Australia proved to strong again for New Zealand in Game 1 of the Four Nations in Warrington this morning.
The Kangaroos got off to a perfect start with 26 to 12 victory of the Kiwis. Yet again, the Kiwis got off to a bad start by letting the Kangaroos in for an easy try with prop Matt Scott scoring next to the posts in the sixth minute.
The Kiwis then muscled up before Australia unleashed super sub Tony Williams. Williams wrecked havoc down the right side of the Kiwi defence, crossing for the Kangaroos’ second try and could have had another but passed inside to Jonathan Thurston.
Thurston’s try set up a 16 nil lead at half time.
The Kiwis came out in the second half with some fighting spirit scoring the opening two tries through Jason Nightingale and Kalifa Faifai Loa.
The game looked to be heading for a grand stand finish until Thurston put winger Darius Boyd in the corner to extend the Kangaroos lead back out to 10.
That try broke the back of the Kiwis and killed off any hope of a comeback. Five minutes out from full time Akuila Uate sealed the win with a diving fingertip four pointer after chasing through a grubber kick from Billy Slater.
Only the one bad incident came out of the game with Isaac Luke again using the cannonball tackle on David Shillington. Amazingly Luke was not penalised nor put on report.
This is something the Leagues from all Nations have to rub out quickly before somebody is seriously hurt.
English match official Phil Bentham also allowed both sides to slow the play the ball down which didn’t really help either the Kangaroos or Kiwis. Australia adapted quicker to the English refereeing style. This brings my attention to next week’s game in Wembley.
If an English referee is in charge, how will they rule in the ruck? It is no secret that the slower the game, the better for England and Wales. The referee style could have a big impact in this tournament. We will wait and see who will be in charge of next week’s games in London.
But before we look forward to next weeks games, England host Wales tonight in Game 2 of the Four Nations. I expect England to get over their neighbours comfortably, which will make for a great match up next week when Australia meet England at a packed Wembley Stadium.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Australians are among the sportiest people on Earth. Much as we like to play code wars with each other, the fact that we can…
Over the years 47 players have represented Australia in rugby league and union - so who is the best of the dual code internationals?
Proposed rule changes to Origin eligibility might be that rarest of things: a solution that works for everyone.
The shortlist for the International Rugby League (IRL) Golden Boot Award has been announced, with a host of hard-runners listed for the top prizes.…
After Australia's 30-nil thumping in the Pacific Championship final, there could be a vastly different Kangaroos team in the next international competition.
A famous day for New Zealand as the Kiwis thrash Australia to take the Pacific Championships title.
