November 23, 2008

AUSTRALIA overcame a wretched build-up and a dogged France team to maintain an unbeaten record on their European tour with a nail-biting victory in Paris.

For the second week in a row, the Wallabies rallied from a second-half deficit to squeeze out an 18-13 win at Stade de France.

It was Australia's first triumph over Les Bleus on enemy territory in eight years and also gave the Wallabies their first back-to-back spring tour wins over England and France in a decade.

But they certainly did it the hard way and needed a dreadful goalkicking performance from French flyhalf David Skrela to avoid defeat.

Skrela missed five shots at penalty goal - including two in the tense final 10 minutes that would have put France in front - as well as being off target with a simple drop goal attempt from in front in the first half.

Skrela then completed a nightmare match in the sin bin after being yellow-carded for a high tackle on Wallabies winger Digby Ioane, one of the stars for Australia after being called on to start just three hours before kick-off when Ryan Cross was ruled out with a nasty virus.

With Cross out, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans was forced to reshuffle his backline, moving Adam Ashley-Cooper to outside centre, with Drew Mitchell going to full-back and Ioane starting on the left wing.

After falling behind 13-10 in the 52nd minute following a rare Skrela penalty, the Wallabies regained the lead through a try to winger Peter Hynes five minutes later, after some good hands from five-eighth Matt Giteau and skipper Stirling Mortlock.

Despite some hairy moments, the Wallabies then hung on for another spirited win.

Half-back Luke Burgess, who was laid low with the flu during the week, came in for some particularly torrid treatment early as the French forwards threw everything into the opening exchanges.

If not for Skrela's wayward kicking, France could have established quite a useful lead in the first half.

After finally building some momentum, Australia opened the scoring with a Giteau penalty goal in the 29th minute.

Seemingly gaining the ascendancy, Australia increased their advantage to 10-0 when Stephen Moore charged over two minutes later, the hooker's one-handed putdown completing some patient and well-constructed phase play from the Wallabies.

But just as the intensity dropped in the few minutes before halftime last week against England, the Wallabies again appeared to lose focus as the break loomed.

The pressure told when a wild pass from Burgess sailed way over Giteau's head and then over the Australian deadball line, leading to a 5m scrum for France.

The French forwards drove the Australian pack backwards before South African referee Craig Jourbert awarded the home team a penalty try, presumably for the Wallabies deliberately bringing down the scrum.

The crowd was in raptures when Skrela slotted the conversion from in front to leave France trailing by just three points at the interval.

The French drew level seven minutes into the second half through Skrela's second and final penalty goal before full-back Maxime Medard raised the roof at Stade de France with a left-footed drop goal from close to halfway.

Jourbert was initially unsure whether the shot had the legs but, after several video checks, the third match official awarded three points to France, giving the hosts a 13-10 lead in the 52nd minute.

But the Wallabies dug deep and ultimately got home through Hynes's try five minutes later.

November 30, 2008

INSPIRED Wales dealt Australia a reality check at Millennium Stadium, denying the spring tourists a rare northern hemisphere clean sweep with a gripping 21-18 victory.

The Wallabies were unable to recover from a chaotic first half in which they lost skipper Stirling Mortlock and winger Peter Hynes, both to head knocks, and also had hooker Stephen Moore sin-binned for a professional foul.

The battered Australians were fortunate not be trailing by more than five points at the break and, once Welsh fly half Stephen Jones potted a 76th-minute penalty goal to put his side eight points up, their dreams of becoming the first Wallabies since 1996 to complete a four-Test spring tour of Europe lay in tatters.

For Wales, it was an ecstatic end to a memorable year in which they also won the Six Nations crown and also challenged South Africa and New Zealand during their autumn program.

The Australians had been expecting a torrid time from the Wales' rushing defence, rated the fastest in world rugby, but they couldn't possibly have been expecting what transpired in the second minute.

Welsh centre Jamie Roberts absolutely pole-axed Mortlock in an ugly off-the-ball collision as the Australia captain appeared to be hunting an intercept.

Mortlock was in Disneyland and, after several minutes' treatment, had to be replaced, with rookie Quade Cooper being thrust into the centres.

The incident rattled the Wallabies while lifting Wales, who crossed for a breathtaking try just two minutes later.

And it was the newly-crowned world player of the year Shane Williams who completed the movement, the fleet-footed winger diving over in the right corner to give Wales a 5-0 lead.

Phil Waugh assumed the captaincy and had an almighty job trying to restore composure amongst the shell-shocked Wallabies.

Wales dominated for most of the first half, but a crucial 65m runaway try to lock Mark Chisholm, after he swooped on a loose ball at the back of a lineout, and Matt Giteau's conversion plus a 25th-minute drop goal briefly gave Australia a 10-5 lead.

The Wallabies' woes continued, though, with Hynes forced off on the half hour, prompting coach Robbie Deans to throw Lote Tuqiri into the fray for the first time all tour – before Moore received his yellow card in the 27th minute.

Wales took full advantage in his absence, full-back Lee Byrne running a beautiful line off a Williams short pass to score untouched in the 31st minute.

Jones' conversion gave the European champions a 15-10 half-time lead, but Deans would have been hugely relieved to get to his troops before any more damage was inflicted.

But there was little relief after the interval, with the Wallabies also having to contend with referee Alan Lewis – Australia's nemesis in the Bledisloe Cup loss to New Zealand in Hong Kong four weeks ago.

While missing countless Welsh forward passes, Lewis repeatedly punished the Wallabies again at the breakdown and only some wayward goalkicking from Jones prevented the home team from increasing their lead.

The final insults came in the closing five minutes when, after patiently working their way towards the Welsh line through gritty and well-constructed forward play, Lewis again pinged the Wallabies for a ruck infringement.

A minute later, Lewis handed Wales another penalty after Cooper had been tackled in the air, prompting the flabbergasted Wallabies to berate the Irishman, who marched Australia back 10 metres.

The advance allowed Jones to drive the final nail in the coffin with a 35m penalty goal.

A consolation try in the dying stages to winger Digby Ioane proved just that – scant consolation for a spirited but vain effort.

December 04, 2008

AUSTRALIA have ended their six-match tour with a hard-fought 18-11 win over the Barbarians in the Olympic Centenary match at Wembley Stadium.

Victory was sealed two minutes from time by replacement Lachie Turner's breakaway try after South Africa's Francois Steyn, who missed two goalkicks, turned the ball over.

The result meant Australia had won four of their six tour matches, also beating Italy, England and France but losing to New Zealand, in Hong Kong, and Wales last weekend in Cardiff.

But worryingly for Australia, props Matt Dunning, who exited on a stretcher, and Sekope Kepu both went off early in the second-half after the Barbarians demolished the Wallaby scrum.

This match was organised as part of the British Olympic Association's celebrations of the centenary of the first Olympics in London, where the Games will return in four years' time.

Australia took the rugby union gold medal in 1908 with a 32-3 victory over Great Britain, represented by the south-west English county of Cornwall.

The Barbarians, in honour of that match, all wore yellow Cornwall socks as they departed from their usual tradition of players wearing their club socks.

Baa-Baas try-scorer Jerry Collins, who last year played for Cornish side Barnstaple, even dyed his hair yellow.

The Barbarians were 13-6 behind with just under 30 minutes left when they got back into the game with a superb try.

Australia full-back James O'Connor’s poor kick out of defence gave possession back to the Barbarians and Steyn, playing at outside-half, threw a long cut-out pass to Wales wing Shane Williams, the newly-crowned International Rugby Board player of the year.

Williams, on as a half-time replacement for Percy Montgomery, sprinted clear down the touchline.

And the flyer, who scored against the Wallabies last weekend, then took several Australians out of the game with a well-timed pass inside to All Black flanker Collins, who went over for the try.

Steyn missed the conversion but Australia's lead was now 13-11. Then, with eight minutes left, Steyn pushed a penalty wide of the posts.

In the ninth minute, Springbok wing Bryan Habana, one of seven members of South Africa's World Cup-winning side in the Barbarians' starting XV, broke clear and chipped ahead.

But his kick was fielded near Australia's line by Lote Tuqiri who, despite pressure from New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, grounded the ball for a five-metre scrum.

Minutes later Tuqiri, making his first start since knee surgery after this year's Tri-Nations, opened the scoring.

Australia wing Ryan Cross burst down the right touchline from deep in his own half and his clever cross-kick inside was gathered up by Tuqiri who strolled in under the posts for a try.

O'Connor added the conversion on what was his first start for the Wallabies.

And the 18-year-old soon stretched Australia's lead to 13-0 with a couple of penalties.

The Barbarians, with South Africa lock Bakkies Botha a powerful presence, did start to gain ground.

They were rewarded with two penalties from Montgomery, the Springboks' record points scorer, and at half-time Australia's lead had been cut to 13-6.

Habana and All Black wing Joe Rokocoko caught the Wallabies cold with a neat exchange of passes which took the Barbarians to within sight of the try-line.

Samoa prop Census Johnston and Botha both went close and White called on the video referee. But, with the pictures inconclusive, no try was awarded and instead the Barbarians had a five-metre scrum.

Off the back of that, former Wallaby prop Rodney Blake almost got over the line but again the replay couldn't offer firm evidence of a try.

On the hour, former Australia captain George Gregan came off the Barbarians bench to face his compatriots but there was no fairytale finish for the scrum-half.