The Roar
The Roar

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Australians poised for an unprecedented four-sport assault

Wallabies player Tevita Kuridrani (right) celebrates with Drew Mitchell after scoring the winning try in the Rugby Championship test match between the Australian Wallabies and South African Springboks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane Saturday, July 18, 2015. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Expert
15th August, 2015
9

Medium pacer Ellyse Perry’s career best 6-32 sealed a 161-run win at Canterbury over England last night to kick-start what could be an extraordinary international weekend for green and gold.

The Test win was their first on English soil since 2001.

Tonight Perry’s fiance Matt Toomua will be in the Wallaby starting line-up to regain the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002, and end the Eden Park hoodoo since 1986.

Laura Geitz will lead the reigning champion Diamonds into their Netball World Cup semi-final against Jamaica in Sydney tonight, and Jason Day will continue his bid for his first golfing major in the USPGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

But first things first, with Perry claiming match figures of 9-70 off 30. But it was Australian debutant Jess Jonassen with 99 and 57 who was awarded player of the match.

The left-handed Jonassen is the first women to be dismissed one shy of a debut ton in women’s Test history. And to be given out leg before made it even harder to cop.

The win has the Australians in the box seat leading 8-2 to regain the Ashes in the seven-match format.

Australia led 4-2 after the three ODIs when England won the first by four wickets, and the Australians won the second and third by 63 and 89. Those games were worth two points each.

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The Test was worth four points, and the three T20s yet to be decided on August 26 at Chelmsford, 28 at Hove, and 31 at Cardiff, will be worth two points each to decide the Ashes.

England must win all three to square the series away 8-8 to retain the Ashes.

Tonight at Eden Park promises to be a rugby epic with so much at stake for both sides leading into the Rugby World Cup.

I’d be a lot more confident if benchman David Pocock was in the starting line-up instead of Wycliff Palu, if lock Will Skelton was on the bench instead of Dean Mumm, and Toomua was the fly-half instead of Quade Cooper who will cop heaps of abuse from the parochial Eden Park faithful.

And goal-kicking could well be a major problem for the Wallabies with Bernard Foley dropped altogether, and with Matt Giteau and Kurtley Beale on the bench, that leaves the unreliable Cooper and halfback Nic White with the responsibility.

But Michael Cheika is on a roll enjoying first time coaching wins over the Boks, Pumas, and the All Blacks in his last three games.

Having said that, I still expect the Wallabies to win to keep the Australian momentum this weekend moving in the right direction.

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Last night the Diamonds hammered Wales 89-24 in the last of the pool games, setting up the big clash with Jamaica tonight, who are coached by former Diamonds coach Jill McIntosh.

The Diamonds’ only loss in their last 25 games was to the Silver Ferns 52-47 in these pool rounds. Judging by the comments from captain Laura Geiz, one of the world’s leading goal-scorers Caitlin Bassett, and coach Lisa Alexander, that loss was the wake-up call the Diamonds needed.

It was Bassett’s dramatic last second of extra time goal in the 2011 World Cup final that will be talked about forever.

Bassett scored 151 goals in that tournament with an incredible 97 per cent accuracy. A repeat tonight against Jamaica and the expected final repeat against the Silver Ferns would be telling.

And that leaves Jason Day who teed off in his second round at Whistling Straits, two shots off the pace.

When the hooter sounded to suspend play during the second round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Jason Day and Matt Jones were on top of the leaderboard at nine-under.

When play resumes, Day will have a birdie putt on the 15th for sole possession of the lead. Jones will resume at the 12th.

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Justin Rose is at eight-under playing the last, while Swede David Lingmerth has completed his second round at seven-under and joined by Harris English playing the 15th, and Tony Finau on the 14th.

World number two Jordan Spieth is done at six-under, and world number one Rory McIlroy is in the clubhouse at two-under after a double bogey at the last.

Of the other Australians, Cameron Smith at two-under will make the cut, but Marc Leishman, John Senden, Steve Bowditch and Adam Scott will miss the cut set at two-over.

Geoff Ogilvy still has a hole to complete his second round at four-over with Tiger Woods, who has five holes to play.

After finding Lake Michigan three successive times, John Daly carded a 10 on the par three seventh hole on his way to an 81.

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