Wallabies
 

Deans' Era Wallabies Win
June 14, 2008

AUSTRALIA 18 IRELAND 12

HE may still be learning Advance Australia Fair, but Robbie Deans has made a triumphant start as the Wallabies' first-ever foreign coach.

Deans' former Crusaders sang Australia's national anthem in jest - twice - in the winning dressing room after the Super 14 final two weeks ago in Christchurch and it is a good bet the supercoach was asked to join in tonight following the Wallabies' nailbiting win over Ireland at Melbourne's Telstra Dome.

It wasn't the most polished display, but the Wallabies showed enough in the six-point victory to suggest their New Zealand boss should know the words in full by the end of their bumper 15-Test campaign in 2008.

In their first match since falling to England in the quarter-finals of last year's Rugby World Cup in France, the Wallabies wiped away the dust - if not quite the Irish - to run in two vital first-half tries to kick off the new era in encouraging fashion.

The rust was evident at times but there were plenty of other exciting moments featuring nice interplay between forwards and backs and a general willingness to play more vibrant and adventurous rugby.

Rookie halfback Luke Burgess was sound if unspectacular in his eagerly-waited first Test, while debutant winger Peter Hynes looked genuinely dangerous whenever he had room to showcase his blistering pace.

Five-eighth Matt Giteau was his usual classy and livewire self - as well as reliable as Australia's new first-choice goalkicker - even if his combinations with Burgess inside and Berrick Barnes outside him are still works in progress.

And Lote Tuqiri played with energy and confidence, particularly in the first half, while the Wallabies pack did the job in nullifying their physical Irish counterparts.

Barnes had the distinction of scoring the first try of the Deans reign after being on hand to capitalise on a barnstorming run Tuqiri in the fifth minute.

Tuqiri took a pass from George Smith near the opposition quarter line, beat one defender with pace, then used Irish fullback Robert Kearney as a speed bump before offloading to Barnes a metre out when he was finally brought to the ground.

Giteau's sideline conversion attempt shaved the post, but the Wallabies were nevertheless up and running with an early 5-0 lead.

It was the start of a rousing first half from Tuqiri in both attack and defence, yet it was Ireland who scored next t through flanker Denis Leamy in the 15th minute following a lineout win just five metres out from the Wallabies try line.

Ronan O'Gara's successful conversion nudged Ireland ahead 7-5, but the Wallabies were quick to restore their lead following some fancy footwork from Giteau.

The stepping Giteau fooled two defenders before finding big lock James Horwill, who crashed over from close range.

Giteau slotted the conversion this time to leave the Wallabies up 12-7 after 21 minutes and then nailed a 40-metre penalty goal five minutes later to leave the home side comfortably placed at the interval.

Another Giteau penalty goal in the 44th minute extended Australia's lead to 11 points, but a well-earned try to Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll following some smart counter-attack from the tourists set up a tense final quarter of an hour.

But the Wallabies hung on after being forced to tackle for more than a dozen phases at the death to deny Ireland their first Test win in Australia since 1979.

Fulltime
AUSTRALIA 18 (Berrick Barnes, James Horwill tries Matt Giteau con, 2 pens) bt IRELAND 12 (Denis Leamy, Brian O'Driscoll tries Ronan O'Gara con) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne. Referee: Christophe Berdos (Fra). Crowd: 41,478.

boring boring rugby- it was awful

Giteau spearheads Wallabies' win
 

July 05, 2008

AUSTRALIA playmaker Matt Giteau regained his mojo to spearhead Australia to a record 40-10 Test blitz of France at Suncorp Stadium.

Giteau set up all four Australian tries and kicked eight from eight for a personal haul of 20 points to ensure a 2-0 series whitewash for the Wallabies.

It was easily Australia's best performance under new coach Robbie Deans, who was pleased with the match as a Tri-Nations warm-up.

"We're very conscious that the next arena will be very different," Deans said.

"It will be another level, there's no doubt about that."

"I think (France) were looking forward to their vacation. That's harsh but fair," Deans said.

"We created opportunities and we took those opportunities and there were many more that we didn't take as well.

But the display was tarnished by injuries, including a broken leg for luckless replacement back Cameron Shepherd.

Centre Berrick Barnes (shoulder) and lock James Horwill (eye socket) were also sent to hospital for precautionary scans as reserve Ryan Cross flashed over for two second-half tries from Giteau cut-out passes.

Expected to put up a much stiffer fight than in the 34-13 loss in Sydney last weekend, the French were their own worst enemies throughout the match.

Terrible first-half ball handling was compounded by ill-discipline under immense pressure at the breakdown, while the visitors also conceded a tight-head to the Wallabies' scrum.

The 30-point victory eclipsed the Wallabies' 35-12 1999 World Cup final win as their biggest over Les Bleus.

Australia's highest-paid rugby player, Giteau, who produced one of his most forgettable halves of Test rugby last week, was on song from the outset.

He opened the home side's account in just the third minute with an angled penalty goal, his first of four three-pointers in a dominant opening half.

The Wallabies first five-pointer came soon after when in-form local winger Peter Hynes scored a cherished maiden Test try in front of his 40,218-strong home crowd.

Sharp vision and a perfectly-placed cross-field kick by Giteau gave Hynes an easy take and run to the right corner after a slick lineout drive.

A wild brawl just before half-time drew Australian blood and showed some of Les Bleus' renowned passion still existed in their last game of a long season.

Horwill, only minutes after finishing a brilliant try, was forced into the blood bin after being on the receiving end of a flurry of Imanol Harinordoquy upper-cuts.

Horwill, who played no further part in the match, was penalised for sparking the all-in brawl by running into a fracas between hooker Stephen Moore and the French flankers.

When Giteau latched on to a charged down Luke Burgess pass and spun his way through the defence before flicking a pass to Horwill in the 36th minute, Australia seemed as good as home at 26-0.

The only joy the off-key tourists had was a counter-attacking try on full-time to five-eighth Francois Trin-Duc after a Wallabies turnover.

Skipper Stirling Mortlock cut a happy figure at the end of the match, impressed by his side's improvement on their opening two Tests of 2008 and proud of the second-half defence.

"We take a lot bit of pride in our defence and I think that showed tonight," Mortlock said.

"We were very disappointed to concede that late try but that came from a turnover when we were on attack.

"I'm incredibly impressed with all the spirited defence."

Shepherd's fracture, sustained when he was tackled at the end of a half-break, is a heart-breaking blow to the man who was expected to be Australia's full-back for the Tri-Nations.

The Wallabies selectors will announce their Tri-Nations squad on Monday and will have to think long and hard about who to include as cover for Adam Ashley-Cooper, who produced a solid game in the No.15 jersey.

With World Cup full-backs Chris Latham (shoulder) and Julian Huxley (brain tumour) sidelined, Western Force winger Drew Mitchell and Brumbies back Mark Gerrard will come into calculations for the position.

Wallabies grind out valuable win
 

July 19, 2008

AUSTRALIA'S new direction under Robbie Deans received a massive boost when the Wallabies opened their Tri-Nations campaign with a tense 16-9 victory over world champions South Africa at Subiaco Oval.

Deans maintained his unbeaten record since taking the helm last month as the underdog Australians scored their most important win of their new era, scoring two tries to nil in front of 41,838 fans.

Lote Tuqiri and Stirling Mortlock scored tries on either side of the half-time break with Matt Giteau kicking a penalty goal and Berrick Barnes a late drop goal.

The Springboks' points came from two penalty goals to Francois Steyn and one to Butch James.

"It was never going to e perfect but obviously against an opponent that's very physical I'm very proud of the attitude and the mentality that the team showed," Deans said.

"Up against a side that is very able and very physical, they asked a lot defensively, the guys stood up to that with some great scrambling defence.

"We created a lot and could have achieved more."

It was always going to be a case of whether the emerging Wallabies could make it click against a Springboks outfit rolling with momentum.

Australia led 5-3 at half-time after Tuqiri had finished a superbly worked move to score the only try of the first 40 against the run of play.

George Smith grabbed the ball at the back of a lineout to send winger Peter Hynes charging forward and, on the ensuing play, the Wallabies backline finally clicked with some quick hands from Nathan Sharpe and Giteau.

Australia came out firing after the break and extended that lead to 10-3 within five minutes when a cut-out ball from Giteau and some sheer captain's determination saw Mortlock charge through Boks centre Jean de Villiers and drag three Springboks over the line.

But the groggy skipper reluctantly left the field moments later after being smashed in a tackle as Giteau extended the lead to 13-3 with a penalty goal in the 50th minute.

James' 53rd minute penalty goal made it 13-6 as the Springboks began to threaten a comeback.

Winger Bryan Habana dropped the ball over the line after a perfectly worked backline move in the 66th minute with Mortlock's replacement and local hero Ryan Cross making the telling tackle.

The South African speedster left the field afterwards with what appeared to be a left shoulder injury.

But his pain would have been compounded by the fact the Boks had also blown three good chances in the first half.

The South Africans edged closer with another Steyn penalty in the 69th minute as Australia looked to hang on in a tense final 10.

They might have scored a third try if Wycliff Palu had offloaded to an unmarked Benn Robinson just metres out before the Springboks began pressing again.

But Tuqiri topped a fine all-round performance tonight with bone-crunching hit on de Villiers which caused the ball to come loose and Australia moved in for the kill.

They saw off a fully clad streaker in the 78th minute before Barnes landed his drop goal in the 79th.

Tuqiri's try meant the winger equalled former Wallabies fullback Matt Burke as Australia's fifth highest Test tryscorer with 29 tries.

Deans sings the right tune
 

July 26, 2008

AUSTRALIA delivered Kiwi coach Robbie Deans his sweetest victory since taking the helm of the the Wallabies, convincingly downing New Zealand 34-19 in a pulsating Bledisloe Cup Test at ANZ Stadium.

The Wallabies scored four tries to three, while five-eighth Matt Giteau had a perfect night with the boot in front of 78,944 fans.

The match was the former Crusaders boss's first Test as coach against his homeland, and against All Blacks mentor Graham Henry, whose job Deans unsuccessfully applied for last year.

Clearly visible from the press box during the national anthems, Deans stood motionless - but perhaps not emotionless - during God Defend New Zealand before smiling as he belted out Advance Australia Fair.

He then watched as the courageous Wallabies put on their second-highest points tally ever against New Zealand and took a first step towards winning the Bledisloe for the first time since 2002 with their biggest win over the All Blacks since 1999.

“It was a fast game and they were stretched and the All Blacks had a lot of possession there,” Deans said.

“We were forced to defend for long periods and, at times, it was tenuous but they hung in and they created a lot of turnover ball just through the intensity of their tackles, and they were able to build enough pressure.”

Australia's tries came from backs Ryan Cross and Peter Hynes in the first half, and forwards Rocky Elsom and James Horwill in the second.

Giteau kicked all four conversions, a penalty goal and a timely drop goal.

For the All Blacks, Mils Muliaina, Andrew Hore, Andy Ellis scored tries while Dan Carter, who was a constant menace to the Wallabies defence, booted two conversions.

Australia led 17-12 after both sides had scored two tries in a frenetic first half, but the All Blacks took the lead for the first - and only - time in the match five minutes after the break when halfback Ellis capitalised on a scintillating bust from Carter.

The flyhalf's conversion made it 19-17.

“That was a good mental test but they got up and got on the front foot and finished strongly,” Deans said.

“Obviously there's enough belief there for them to keep going.”

But the Wallabies weren't about to roll over and, after some great counter attack from fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper, Elsom strode over in the 55th minute and Giteau's conversion made it 24-19.

All Blacks reserve halfback Jimmy Cowan was injured in the lead-up to the try and match officials were soon conferring over the return of No.9 Andy Ellis.

Ellis was ruled to be a blood bin replacement and Cowan later returned.

Australia went further ahead in the 67th minute when some typical Phil Waugh ferocity at the breakdown forced a turnover and Giteau slotted a drop goal for 27-19.

They made sure of the win in the 74th minute when Horwill crashed his way over, beating three All Blacks tackles in the process.

Earlier, centre Cross' try in his run-on Test debut had helped Australia to their halftime lead.

The former NRL star scored the first of Australia's five-pointers in the 10th minute when he found himself on the end of an overlap after Lote Tuqiri had made a brilliant burst and the Wallabies were up 10-0 after the same number of minutes.

The All Blacks fought back superbly and were only denied by two courageous trysaving tackles from Ashley-Cooper, who downed Sitiveni Sivivatu and a charging Rodney So'oialo in successive minutes.

But the fearsome counter-attacking ability of the visitors was demonstrated fully when they steamed 80 metres downfield in the 24th minute resulting in a try to fullback Muliaina and a 10-5 scoreline.

The Wallabies chanced their arm in the 31st minute when the ball was kept alive and Ashley-Cooper grubbered on the fly for winger Hynes to score before Hore set off on a barnstorming run for the line.

Without inspirational captain Richie McCaw, the All Blacks have now lost two Tests in a row for the first time since 2004.

And again the two defeats came at the hands of Australia and South Africa.

All Blacks trounce Wallabies
 

August 02, 2008

ROBBIE Deans' Australia bubble well and truly burst as the Kiwi coach tasted his first defeat since taking the helm of the Wallabies, a 39-10 loss to New Zealand in his homecoming Test at Eden Park.

Injury depleted New Zealand dominated Australia from the outset with a pinpoint kicking game, some smothering defence and enormous lineout pressure allowing them to score four tries to one in front of a jubilant sell-out crowd of 46,600.
Deans had taken Australia to five straight Test wins since assuming control in June, including a first up win over his homeland in Sydney last weekend.

But the All Blacks returned to their clinical ways after two straight losses, stretching their winning streak over the Wallabies at Eden Park to 10 games.

The Wallabies now need to win the remaining two Tests against New Zealand this year to win the Bledisloe Cup.

"There's still a long way to go," Deans said.

"It won't be the last time we lose and we'll win another game at some point as well.

"The response is obviously going to be important."

Deans said the All Blacks had managed to mirror what the Wallabies did during last week's win at ANZ Stadium.

"The All Blacks built pressure and didn't allow us to build any pressure," he said.

"They were very effective on the tackle line, on the gain line, very effective around the breakdown and as a consequence we weren't able to get into the game.

"They profited from some of that pressure that they built and it's one of those days where you try and create momentum, sometimes you look outside the square to do that and you just have a sense that nothing's going to work."

The coach bemoaned Australia's poor lineout, which lost several of their own throws.

"It's not one we'll look back on and reflect on with a lot of pride and that also probably reflected the way the game went," he said.

Bullocking prop Tony Woodcock got a first half double for the All Blacks, while Ma' a Nonu scored two in the second half and Dan Carter booted five penalties and two conversions.

For Australia, Adam Ashley-Cooper, who suffered a suspected broken hand, provided some hope with a first half try, which Matt Giteau converted after kicking an early penalty goal.

Leading 21-10 at half-time after scoring two tries to Australia's one, the All Blacks went further ahead four minutes after the break when Luke Burgess fumbled from a lineout and rampaging centre Nonu handled twice before scoring his side's third try.

Carter's conversion made it 28-10 and the Wallabies' winning streak under Deans was looking shaky.

The lead went out to 31-10 in the 57th minute when Carter slotted another penalty goal and, when George Smith was penalised, and roundly booed, for a 64th minute high shot on namesake Conrad Smith, the fly half's three points made it 34-10.

Nonu completed his double controversially in the final minute when he streaked down the left and appeared to lose control when planting the ball, but the try was awarded by TV match official Shaun Veldsman.

The bonus point ensured his side went top of the Tri-Nations table.

The All Blacks led 6-3 early and the pressure from their kicking paid dividends for the home in the 20th minute when Woodcock got his first, barging through a Giteau tackle close to the line.

They extended their lead to 18-3 four minutes later when Woodcock grabbed a ball deliberately tapped to him from the lineout by Ali Williams and easily charged over.

The Wallabies briefly settled and executed a sublime backline move in the 32nd minute for full-back Ashley-Cooper to touch down under the posts, but they didn't score another point after Giteau's conversion.

Wallabies break South African hoodoo
 

August 24, 2008

CAPTAIN Stirling Mortlock was the hero in Durban last night as the Wallabies ended an eight-year drought in South Africa.

The match-winner in 2000 with a last-ditch goal, Mortlock scored a stunning solo try in the second half of last night's Tri-Nations match to seal a 12-point victory.

Trying to hold off a fast-finishing South Africa with 14 minutes remaining, the Wallabies skipper charged through three defenders to score a try through sheer will power.

The improbable try perfectly summed up a tough Wallabies performance, which was full of character and self-belief.

After weathering a fierce Springbok onslaught in the first half, the Wallabies not only refused to buckle but motored away from the world champions in the second.

Leading 10-0 at halftime, tries to Lote Tuqiri and Mortlock after the break consigned the world champions to their second straight loss at home after also going down to the All Blacks.

The win keeps Australia's hopes of winning the Tri-Nations alive, but sinks those of the Springboks. The loss will place huge pressure on their new coach Peter De Villiers, who was booed after the game.

Penalised heavily by referee Lyndon Bray, the ill-disciplined Boks felt hard done by, but once their game plan of bash and disrupt was negated they had little else to worry the Wallabies defence.

Matt Giteau was superb with the boot, Rocky Elsom was named man of the match on his return from injury and Tuqiri and Mortlock were immense.

The win came at a cost, though, with shoulder injuries to Berrick Barnes and Daniel Vickerman.

"It's been a long time between drinks,'' Mortlock said.

"I'm certainly happy with the way we got stuck in today. It was a great win.''

The Wallabies led 10-0 at halftime after a bruising first half. They signalled their intention in the first minute when stoutly defending their goalline from an early Springboks onslaught.

Giteau slotted a penalty goal in the seventh minute after Springboks prop CJ Van der Linde headbutted Sam Cordingley at a ruck.

It was an act that should see the South African miss next week's Test in Johannesburg.

The Boks missed with a penalty shot in the 21st minute but were largely on the wrong side of the referee, who continually pinged them for ruck infringements.

After a long raid in the Boks' 22, prop Benn Robinson burrowed his way over for a try and pushed the Wallabies' lead out to 10-0.

Butch James nailed a penalty in the 47th minute, but in the 51st Giteau replied with a three-pointer of his own and the battle raged back and forth for the next 20 minutes.

Sensing the hosts might be ready to crack, Robbie Deans inserted Timana Tahu in the 60th minute, but it was another rugby league convert who sliced through two minutes later.

Giteau threw a long floating pass to Tuqiri, who beat Fourie de Preez and raced 25 metres to the line for a try. Giteau hit the conversion for a 17-point lead with 15 minutes to go.

The Boks bounced back immediately. Following a neat Jean De Villiers midfield break, they found space on the right. Centre Adi Jacobs plucked the ball from an ensuing ruck and dived over untouched to score.

The lead was down to 10, but Mortlock scored a spectacular try soon after to secure the win.

Fulltime

AUSTRALIA 27 (Stirling Mortlock, Benn Robinson, Lote Tuqiri tries Matt Giteau 3 cons 2 pens) bt SOUTH AFRICA 15 (Adrian Jacobs 2 tries Percy Montgomery con Butch James pen) at ABSA Stadium. Referee:Lyndon Bray (NZL). Crowd:48,123.

Wallabies handed worst-ever loss
 

August 31, 2008

AN embarrassing Australian outfit suffered their worst Test loss of all time in the Tri-Nations clash at Ellis Park, a rampant South Africa running in eight tries to thrash Australia 53-8.

The 45-point difference surpassed Australia's previous worst losing margin of 39 points, also suffered at the hands of South Africa, in Pretoria in 1997.

Winger Jongi Nokwe scored four tries as the backs-to-the-wall Boks, fiercely criticised all week by the local media after straight losses at home, outgunned the Australians in all departments to have their 34,291 fans partying by half-time.

A hat-trick before the break from the flying winger had all but ended the Wallabies' dream of making history in the Republic with back-to-back wins for the first time in 45 years and helped the Boks go to the sheds up 27-3.

Any thoughts of a spirited Australian turnaround in the second half were soon extinguished when Adrian Jacobs went on a blistering run to the line five minutes after the break to make it 34-3.

And when Nokwe finished a grubber to score his fourth in the 50th minute, the only history that looked like being made by Australia was in the area of biggest losses.

Coach Robbie Deans began hooking players, with high profile run-on debutant Timana Tahu pulled in the 52nd minute.

A Drew Mitchell consolation try in the 57th minute brought it back to 39-8 but Australia's case of the dropsies continued against a Boks side full of running and Ruan Pienaar scored a classy individual try in the 69th minute for 46-8 before Odwa Ndungane iced the cake a minute from time.

A big, altitude-enhanced kicking game from the Boks, and fumbles, soft defence in the centre and poor lineout throwing from Australia had helped South Africa to early dominance.

The Boks came up with points after their first period of sustained pressure when full-back Conrad Jantjes showed his classy footwork before sending giant No.4 Andries Bekker over out wide, the conversion making it 7-3 after eight minutes.

It took the Boks only four more minutes to get their second, a quick tap from Fourie du Preez sending Nokwe diving into the left corner for 12-3.

Australia tried to play catch-up but the Boks' stiff defence, crunching work at the breakdown and massive kicks snuffed out anything the visitors had to offer.

The South Africans seemed to be able to create overlaps on the left at will and Nokwe crossed in the 26th and 36th minutes to complete his first 40 hat-trick.

The Wallabies will need a massive improvement to be any chance of wresting the Tri-Nations title from New Zealand when they meet in Brisbane on September 13.


Tri-Nations Full Time (Round 1, Game 8)South Africa 53 (27) Tries
Andries Bekker
Jongi Nokwe (4)
Adrian Jacobs
Ruan Pienaar
Odwa Ndungane

Australia 8 (3) Tries
Drew Mitchell
Goals
Butch James (1pg 3c)
Percy Montgomery (2c)
Goals
Matt Giteau (1pg)

Tri-Nations Ladder Round 1 (Updated Aug 2008)
P W D L Diff B<7p* B>4t* Pts
1 New Zealand 5 3 0 2 42 1 1 14
2 Australia 5 3 0 2 -40 0 1 13
3 South Africa 6 2 0 4 -2 1 1 10
* B<7p = Bonus Point awarded if a team loses by seven points or less
* B>4t = Bonus Points awarded if a team scores four or more tries

Wallabies lament lost opportunity
 

September 13, 2008

AUSTRALIA were left to rue soft lapses as New Zealand stormed to their fourth successive Tri-Nations title with a ruthless second-half comeback at Suncorp Stadium.

The drought-breaking Tri-Nations title slipped out of the Wallables' fingers as they gave up a 10-point advantage before losing 28-24 in a pulsating series decider.
The New Zealanders retained the tournament trophy and the Bledisloe Cup by punishing turnovers and soft defence with three successive converted tries after Australia had grabbed a 17-7 lead.

"I think they took advantage of their opportunities significantly better than we did and that was the difference," downhearted Australia captain said.

"That's what we have to do to get home in a grand final."

The four-point defeat was yet another example of Australia, who last held the Tri-Nations in 2001 and Bledisloe Cup in 2002, failing to close out close wins in big matches.

Outstanding Matt Giteau-inspired tries - finished by full-back Adam Ashley-Cooper and stand-out second-rower James Horwill - either side of half-time saw the Wallabies claim a 17-7 advantage after trailing 3-7.

But a comedy of Australian errors from an ill-conceived Dan Carter chip led to a counter-attacking try, finished by seagulling prop Tony Woodcock, that opened the door for the visitors.

New Zealand then waltzed away with Piri Weepu and Carter five-pointers midway through the second half as they cut the home side to pieces for a 28-17 lead with 12 minutes to play.

Both camps pointed to Woodcock's unlikely five-pointer as the turning point.

"The majority of our points were hard-earned and both their tries to get into the lead were quite soft," Mortlock said.

"They were defensive lapses and they got their tails up."

All Blacks coach Graham Henry said of the Woodcock try: "It boosted us and I think the Aussies may have dropped their heads a bit.

"They (New Zealand) showed guts and togetherness to come back from that."

Australia coach Robbie Deans also lamented his side's inability to take gilt-edged chances, with Wycliff Palu bombing a certain first-half try, and the side three times giving up the ball on the line after failing with repeated pick-and-drive tactics.

A Ryan Cross try and a last-minute attack did have the Wallabies inside the visitors' quarter on the last play of the game, but they couldn't produce the dream finish for which most of the 52,328-strong crowd wished.

"To put ourselves not only in the final of the Tri-Nations but within a shot of winning the game itself is a great performance when you consider there's one side that is considered the best in the world and the other is the world champion, and we were more than competitive," Deans said.

Weepu was one of a handful of Henry substitutions who also helped to rejuvenate the All Blacks, including Stephen Donald's injection at five-eighth, allowing Carter to move to inside centre, where he sealed the match by bumping off a poor attempted shoulder charge by Cross.

Save for the forced replacement of a tenacious Richard Brown for Palu, who sustained a knee injury, Deans waited until late before calling for reinforcements.

Palu limped off in the 34th minute with a medial ligament injury which may cost him his place in the 33-man spring tour squad to be named on September 23.

Giteau had a significant hand in all three Australian tries but started the match poorly, failing with his boot in general play - which cost his side significant territory as NZ held the early ascendancy.

Wallabies score sweet revenge
 

November 16, 2008

AUSTRALIA served up some sweet revenge with a gritty 28-14 victory over England in the Cook Cup Test at Twickenham.

An inspired second-half revival and a record goalkicking performance from five-eighth Matt Giteau were enough to give the Wallabies their first win over England at rugby's spiritual home since 2004.

The backs-to-the-wall triumph, after the Wallabies had fallen 14-12 behind in the 51st minute, was a payback of sorts for England's shock World Cup quarter-final win over Australia in France 13 months ago.

And it was an especially satisfying win for the maligned Australian scrum, which scored a clear points victory over the vaunted English pack which had mauled the Wallabies front row in Marseille, and equally so at Twickenham in 2005.

Coach Robbie Deans praised his much-maligned pack.

“I'm delighted for the boys. They put in and got their reward, not only in the set-piece but around the ground,'' Deans said.

“They (England) asked the question and our guys passed the test.

“We had confidence in our scrum, it's been good for us all year.

“We were able to bring pressure to bear and that drew a stress response from England.

“The good thing for us is that we were ahead at half-time, just, and we got home.

“In a couple of recent outings against the All Blacks we've been ahead at half-time and haven't got home.

“Now the skill we want to acquire is to make that a lasting shift.”

In a powerful display, the Wallabies forwards - led up front by props Al Baxter and Benn Robinson and hooker and man of the match Stephen Moore - were awarded three scrum penalties, and, tellingly, also secured two scrums against the feed.

England loosehead Andrew Sheridan, the architect behind his side's World Cup win in Marseille, cut a dejected figure after being replaced with 13 minutes remaining, his pride battered and his side's scrum on its knees.

The match was in the balance at half-time, with Australia clinging to a 12-11 lead after England had clawed their way back into the contest in the key five minutes before the interval.

Giteau booted Australia to an early 6-0 advantage with two penalty goals in the opening six minutes.

South African referee Marius Jonker called time off in the 17th minute to bark out some instructions to the two front rows following a series of scrum collapses.

“You need to get the scrum up and take responsibility,'' he ordered.

England upped the tempo midway through the half and only a Giteau try-saver on hooker Lee Mears denied the home side the game's first five-pointer in the 20th minute.

England eventually posted their first points through a 35-metre drop goal from full-back Delon Armitage two minutes later before two further penalty goals to Giteau in the 26th and 32nd minutes pushed the Wallabies out to a 12-3 lead.

England were denied a try by the video referee shortly after when replays were unable to determine if Sheridan was able to ground the ball in a desperate tackle from Wallabies half-back Luke Burgess.

But Australia could not keep England No.8 Nick Easter out in the 35th minute as the hosts narrowed the gap to four points.

A penalty goal to five-eighth Danny Cipriani a minute before the break set up a tense second half.

England hit the lead briefly through a second Cipriani penalty, but Australia responded in style, producing some enterprising counter-attack to take play deep into the opposition quarter, where Giteau slotted another penalty to nudge the Wallabies back in front.

He added a sixth - equalling Michael Lynagh's record as the most by an Australian in a Test match against England - to leave the Wallabies ahead 18-14 on the hour.

Mortlock's 48-metre effort gave Australia further breathing space before the Wallabies drove the nail in England's coffin with a converted try to full-back Adam Ashley-Cooper 12 minutes before full-time.

England manager Martin Johnson, who captained his country to victory against Australia in the 2003 World Cup final, saw his first match in charge against major opposition, end in defeat following last weekend's 39-13 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

“Australia scored 28 points and we didn't make them work hard enough for 28 points,'' Johnson said.

“We gave them eight kickable penalties and they got seven. We went a little bit off script.

“Guys in the heat of the battle went with instinct and what they do week in, week out instead of sticking to what were trying to achieve and that was the frustrating thing.

“If you're doing one thing and 14 guys are doing something else that's when you get turnovers and mistakes. We made far too many of those to keep the pressure on.

“We've got to trust ourselves and back ourselves.

“We'll get together on Monday. The guys will be sore, more mentally than physically. But we've got to bounce back and put things right as best we can and be here next week.''

Defeat did nothing for England's grip on fourth place in the world rankings. Last year's World Cup finalists need to be in the top four come next month's draw for the 2011 tournament in New Zealand if they are to avoid the ‘big three' of the All Blacks, the Wallabies and world champions South Africa in the pool stages.

“There were opportunities for us to create try-scoring chances. We didn't see them or didn't exploit them,'' said Johnson, whose team face the Springboks at Twickenham a week on Saturday.

“There were situations when they got slow ball and then we gave a penalty away when we didn't need to. We need to trust ourselves more.''

Australia defeat France 18-13 at Stade de France in Paris
 

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.

Wales deny Wallabies a clean sweep of Europe with a thrilling win in Cardiff
 

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.

Wallabies defeat star-studded Barbarians 18-11 at Wembley Stadium
 

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.