Australia monster England in Sydney
Rodzilla scores on debut
Australia got their 2006 test season off to the perfect start, when they monstered the new-look England team - recording an emphatic 34-3 win at the Telstra Stadium, in Sydney, on Sunday. The Wallabies outscored their rival by three tries to none in this Cook Cup encounter.
Despite England dominating possession for large periods of the game, often building and taking the ball through numerous phases (as many as 19 phases on one occasion), it was the Wallabies who tackled the English into submission and then struck in the final 10 minutes with two tries to ram home the advantage.
The field was heavy after the heavy rains, and the game was ponderous, compounded by poor handling - perhaps the leaden feet made for brittle hands - the continuing nuisance of Australian scrums and unsure line-outs.
The scrums were a talking point before the match but coach John Connolly believed that his new, young front row was good enough to take the Wallabies to the next Rugby World Cup. Australia's three scrums in the first half produced three resets and a free-kick. England had six scrums - which yielded three resets and two penalties to England. That is drabness beyond what the watching public deserves.
In the first half there were two free-kicks and two penalties at line-outs. In addition England lost two throws. That also does not make for confident rugby.
The goal-kicking in the first half was also not great. Stirling Mortlock missed two for penalty kicks for Australia which he would have considered comfortable, and Olly Barkley missed a sitter for England.
It took 54 minutes for a try to be scored and soon there were three - none, obviously, to England who did not look like scoring a try but for one moment when the television match official decided that he could not be sure that a try had been scored when it seemed highly unlikely that a try had not been scored.
That happened when Australia were leading 6-0 and England attacked, using two grubbers behind the flat Wallaby backs. Mike Catt got the first one and headed for the Australian line. Back the ball came to England and Iain Balshaw got the bouncing ball but George Gregan grabbed Balshaw and rolled him over in the dead-ball zone.
The TMO's decision left Balshaw perplexed and he looked on as the five-metre scrum to England formed. The set-piece produced a penalty for England, the second at a scrum against Greg Holmes, but Barkley missed the easy kick.
Two kicks in the teeth for the tourists in two minutes - it hurt.
England had a lot of possession and did so well in keeping it through a multitude of phases. The phases were multitudinous but did nothing to get England going forward.
Peter Richards used England's scrum pressure to create a possible chance for England to score but instead they settled into phases and went further and further backs. Phases did not improve latitude.
The one exception at phase time was captain Pat Sanderson who always seemed to be able to go forward.
England had the first moment of distant likelihood when Balshaw produced an overlap for new man Tom Varndell but the speedster opted to grubber ahead and the ball ricocheted of Chris Latham.
The Leicester Tigers star had another great moment in the half when he scooted around Lote Tuqiri chipped.
But he looked green at this level - he had one ghastly moment when England ran out of their 22 and gave Varndell an overlap on the left wing with Tom Voyce outside him, but the pass which Varndell heaved over Voyce's head and into touch looked the effort of a man who had never passed before.
After Mortlock had missed a straight kick from 38 metres out he goaled a straightforward one when England were penalised for holding on as an attempt at a rolling maul failed.
Straight from the kick-off the Wallabies had their first promising moment when George Gregan beat Voyce who was chasing the kick-off and charged downfield before giving to Mortlock who raced to the England 22.
When England went off-side late in the half, Mortlock had an easy goal. 6-0.
It was after this that Balshaw came within millimetres of not being allowed a try.
From a go-forward scrum Sanderson strode away for England with a man to his right but instead made a mess of a floating attempt to find Varndell who was a long, long way from him on his right.
Australia had a go down the right but Mat Rogers knocked on about six metres from the goal-line, and the half ended when Mortlock goaled a third penalty.
Another good run by Sanderson off a good scrum was promising and England got onto the attack, Barkley goaling a penalty.
Unusually, England tried running in their own 22 but three Wallabies jumped Barley who held on and was penalised. Mortlock made the score 12-3.
Six minutes later the try came. It came as great relief for it seemed that one would never come and when it came it was so worth waiting for - a delicious, breath-taking moment.
From a line-out on their left the Wallabies went right in orthodox fashion until suddenly Latham cut through off a little give from Mortlock. He swept past Richards and away from Varndell, did a bit of pre-try celebrating and was over at the posts, to the glee of his team-mates.
That try decided the outcome which had already had a look of inevitability.
At this stage and from now on both sides were giving players chances to get caps.
At one stage England excelled in winning phases which had nothing to do with scoring points until Catt capitulated with a grubber. There was no way through the Wallaby defence.
With 12 minutes to go, Mortlock goaled a penalty when Mathew Tait was penalised for diving at a tackle area and a while later replacement Clyde Rathbone made the break of the match.
He took an inside pass as Australia looked to move from their own 22, and raced downfield. Tackled on the England 22, he tried to get the ball back to Mark Gerrard. The right wing now playing fullback footed a wayward ball across the England posts until he was able to gather its low bounce and sprawl over for a try, which Mortlock converted - 29-3 with seven minutes left.
There was time for one more pleasing try, started by the forwards and finished by the biggest of them all.
The locals moved right with Nathan Sharpe and replacement Jeremy Paul to the fore and then went far left where Phil Waugh charged and then sent a long pass to massive Rodney Blake. The huge new cap pulled the ball in from behind him and bulldozed his 131kg through Tait for a try.
The English lay about the field as Australians celebrated wildly. Three years on and the boot was most assuredly on the other foot.
Man of the Match: Pat Sanderson was good for England and Julian White scrummaged to good effect. For the Wallabies, veterans Chris Latham and George Gregan were effective. Rocky Elsom, playing No.8, had an excellent game and so did the youngest veteran of them all, the ubiquitous George Smith, our man of the match.
Moment of the Match: The try from Chris Latham, although all three touch-downs had class. But the Latham try was just such sweet relief!
Villain of the Match: All good clean fun - not unless you want to be smart and nominate the Wallaby front row for their nuisance effect.
The scorers:
For Australia:
Tries: Latham, Gerrard, Blake
Cons: Mortlock 2
Pens: Mortlock 5
For England:
Pen: Barkley
Teams:
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Mat Rogers, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 George Gregan (captain), 8 Rocky Elsom, 7 George Smith, 6 Daniel Heenan, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Jeremy Paul, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Clyde Rathbone, 22 Cameron Shepherd.
England: 15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Tom Varndell, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Tom Voyce, 10 Olly Barkley, 9 Peter Richards, 8 Pat Sanderson, 7 Lewis Moody, 6 Magnus Lund, 5 Alex Brown, 4 Louis Deacon, 3 Julian White, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Graham Rowntree.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Tim Payne, 18 Chris Jones, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Nick Walshe, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Jamie Noon.
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Touch judges: Steve Walsh (New Zealand), Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
Television match official: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)