Prop, yes prop, Ben Alexander goes over for Australia's first try!
Australia’s Rugby World Cup campaign is back on track after a 39-20 win over South Africa in their Tri Nations clash in Sydney.
The Tri Nations has particular interest for us Ulster and Ireland supporters this season with players in the South African and New Zealand camps and Australia the highest ranked team in Ireland’s World Cup group so it was much interest that I settled down in the Eagle to watch this opener in this season’s truncated tournament.
With the World Cup imminent this series has a bit of the shine taken off – though in truth it is a International series that often struggles to compete with the pomp and pageantry of the Six Nations. South Africa are looking on this series as a set of trial matches for their World Cup preparations and if Australia and New Zealand have any sense they should treat it as something similar.
The game lacked a certain edge with many of the “big name” South African players left at home for some R & R and despite the Wallabies determination to put the Samoa result behind them the game had the feel of a trials match with much of the intensity of a “full blown” contest missing.
Having said that, the Aussies did show some delightful touches in attack and defence but both teams played well within themselves in an artificial atmosphere picked up on by the crowd who set about entertaining themselves with a variant on the Mexican Wave.
The Wallabies did have something special behind the scrum with Quade Cooper calling the shots.
Shifting the ball wide in their own territory, Cooper stepped inside a big defender and raced upfield to link with Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor. Despite being held up the ball was spun left, and Rocky Elsom sent prop Ben Alexander over to score in the corner.
Straight from the restart Will Genia broke out and passed to Digby Ioane who left South African fullback Gio Aplon for dead with a left-foot step to score a fine try and it looked as though the Aussie’s were about to cut loose.
However their excitement got the better of them and they botched a few efforts allowing South Africa back into the game with two Morne Steyn penalties. O’Connor slotted one over for Australia taking the half time score to 15 – 6.
Australia calmed down a bit after the break and made their possession tell with Cooper darting through to send the delightfully gifted O’Connor over and when Stephen Moore showed a massive right foot step to beat Aplon and score the game was finished as a contest. Cooper continued to delight as he created the fifth try, flipping a pass to Adam Ashley-Cooper who blasted through a disorganised defence.
South Africa emptied the bench and with Australia winding down a pair of short-range tries from front-rowers Chilliboy Ralepelle and captain John Smit lessened the damage for the visitors but were never likely to change the result.
From an Ulster point of view Ruan Pienaar had a quiet but competent enough game playing behind a beaten pack but few on the South African side looked to get too excited. As for Ireland, the game has to be taken as a warning shot from an Australian side who have an exceptional set of backs who can do extraordinary things if given the chance. How the Aussie pack is going to stand up when the pressure is on has still to be answered.
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One Response to “Tri Nations: Australia 39 South Africa 20”
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The Boks forwards looked a stone heavier than the Australians but half as fast exactly how good the Austalians are is extremely hard to assess at this point because the defensively South Africa leaked like a sieve in midfield and round the ruck.
That said while many drool over Carter it is my opinion that currently Quade Cooper and Will Genia are currently the best half backs both individually and as a partnership in world rugby both can control a game and vary the attacking play very hard to read and mark both make things happen behind the forwards.
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