again pressing the Wallaby defence.

Cheeky halfback Werner Swanepoel joined in on the act and his sniping around the scrumbase and the rucks and mauls proved a menace to Australia.  But as in Christchurch last week, the Boks couldn't cross the line.

The Wallabies in the 12th minute showed their intricate handling skills when Larkham twice looped and handled in a movement that ended when Latham was tackled into touch.

Two minutes later rugged Bok flanker Andre Venter (playing his 50th Test) was unlucky to be penalised for a late charge on Larkham.  Mortlock goaled for a 6-3 lead.

At this stage, the game was all cut and thrust, with neither side giving any quarter, but it was fast becoming obvious that the Wallabies were gathering some momentum and the ascendancy.

Van Straaten landed a penalty for 6-all after referee Ed Morrison ruled against Wallaby centre Daniel Herbert for a high tackle on Delport.  On reflection, the call was a harsh one, but probably evened things up for Morrison's ruling against Venter for his alleged late charge on Larkham.

The Wallabies continued to attack and their confidence increased as the game wore on.  In the 23rd minute that man Williams again charged onto the ball, only to be held up over the line.  It seemed inevitable the Australians would eventually score.

And four minutes later, Mortlock, who had been the Aussies' go-go man, did the honours after some superb lead-up work by centre Daniel Herbert.  Herbert took a pass from Larkham on the angle, committing De Wet Barry to the tackle.  Larkham doubled round and kept the movement going with a slick pass to inside-centre Jason Little.

Little handed to winger Joe Roff who found Mortlock on his outside.  Herbert's ability to commit Barry created the overlap out wide and Mortlock crossed the tryline without a finger being laid on him.  He then converted for a handy 13-6 lead.

Two further penalty goals by Mortlock saw Australia lead 19-6 at halftime.

The second half began in almost the same fashion as the first, with the Boks creating opportunities but failing to finish.  But for the most part, the half belonged to Australia.

Toutai Kefu replaced Williams six minutes into the second half and if the Boks thought they would be given some respite, they were seriously mistaken as Kefu showed just why he is regarded in many circles for being the most explosive No.8 in the world.

Every time he touched the ball, Kefu proved a handful for the Boks.  Then in the 60th minute he busted through a couple of defenders and popped the ball up for Little, who zigged and zagged his way past Bok winger Pieter Rossouw, only to be stopped millimetres from the line.  But that didn't matter as replacement hooker Jeremy Paul was on hand to dot down for the conclusive try.  And with Mortlock's conversion, the Australians held a formidable 26-6 lead.

Try as they did, the Boks simply could not breach the Australian line for the remainder of the match.  Once again the Wallabies' defence held firm and once again, the Boks failed to score a try for their second successive outing.

After the game Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen said:  "We have a lot of pride in our defence.  We were disappointed with our defence in our earlier games and I would have liked to see us with more ball in tonight's second half."

The cauldron Bok coach Nick Mallett and his team will walk into when they arrive home on Tuesday is likely to be white-hot.  But as always, South Africa will be a formidable opponent on their own soil when they tackle the All Blacks in Johannesburg on August 19, and then the Wallabies in Durban a week later.

Mallett's comments during the week that he didn't have to win and that he didn't see this as a "must-win" Test for his team may come back to haunt him.  Further defeat this season could cost him his job.

Man of the match:  Who else but Stirling Mortlock, who scored 21 of his side's 26 points and landed an impressive tally of six place-kicks from as many attempts.  Once again he showed that he is a powerful runner and very hard to stop with the ball in hand.  Matt Burke may be on his way back to full fitness but Mortlock's display makes life difficult for the selectors when they are forced to make a choice.

Moment of the match:  Mortlock's try in the first half showed how clinically brilliant this Wallaby backline can be.  The buildup was well-planned, Herbert took the ball on the angle, Larkham handled twice and a couple of passes later, Mortlock was in for the try.  A superbly executed try.

Villain of the match:  South Africa's inability to score tries in the big games is becoming a huge headache for coach Nick Mallett.  The Boks scored some wonderful tries against Australia in Melbourne when nothing was at stake.  But in their two Tri-Nations outings the Boks have been shown-up for their shortcomings in attack.  A big black mark that Mallett must rectify fast.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Richard Harry, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Fletcher Dyson, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Mark Connors, 7 David Wilson, 8 Jim Williams, 9 George Gregan, 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Dan Herbert, 13 Jason Little, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, Rod Kafer, Toutai Kefu, Jeremy Paul, Glenn Panoho, Ben Tune
Unused:  Sam Cordingley

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Charl Marais, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Mark Andrews, 5 Albert Van Den Bergh, 6 Corne Krige, 7 Andre Venter, 8 Andre Vos (c), 9 Werner Swanepoel, 10 Braam Van Straaten, 11 Breyton Paulse, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Robbie Fleck, 14 Pieter Rossouw, 15 Thinus Delport
Reserves:  John Smit, Warren Brosnihan, Ollie Le Roux, Percy Montgomery, Joost Van Der Westhuizen
Unused:  Jannes Labuschagne, Chester Williams

Attendance:  77048
Referee:  Morrison e.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Mortlock S.A. 1, Paul J.A. 1
Conv:  Mortlock S.A. 2
Pen K.:  Mortlock S.A. 4

South Africa
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 2

New Zealand 25 South Africa 12

Date:  22 Jul 2000
Venue:  Christchurch
Attendance:  38000
Referee:  White c.

Christian Cullen was the hero as the All Blacks ground out a 25-12 victory over the Springboks in a colourless Tri-nations encounter at Jade Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday afternoon.

The All Black fullback survived a fearsome collision with Corne Krige in the first minute to score two tries and use his blistering pace to deny Breyton Paulse a five-pointer at a critical stage of the second half.

Cullen's crisply-taken tries represented two of the few highlights in a game that was defence dominated, the balance of the points coming through penalty goals and dropped goals.

After the champagne rugby produced in Sydney the previous weekend, when 10 tries were registered as New Zealand defeated Australia 39-35, this was flat beer indeed, with the fans expressing disappointment as poured out of Jade Stadium.

But All Black coach Wayne Smith was smiling because his team has now won two out of two in the Tri-nations championship.

"Last week we won with exhilarating running rugby," said Smith, "and this week we proved we could grind out a victory.  It was an important result in the development of this team."

All Black skipper Todd Blackadder acknowledged that the game did not live up to the highs of last weekend:  "It was a great physical game and there were a lot more errors than against Australia.  But that is to do with pressure," he said.

Springbok captain Andre Vos said New Zealand deserved to win.

"Our handling let us down and we were turning the ball over.  The All Blacks defended outstandingly," he said.

The performances of the two fullbacks wielded a major influence on the outcome of this game.  If Cullen was man of the match, Percy Montgomery was undoubtedly bunny of the match, turning in a shocker in the No 15 jersey.

Cullen gave the All Blacks a winning break in the opening 15 minutes, but only after being knocked flat in a spectacular head-on collision with Krige, less than 60 seconds after kick-off.

Alarm spread through the All Black bench when it looked as though Cullen had been knocked unconscious.  But he was only dazed and after three minutes on the sideline returned to action.

Within a minute of his return he was running in his 36th test try for New Zealand, courtesy of a precision grubber kick by Andrew Mehrtens and a woeful attempted flykick by Montgomery.

Test try No 37 followed soon afterwards, this time thanks to a superb long pass from Mehrtens across the noses of Pita Alatini and Jonah Lomu.

That score -- which leaves Cullen only two short of Jeff Wilson's New Zealand Test record -- gave the All Blacks a 10-3 advantage and the crowd settled back to enjoy the tryfest.

They were to be hugely disappointed.  The remaining 66 minutes produced six penalty goals, two dropped goals and no further tries.

The Springboks had two golden scoring opportunities, one in the first minute when Justin Marshall stayed abreast of Werner Swanepoel in a desperate sprint to the goalline and managed to knock the ball away from the Springbok's grasp.

If that was an exciting race, the sprint between Cullen and Paulse (with the score at 22-12) was worthy of the Olympics.  The two fastest individuals in the game gave it everything over 40 metres with Cullen getting his nose in front, enough to nudge the ball safely over the deadball line.

Although the Springboks enjoyed an advantage in possession and territory, the All Blacks importantly secured four of the South African's lineout throws, a major achievement given their lineout woes in Sydney last weekend.

Norm Maxwell, who replaced Troy Flavell at halftime (after Flavell suffered a minor injury), was responsible for three of those steals.

The Boks, coming off losses to England and Australia, certainly had enough ball to win, recycling it well, but they were unable to break New Zealand's water-tight defence and often looking pedestrian along the backline.

The defence from both sets of loose forwards was outstanding, with Josh Kronfeld, Taine Randell, Rassie Erasmus and Krige achieving massive tackle counts.

Todd Blackadder, captaining the All Blacks in his home town for the first time, turned in a big game, as did Mehrtens.

Man of the match
Christian Cullen was the most commanding individual, by a wide margin.  Ran in the game's only two tries and denied the Springboks a five-pointer with a burst of speed worthy of the Olympic Games 100 metres final.

Villain of the match
Percy Montgomery has produced many outstanding performances for his country, but this would probably rank as his worst display.  Presented Cullen his first try with a flykick that missed and registered a fearful catalogue of blunders back at fullback.

Moment of match
The Olympic sprint between the game's speedsters, Cullen and Paulse, won by Cullen, to deny the South Africans the try they needed to get back into the game in the second half.

New Zealand 25 South Africa 12 Half-time 19-12

New Zealand:  Christian Cullen (Leon McDonald 1, Cullen 5);  Tana Umaga, Mark Robinson, Pita Alatini, Jonah Lomu;  Andrew Mehrtens (Tony Brown 67), Justin Marshall;  Ron Cribb, Josh Kronfeld (Scott Robertson 73), Taine Randell;  Todd Blackadder (capt.), Troy Flavell (Norm Maxwell 46);  Kees Meeuws, Anton Oliver (Mark Hammer 61), Carl Hoeft (Craig Dowd 48) Replacement not used:  Byron Kelleher

New Zealand:  Tries:  Christian Cullen (2);  Penalty goals:  Andrew Mehrtens (3), Tony Brown;  Drop goal:  Mehrtens

South Africa:  Percy Montgomery;  Tinus Delport, Robbie Fleck (Grant,Esterhuizen 74), De Wet Barry, Breyton Paulse;  Braam van Straaten, Werner Swanepoel (Joost van der Wethuizen 74);  Andre Vos (capt.), Johan Erasmus, Cornus Krige (Warren Brosnihan 1, Krige 6);  Andre Venter, Albert van den Berg (Jannes Labushchagne 70);  Cobus Visage (Willie Meyer 65), Charl Marais, Robbie Kempson (John Smit 34, 74) Replacement not used:  Chester Williams

South Africa:  Penalty goals:  Braam van Straaten (3);  Drop goal:  Percy Montgomery

Referee:  Chris White (Eng)

Australia 35 New Zealand 39

Date:  15 Jul 2000
Venue:  Sydney-Stadium Australia
Attendance:  109874
Referee:  Watson a.

Jonah Lomu scored a dramatic try three minutes into stoppage time to give New Zealand a heart-stopping 39-35 win over Australia in a glorious match that produced 10 tries and brought to an end the world champions' 10-match winning run.

Replacement hooker Jeremy Paul appeared to have won the match for Australia with a try with just two minutes of normal time remaining that put the Wallabies 35-34 ahead.

Then former captain Taine Randell flipped an overhead pass out to Lomu and there was no stopping him from close range to finish the highest scoring match ever between the two countries.

Australia had fought their way back off the canvas to hold New Zealand 24-24 in a sensational first-half in the opening match of the Tri-Nations rugby union series in front of a world record crowd of 109,874 at the Olympic Stadium.

Australia fought back from conceding 24 points in the first eight minutes to draw level after half an hour in a match that also counts for the Bledisloe Cup and which each team showed they were ready to die for.

New Zealand caught Australia cold with three tries from Tana Umaga, Pita Alatini and Christian Cullen -- all converted by Andrew Mehrtens -- in the first five incredible minutes.

A Mehrtens penalty made it 24-0.  Right wing Stirling Mortlock, twice, full-back Chris Latham and left wing Joe Roff hit back with tries for Australia, who drew level with Mortlock converting his two tries.  They lost a chance to go ahead when Mortlock asked John Eales to take the kick for Roff's try.  But the captain's kick drifted wide and a great first half finished all-square.  Mortlock put Australia ahead for the first time with a penalty after 58 minutes but New Zealand ran the ball at Australia from the re-start and Randell made the all-important break to give scrum-half Justin Marshall the hint of a chance.

He grabbed it with both hands and ran 30 metres for a try Mehrtens converted to put the All Blacks 29-27 in front.  Mehrtens kicked the conversion and then a penalty to make the score 34-27.

Mortlock kicked a penalty to pull the score back to 34-30 and Australia missed a chance to go ahead when Umaga caught Roff as the left wing tried to make the last 20 metres.

Then Paul crashed over after Gregan had again split the All Black defence to bring the crowd to its feet.  But they had not reckoned with Lomu and the world star made them pay the penalty with a last-gasp try in an amazing climax.

"We had a great start but they came back at us hard and we had to dig deep to find that winner after Paul scored," said man of the match Justin Marshall.

New Zealand coach Wayne Smith praised his team's resolve:  "It looked as if we had thrown it away after starting so well but we showed our determination and fought to the end," he said.

Australia coach Rod Macqueen said New Zealand had made the most of the bounce of the ball in the first five minutes to go 21 points clear.

"It was pleasing to see us work our way back into the game when we got some ball.  But in the end one or two missed tackles cost us dearly," he said.

"Lomu is one of the game's most difficult people to tackle.  We've got a very good defensive side but he showed tonight why he's such a great player," said Macqueen.

Australia captain John Eales said he had never played in such an extraordinary match.

"It had everything you would want from a match of rugby.  Unfortunately for Australia the final result just went against us, but it was still an extraordinary match for a world record crowd," he said.

New Zealand captain Todd Blackadder said:  "We had a dream start, couldn't have wished for a better start.  The boys were on fire out there.

"But Australia scored some amazing tries and the game was on a knife edge and could have gone either way."

New Zealand coach Wayne Smith said next week's match with South Africa would be another physical game.

"They will want to move it around a lot and there are certain areas of our game we will have to improve.  Tonight we were not as as accurate as we could have been.  We did not shut them down eough with our chasing tackles," he said.

Wallaby full-back Chris Latham was caught napping for the first two tries as he fisted a Mehrtens high ball into the clutch of Umaga and then failed to tackle Jonah Lomu as he stormed down his left wing.  Lomu offloaded inside to Alatini, who skipped away for the try, as Australian scrum-half George Gregan hung on grimly.

Then All Black centres Alama Ieremia and Alatini combined smartly to put Cullen through a gap for another try under the posts.

Australia snapped back with a try of their own made by a quick midfield break by fly-half Stephen Larkham who sent Stirling Mortlock clear on the right.  Mortlock then converted his own try.

Australia steadied and then scored a well-worked try when Mortlock came in like a train on a Gregan outside pass after No 8 Jim Williams had almost reached the try line with a terrific charge from a lineout won by Australia captain John Eales.

Australia were finding a rhythm of their own and made 60 metres after winning a New Zealand lineout before No 8 Ron Cribb stopped Wallaby flanker Mark Connors as the New Zealand defence started to stretch.

Australia got to within five points when Latham broke free of Kees Meuws' tackle to power over from close range after Larkham, Dan Herbert and Gregan had combined quickly to set up an opening.  Mortlock converted and the score was 19-24.

Then Roff squirmed his way through as Australia again combined well to pull the Wallabies level and briefly keep alive their hopes of winning a record 11th successive Test.

The second half could not match the fireworks of the first 40 minutes but the final score delivered a record Bledisloe Cup score -- the aggregate of 74 surpassing the 60 points scored in Dunedin three years ago.  The Bledisloe Cup will now be on the line, after being held by Australia for the past two years, when the teams meet in Wellington next month.

The win also gave New Zealand a flying start in the Tri Nations series, which they are trying to win for the fourth time in five years.

Australia 35 New Zealand 39 HT:  24-24

Australia:  Chris Latham;  Stirling Mortlock (Andrew Walker 76), Daniel Herbert (Little 70), Jason Little (Rod Kafer 53), Joe Roff;  Stephen Larkham, George Gregan;  Jim Williams (Troy Jaques), David Wilson (Toutai Kefu 45), Mark Connors, John Eales (capt), David Giffin, Fletcher Dyson, Michael Foley (Jeremy Paul 40), Richard Harry (Glenn Panoho 57)

Tries:  Stirling Mortlock (2), Chris Latham, Joe Roff, Jeremy Paul;  Conversions:  Mortlock (2);  Penalty goals:  Mortlock

New Zealand:  Christian Cullen;  Tana Umaga, Alama Ieremia, Pita Alatini, Jonah Lomu;  Andrew Mehrtens (Tony Brown 65), Justin Marshall;  Ron Cribb, Scott Robertson (Josh Kronfeld 43), Taine Randell, Norm Maxwell (Troy Flavell 50), Todd Blackadder (capt), Kees Meeuws, Anton Oliver (Mark Hammett 73), Carl Hoeft Replacements not used:  Leon MacDonald, Byron Kelleher, Craig Dowd

Tries:  Tana Umaga, Pita Alatini, Christian Cullen, Justin Marshall, Jonah Lomu;  Conversions:  Mehrtens (4);  Penalty goals:  Mehrtens 2

Referee: Andre Watson (Rsa)
Att:  109,874

Samoa 43 Italy 24

With a scoreline very similar to the Mandela Challenge clash, Samoa beat the touring Italy side 43-24 in Apia.

Running in five tries to three, Samoa's victory was spearheaded by excellent performances by fullback Toa Samania and veteran wing Brian Lima.

Italy started off slowly, and were no match for the pass from To'o Vaega that saw Samania cross the tryline in only the sixth minute.  In fact, the Italians failed to get on to the scoreboard until the 32nd minute, and by then, the Samoans had raced to 17 points.

Italy's first points came from a try under the posts to Carlo Cecchinato (lock).

Samoa were rampant in the frist 10 minutes of the second half, adding 11 points and forcing Italy to make some substitions.  The change of personnel helped and the Azzuri scored two tries in five minutes.

But by then it was too late.

The Teams:

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Tani Fuga, 3 Kas Lealamanu'a, 4 Tom Curtis, 5 Lama Tone, 6 Tim Cowley, 7 Craig Glendinning, 8 Isaac Fea'unati, 9 Joe Filemu, 10 Tanner Vili, 11 Brian Lima, 12 Terry Fanolua, 13 To'o Vaega (c), 14 Afato So'oalo, 15 Toa Samania
Reserves:  Iva Motusagu

Italy:  1 Andrea Lo Cicero, 2 Alessandro Moscardi, 3 Tino Paoletti, 4 Carlo Checchinato, 5 Andrea Gritti, 6 Andrea De Rossi, 7 Aaron Persico, 8 Carlo Caione, 9 Juan Manuel Queirolo, 10 Ramiro Pez, 11 Luca Martin, 12 Manuel Dallan, 13 Cristian Stoica (c), 14 Nicola Mazzucato, 15 Corrado Pilat
Reserves:  David Dal Maso, Luca Mastrodomenico, Giampiero De Carli, Juan Francescio, Giacomo Preo, Lisandro Villagra

Attendance:  7500
Referee:  Henning t.

Points Scorers:

Samoa
Tries:  Lima B.P. 1, Samania T. 1, So'oalo A. 1, Vaega T.M. 1, Vili T.A. 1
Conv:  Samania T. 3
Pen K.:  Samania T. 4

Italy
Tries:  Checchinato C. 1, Gritti A. 1, Stoica A.C. 1
Conv:  Pez R. 3
Drop G.:  Pez R. 1

Australia 44 South Africa 23

Date:  08 Jul 2000
Venue:
Attendance:  34042
Referee:  O'brien p.

World Champions Australia fought back from a 23-17 half-time deficit to beat South Africa 44-23 in the inaugural playing of the Mandela Challenge at the indoor Colonial Stadium in Melbourne, inspired by two tries and five penalties from wing Stirling Mortlock.

South African coach Nick Mallett declared before Saturday night's Mandela Challenge match against Australia in Melbourne that he wanted his side to throw caution to the wind.

Mallett called for enterprising, attacking rugby.  Rugby that to many diehards, was the antithesis of Springbok tradition.  Play they did and entertain they did.  But unfortunately, it wasn't enough as the Australians proved too classy to record their 10th successive win in a compelling 44-23 victory.

The Boks outplayed the world champions in the first 30 minutes.  Not only did they show they were eager, they also showed they were keen to impress Mallett in the leadup to the first Tri-Nations encounter against the All Blacks at Christchurch on 22 July.

The Wallabies pushed too many passes and they dropped too much ball, so it didn't surprise when the new-look Boks scored the first try of the match after just 13 minutes.

Halfback Werner Swanepoel, a surprise replacement for the mercurial former captain Joost van der Westhuizen, strolled across after a clever passing interchange with flanker Rassie Erasmus for an 8-3 Springbok lead.

Stirling Mortlock landed his second penalty to bridge the gap to two points, but six minutes later the Wallabies' impatience cost them dearly.  Inside centre Rod Kafer threw a gift intercept to Bok winger Breyton Paulse near the South African quarter.  The speed machine bolted like a startled rabbit untouched to the other end of the field.

South Africa 15 Australia 6.

The Boks at this stage looked well in command.  Cool, calm and collected.  But Mortlock's accurate boot kept the world champions in the game and by the half hour mark, the ACT Brumbies' sharpshooter landed his fourth kick for 12-15.

But three minutes later, Paulse struck again.  Springbok flyhalf Louis Koen chipped ahead and Mortlock received the ball and lock Albert van den Berg at the same time.  Mortlock lost control and the ball spilled backwards for Paulse to collect and scamper across for the simplest of tries and a handy 20-12 advantage.

Australia finally showed they could play when Larkham made a scything break through the Bok defence.  Gregan retrieved the ball, sent it wide to Kafer, who flicked it on to Latham.  The Queensland fullback flung it wide to Mortlock, who touched down in the corner to bridge the gap to 17-20.  Koen landed a penalty in the shadow of half-time for a 23-17 South African lead at the break.

South African rugby history has been one dominated by huge forwards and goal-kicking flyhalves -- a combination that has created a Test record second-to-none.  But Springbok coach Nick Mallett wants to change the way rugby is played in the republic and he wants to alter the way South African fans think.  He wants to convert them to the virtues of playing an enterprising, vibrant style, one he believes is the way of the future.

Mallett is not aiming at dispensing with a powerful forward pack, only to make sure the backs are involved in the game, as well.  But to play such an expansive game, aerobic fitness levels must be first class and unfortunately for the Boks, their lack of oxygen cost them dearly in the second half.

Australia showed just why they're the reigning world champions.  And they showed why this could well be the year they finally break through for their first Tri-Nations championship.

They played with composure, patience and ruthless efficiency as the tiring Boks faded into oblivion.

Five minutes into the half, Joe Roff launched an audacious breakout from his own 22 and with Larkham, Daniel Herbert and Mortlock handling, the ball reached replacement Jason Little, who lost forward with the tryline in his sights.

Australia continued to attack, but the Boks' defence held true and the score remained 23-17 until Mortlock goaled in the 69th minute to bridge the gap to just three points.

The inevitable finally happened when in the 70th minute Larkham spotted a gap in the Bok defensive line between forwards Ollie le Roux and Andre Venter to streak through for a fine individual try.  Further tries to Toutai Kefu, who showed he was serious about winning his No.8 spot back from Jim Williams when he took the field midway through the second half;  Jason Little and Mortlock sealed a clinical victory.

The indoor clash at Melbourne's brand new Colonial Stadium was the first meeting between the two sides since their epic World Cup semifinal at Twickenham last year.

And while the Wallaby gold once again prevailed, the Boks showed tremendous courage and skill to begin a bright new era of attacking rugby.  May it continue.

Man of the match
Much has been made of Stephen Larkham's remarkable match-winning dropped goal in last year's World Cup semi at Twickenham, but he showed his full range of skills in the inaugural Mandela Trophy clash.  He ran, he passed, he set up his outsides and he varied his play.  He even kicked on occasion and surprise, surprise, attempted a droppy, which careered to the left of the uprights.  His try had the mark of genius on it, and his ability to break the line almost at will showed that he is going to be a key man in Australia's Tri-Nations campaign.

Moment of the match
There were plenty of worthwhile moments in a match that many deemed would be a fizzer because it was seen as nothing more than a cash-cow.  But the players threw caution to the wind and provided one of the best matches in recent memory.  Some of the tries were spectacular and it was so good to see the Boks doing their best to emerge from the shadows of their usual dour, one-dimensional style of rugby.  May it continue.

Villain of the match
The ARU for expecting people in a non-rugby city to pay up to $130 for a ticket to what was essentially a 'friendly' international.  Little wonder there were so many empty seats in a stadium that holds a little over 50 000 fans.  Imagine if they had of taged it at the 95 000-capacity MCG?

The scorers

For Australia
Five penalties, two conversions to Stirling Mortlock.  Tries to Stirling Mortlock (2), Stephen Larkham, Toutai Kefu, Jason Little.

For South Africa
Tries to Werner Swanepoel, Breyton Paulse (2).  Conversion, two penalties to Louis Koen.

Tonga 29 United States 6

Date:  07 Jul 2000
Venue:  Nuku A'lofa
Attendance:  Not Recorded
Referee:  Hyde-lay i.

Home team Tonga took charge of their Epson Cup clash with the United States with a first minute try and never let their grip slip -- eventually beating the North Americans 29-6 on Friday.

The islanders' fullback Siua Taumalolo crossed for a try from the kick-off and scored another five-pointer later in the first half.  However, he failed to convert his own tries in the heavy conditions brought on by tropical downpours both before and during the game.

Tonga led 10-3 at half-time after the Eagles' flyhalf Grant Wells scored the first of his two penalties.

The home side kept up the pressure in the second stanza, scoring a further three tries -- by prop Ngalu Ta'u, winger Tevita Tiueti and flyhalf Elisi Vunipola.  Taumalolo converted two of these.

USA head coach Duncan Hall expressed disappointment with his team's performance along with disbelief at the extremity of the conditions.  "The weather was unbelievably atrocious.  We really struggled to hold on to the ball.  We did have opportunities, but they played better wet weather football."

The Tongan halfbacks wisely relied on a kick-ahead game, one of the few tactics available given the conditions.  "It was very difficult for the backs to operate with any semblance of order," noted Hall whose hopes for a contest of skills were washed away.

Fiji 42 Canada 11

Date:  07 Jul 2000
Venue:  Apia
Attendance:  Not Recorded
Referee:  Hamala t.

With only one win in four attempts Canada have shown little positive growth over last year's 0-5 Epson Cup performance, adding a 42-11 loss to Fiji at Apia, Samoa.  They must now do a post mortem and make some changes for their remaining match against Japan next week in Toronto.

Sounding like a parent having to answer yet another complaint about a troublesome child Canadian coach David Clark was crestfallen following his team's second defeat in six days, losing to Fiji 42-11.

Sticking to his blunt style Clark did not hide behind excuses, choosing instead to identify where the team weaknesses were in this their third straight Epson Cup loss since their opening victory over Tonga in May.

"Again we were incompetent in our individual skills, knocking balls on, not catching the high ball, missing tackles," said Clark from Apia, Samoa early Saturday morning (Friday evening Samoa time) as he dropped a laundry list of problems displayed by the young team.  "The forwards toiled manfully and did a hell of a lot of work and the backs let us down.

"We didn't kick the ball judiciously, it went off the side of our boot we took wrong options.  We paid the penalty," concluded Clark, who has a 1-3-1 record since becoming coach of Canada in February.

Back from club commitments in France, centre Vili Satala, had Canada stretched with his assertive running that set up Marika Vunibaka for a try and gained one for himself as well.

Clark admits some frustration is setting in not only for him-self, but some players on others, threatening to divide the camp.

"Some players are frustrated with other players, and they shouldn't be," Clark said firmly.  "Because everybody was at blame.  After last week (a 41-22 loss to Samoa) there was nobody who escaped criticism and today there were probably only a couple of players who enhanced their reputation.  The rest of them were still tentative, they have an in-ability to threaten defense, particularly in our back-line."

With one match remaining in the 2000 Epson Cup Pacific Rim tournament against Japan in Toronto, Clark has a scant three days to right a listing ship as the team only reassembles on Wednesday following their nearly 35 hour flight home.

The former Queensland coach admits the task will be hard one, and there will be some tough questions of certain players before selections are made against the last place Cherry Blossoms.

"We've got to get some people in and talk to them one on one and find out exactly how they are contributing to this team," said Clark pointedly.  "What they think they are doing and what they are not doing.  And then there will be some changes."

Clark also believes that the 27-27 draw against Ireland June 17th may have given some players a false sense of achievement, something he was worried about, and even mentioned to the board of directors the following day.  The wake up call has been the 83 points scored on them in the past two games while only generating 33.

Said Clark of the waning Canadian reputation of always providing a tough defensive stand against opponents, "We're losing the Canadian treasure, which has been our toughness and commitment, and it's fast becoming a myth."

"I'm absolutely distressed at the lack of shoulder tackling in our backs and I am at a loss to work out why," admitted the subdued Australian.

Team captain Al Charron, playing in his 58th international for Canada was very downbeat following the match, and had little to offer as to why the team has struggled in recent times.

"I'm very disappointed.  We still can't do the fundamentals that you need to win a game," said the 33 year old Ottawa native.  "We can make all the excuses in the world, but we are just not good enough at fundamentals, and that's disappointing."

Not wanting to make excuses for the relatively young sides lack of performance, Charron does feel it is necessary to point out that Canada does not have it's best players available, and until that changes he fears there will be little improvement.

"We don't have our best players here.  We're not playing from a position of strength," he said, adding "I wish we could have won these games so we could come back to the Canadian board to ask them to correct things."

Charron is referring to the player's growing discontentment at the travel arrangements made for their unusually long itinerary in the last 7 weeks.  But the veteran also knows that making too much of the myriad of connections and multi-hour layovers will sound like sour grapes from the under achieving side.

"Unfortunately because we lost it only sounds like whining and looking for excuses.  It's just disappointing the way that we're treated and expected to do things.  And there is no support from the board as far as getting things done properly," concluded the veteran of three World Cups.

For Fiji, they have played their final match of the Epson Cup and can now only find a satellite dish and watch next Saturday's match between Samoa and the USA to see who will win the championship.  If the Eagles can manage a win, then Fiji will capture the title, an achievement all the more incredible since they have not had one home game in the series because of the ongoing political crisis in Suva.

The Fijians did not waste time celebrating their win as they had to get changed and race for an 8:00 p.m. (local time flight) following the conclusion of the match at 5:45 p.m.  A quick field side tray of sandwiches and exchange of ties and the Islanders were off to reunite with family for the first time in almost two months.

Fiji
Tries:  Vili Satala, Marika Vunibaka (2), Alifereti Doviverata, Seremaia Bai, Kameli Natoba.
Conversions:  Nicky Little (6).

Canada
Try:  Phil Murphy.
Penalty:  Scott Stewart.  Drop goal:  Winston Stanley.

Samoa 41 Canada 22

Manu Samoa beat Canada 41-22 in the Epson Cup Pacific Rim tournament as the Pacific Islanders ran in four tries to Canada's one.

Samoa looked in real trouble early on as Canada executed rucks and mauls with composure and commitment, finally freeing Sean Fauth on the wing to score wide, followed by a good conversion from Scott Stewart.  Good support featured in Canada's play with strong hits from the Samoans shrugged off.

Samoa, however, found Canada vulnerable to the kick and chase.

Their first try was founded on fullback Winston Stanley running a high ball and when swamped Samoa got a penalty.  Captain Semo Sititi scored from mauling the resulting lineout.

Three minutes later Canada tried to run another high ball, and as his teammates were sucked into a ruck, Brian Lima ran in from the wing for a pass, straightened and went over.

Canada ran another high ball, then a kick under pressure found Sititi instead of touch, and support from Toa Samania and Lima on the inside put Craig Glendinning clear for a try.

Samoa displayed, mainly through halfback Joe Filemu, the intelligent kicking John Boe had been looking for since taking over as Samoa coach this year.

"And that to me was the best part of the whole game because we now have another weapon on attack," Boe said.

"I mean we scored some good tries, but at the end of the day it was the kick and chase in the first half that set up the victory," he said.

"The forwards didn't get back but neither did the backs," said Canada's captain, Al Charron.  "Or if we did have the backs back, the guy who had the ball didn't recognise the (right) option -- he tried to jink too much.

"And that was what we were doing and that was putting us in a lot of trouble," said Charron.  The second half was stop-start as lost possession and injuries took over.

Bright moments came from Fanolua cutting through to score after a tight-head and an Opeta Palepoi mid-field bust that Saveaalii finished off under the posts.  Canada also scored from botch-ups by Samoa at lineouts as concentration faded late in the game.

The Teams:

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Tani Fuga, 3 Kas Lealamanu'a, 4 Tom Curtis, 5 Opeta Palepoi, 6 Craig Glendinning, 7 Semo Sititi (c), 8 Isaac Fea'unati, 9 Joe Filemu, 10 Tanner Vili, 11 Brian Lima, 12 Terry Fanolua, 13 To'o Vaega, 14 Elvis Seveali'i, 15 Toa Samania
Reserves:  Tim Cowley, Lome Faatau, Malaga Leota, Onehunga Matauiau Esau, Ngapaku Ngapaku, Lama Tone, Denning Tyrell

Canada:  1 John Thiel, 2 Pat Dunkley, 3 Kevin Tkachuk, 4 Alan Charron (c), 5 John Tait, 6 Gregor Dixon, 7 John Hutchinson, 8 Phil Murphy, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Scott Stewart, 11 Sean Fauth, 12 Kyle Nichols, 13 Nik Witkowski, 14 Mark Irvine, 15 Winston Stanley
Reserves:  Ed Knaggs, Harry Toews, Adam Van Staveren

Referee:  Tagivetaua s.

Points Scorers:

Samoa
Tries:  Fanolua T.L. 2, Glendinning C.R. 1, Lima B.P. 1, Seveali'i E. 1, Sititi S. 2
Conv:  Ngapaku N. 1, Vili T.A. 2

Canada
Tries:  Fauth S. 1, Hutchinson J.R. 1, Tait J.N. 1
Conv:  Stewart D.S. 2
Pen K.:  Stewart D.S. 1

New Zealand 48 Scotland 14

Date:  01 Jul 2000
Venue:  Auckland-Eden Pk
Attendance:  Not Recorded
Referee:  Erickson w.

Josh Kronfeld celebrated his 50th Test in style, scoring the opening try, as New Zealand wrapped up the series against Scotland, winning 48-14 on rain-drenched Eden Park.

His team wanted to party and played high-risk rugby, which often came unstuck because of the slippery ball.  But they still scored eight tries, giving them 19 for the series, and gave a further demonstration of the exhilarating rugby they are prepared to play under Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert.

The match was in many respects a carbon copy of the first Test in Carisbrook with Scotland enjoying a huge advantage in possession again, but lacking the players of the skill of Tana Umaga, Andrew Mehrtens, Christian Cullen and Ron Cribb who proved again tries can be scored from anywhere on the park.

How do you relate a half-time score of 24-nil to the fact Scotland had enjoyed 70 percent of the possession?  Seventy percent, a staggering statistic.

Yet as at Carisbrook, the All Blacks scored a series of long-range tries, with Mehrtens always looking to set his dangerous outside backs alight.

While there was disappointment that more cohesion was not possible from the All Blacks, skipper Todd Blackadder said that was a by-product of still trying to play in attacking style in the wet conditions.

"Scotland was more committed than last week.  We had trouble getting our hands on the ball at times.  Their ball retention tonight was outstanding," he said.

"We probably tried too much at times.  We were trying things but they didn't come off.  We were disappointed with that, it was a tough night."

All Black coach Wayne Smith said the Scots deserved a lot of plaudits.  "They fronted physically, and we were too positive for our own good in the conditions.  Their defence was a lot better tonight, they were a lot sterner," he said.

"We wanted competition for places and the guys who have had their first tests have obviously fronted.  Some have put their hands up higher and we have to assess that now," Smith said.

One try they didn't score would have been the most incredible of all, after the backs flicked the ball along behind their own posts to centre Mark Robinson who broke loose and took play to halfway before a handling mistake snuffed out this daring counter-attack just as the fans were rising to their feet.

The All Blacks have obviously adopted the Crusaders mentality, that it doesn't matter how little ball you have as long as you attack wholeheartedly with what you do have.

Umaga was again a revelation and it must have been a huge relief to the Scots when Smith subbed him with 15 minutes to play.

He scored two tries, created a couple more, missed two others through a forward pass and an offside and was dynamite every time he handled the ball.

Jonah Lomu also had his moments, setting up a try for Ron Cribb as only Jonah could as he ran outside his marker Cameron Murray and held him at bay till Cribb arrived.

Newcomer Mark Robinson grew in confidence as the game developed and made some electrifying breaks in the second half, to give the selectors plenty to think about as they prepare for the Tri-Nations opener in Sydney.

If Kronfeld was the star of the New Zealand forward effort, there were also mighty contributions from Norm Maxwell, till he retired after a heavy collision, the multi-talented Cribb and front rowers Carl Hoeft and Kees Meeuws.

With all the possession they enjoyed, the Scots should have scored more than two tries, those two coming from All Black errors in midfield.

Andrew Mehrtens conceded the first when what was meant to be a deft chip kick lodged in the hands of fullback Chris Paterson who had an unobstructed 50-metre sprint to the tryline.

The second came when Gregor Townsend intercepted a hasty Umaga pass on the halfway line and cleverly punted downfield, winger Murray having the toe (just as well) to get to the ball ahead of Anton Oliver.

The Scots competed doggedly up front, as they always do, with major input from front rowers Tom Smith and Gordon Bulloch, lock Ian Fullarton and flankers Martin Leslie and Jason White.

Scotland captain and halfback Andy Nicol was delighted his players had produced the effort the Scottish jersey deserved.

"I'm proud of that effort.  For a large part of the game we matched an All Black team that is very good.  Our new caps have come through the tour well," he said.

Scottish coach Ian McGeechan said he was a little disappointed with the final result in the match.  "There was a lot of good rugby from us in the game.  In rugby terms we were a lot closer," he said.

Man of the match
Although Tana Umaga was again a human dynamo in midfield, sentimentality insists that the award go to Josh Kronfeld who scored a try and gave a command performance as an openside flanker.

Villain of the match
Hughie, he who is responsible for the weather over Auckland.  He has to be a Scot with a complex because every time Scotland come to town, it rains.  A shame because it took some of the gloss off what could have been a truly spectacular contest.

Moment of the match
Even though it fizzled out on halfway, it had to be the All Blacks' audaciousness to launch a counter-attack by spinning the ball behind their own goalposts.  With an attitude like that' anything's possible in the internationals ahead.

The Scorers

For New Zealand:  Tries by Tana Umaga (2), Josh Kronfeld, Ron Cribb, Alama Ieremia, Mark Robinson, Justin Marshall and Christian Cullen.  Andrew Mehrtens kicked three conversions and Tony Brown kicked one.

For Scotland:  Tries by Chris Paterson and Cameron Murray.  Duncan Hodge kicked two conversions.