All Blacks draw first blood against Wallabies

Updated August 19, 2012 00:26:21

The Wallabies began the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship on a low note following a 27-19 loss to the All Blacks at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

The All Blacks underlined their status as world champions with the two tries to one victory, which was built largely on a dominant first-half performance.

They led 18-3 late in the first half with Israel Dagg and Cory Jane crossing the stripe for tries, before a converted Nathan Sharpe try for the Wallabies closed the gap on the scoreboard to eight points at the break.

Both sides traded penalty goals in the second term prior to Dan Carter landing a three-pointer after the full-time siren to deny the Wallabies a bonus point, which could prove vital in the overall standings in the Rugby Championship.

The two sides meet again next weekend at Eden Park, a match the Wallabies need to win if they are to have any hope of claiming the Bledisloe Cup.

The Wallabies troubled their trans-Tasman rivals when they had the ball in hand but a raft of missed tackles and a couple of knock-ons at key moments effectively handed the win to the All Blacks.

Carter kicked 17 points but the biggest difference between the sides in a stop-start match was the speed of the ball won by the All Blacks forwards and the mistakes made by the Wallabies, as the visitors came at them.

"You could say its rustiness, who knows," Wallabies five-eighth Berrick Barnes said.

"We're going to have to go back to the drawing board and rectify it.

"We've got a long way to go."

The visitors' solid scrum laid the platform for their first-half tries and only the regular whistling of referee Alain Rolland kept the Wallabies from being even more comprehensively dominated at the set piece.

The score was 3-3 when Sonny Bill Williams ran decoy to let Carter carry the ball away from the scrum to meet the Wallabies midfield, slipping a delayed pass to Dagg. The full-back tore past opposite number Kurtley Beale on the left touchline and scored in the corner.

The hapless Beale was then culpable for the All Blacks' second try, knocking on a kick under no pressure inside his own 22.

The All Blacks sprayed the ball left to right from the resulting scrum and Dagg swiftly deposited the ball in Jane's hands on the right for the winger to score.

The Wallabies made a final attack of the half and Digby Ioane powered through only to be hauled down just short. Will Genia popped the ball up off the ground for Sharpe to go over for his eighth try from 106 Tests.

Barnes pulled the Wallabies to within eight points with the conversion and the gap was just five points within five minutes of the re-start after the Waratahs five-eighth landed another penalty.

Carter and Barnes then traded kicks before the All Blacks restored the cushion with a fourth successful penalty goal.

Dagg was bundled into touch as he raced in for a second try in the right corner following a break by Liam Messam and Jane spilled just short of the line on the other wing.

The All Blacks looked to be home and dry but Barnes again hauled the Wallabies to within a try and the majority of the 76,877 fans were roaring, only to be silenced as the ball was hacked clear and Carter made the match safe with the final kick of the fixture.

New Zealand: 27 (I Dagg, C Jane tries; D Carter con, 5 pens)

Wallabies: 19 (N Sharpe try; B Barnes con, 4 pens)

ABC/Reuters

Tags: rugby-union, sport, sydney-2000

First posted August 18, 2012 21:52:17

View the original article here

Brumbies to blood six players for Wales

Updated June 10, 2012 22:42:10

The Brumbies are set to field a squad lighter on both years and experience when they take on reigning Six Nations champion Wales for their mid-week tour match at Canberra Stadium on Tuesday.

Of the 22-man squad named on Sunday, three will be making their run-on debuts for the season, while another six - five of whom will start on the bench - will wear the Brumbies jersey for the first time this year.

It is clear Brumbies coach Jake White is giving his young charges an opportunity to shine against top-quality international opposition, with Wales having gone down narrowly to the Wallabies 27-19 in Brisbane on Saturday.

With eight Brumbies, including skipper Ben Mowen, missing to the Wallabies squad, lock Ben Hand has been handed the captaincy reins for the match, despite having only played 50 minutes this season.

He starts in the second-row to partner semi-regular lock Leon Power, while in front of them in the scrum, hooker Anthony Hegarty and Scott Sio are getting their first starting jumpers, as is flanker Colby Fainga'a.

Australian under-20s representative Kimami Sitauti and Cam Crawford are also set to earn their first provincial caps on the wing, while five-eighth Zack Holmes and full-back Robbie Coleman retain their usual spots.

History sits with the Brumbies ahead of their clash with Wales, having defeated the tourists on their past two visits to the nation's capital in 1978 and 1996.

And although Wales is likely to rest its best players ahead of the next Test against the Wallabies in Melbourne on Saturday, Brumbies number seven Ita Vaea said it would be a chance for everyone in the squad to prove their muscle.

"Everyone's got to be very physical and there's got to be a lot of run forward, so we're not treating it different to any other game," he said.

"It's going to be hard and they're going to come at us so we've got to prepare well and take it there on Tuesday night."

The three-week international break has afforded the non-Wallaby Brumbies something of a rest, although they have been kept in the mix by playing each week in Canberra's local John I Dent competition.

White has poached two players from local side Tuggeranong Vikings for the Wales clash in Beau Mokoputo and JP Pradaud, both who will start from the bench along with fringe Brumbies Siliva Siliva, Dylan Sigg and Tom Cox.

Vaea welcomed the break as a chance to put energy back in the tank, but denied it would affect the Brumbies' momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

The Brumbies remain on top of the Australian conference and - barring catastrophe - are set for their first finals campaign since 2004 with three games to play against Western Force, New South Wales Waratahs and the Blues at home.

Brumbies: Robbie Coleman, Cam Crawford, Tevita Kuridrani, Andrew Smith, Kimami Sitauti, Zack Holmes, Ian Prior, Ita Vaea, Colby Faingaa, Peter Kimlin, Ben Hand (capt), Leon Power, Scott Sio, Anthony Hegarty, Ruaidhri Murphy.

Res: Siliva Siliva, JP Pradaud, Dylan Sigg, Fotu Auelua, Beau Mokoputo, Tom Cox, Jesse Mogg.

AAP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, canberra-2600, act, australia, wales, united-kingdom

First posted June 10, 2012 22:42:10

View the original article here