Tri-Nations Match 1
New Zealand Kiwis 18 l. Australian Kangaroos 30

2006 Tri-Nations Test Series Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats]

Location: International > Nations > First Grade Competition: Tri-Nations Test Series

Kangaroos victorious in spiteful Test Match
Sun October 15, 2006
Australia have opened the Tri-Nations with a compelling 30-18 defeat of New Zealand at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.

It was always set for a fiery encounter after Australian prop Willie Mason ignited tensions with a verbal barrage on the Kiwis as they performed their traditional pre-game haka.

Mason had already been benched by coach Ricky Stuart in the only pre-game line up reshuffle, with Mark O'Meley replacing him to start at prop. The late change also defied new rules about late team changes in Internationals, something that the Kangaroos may find themselves in hot water about.

Nigel Vagana opened the scoring for the Kiwis with a contentious benefit of the doubt try being awarded by joint video referees Ian McIntosh and Steve Nash. Vagana looked to have been held up by Hindmarsh, Civoniceva and Hunt but in the struggle was deemed to have grazed the grass with the ball.

The Kangaroos hit back when Thurston intercepted a clumsy no look pass from Roy Asotasi, Thurston ran 50 m before being brought down in the Kiwis red zone. Several tackles later Karmichael Hunt scored after a contentious play of the ball by Broncos teammate Justin Hodges. The Australian's spun the ball wide and easily found the overlap for Hunt to score untouched. Thurston converted from the sideline to level the scores.

Hunt had his second try moments later after Jonathan Thurston threw a deft short pass to find a gaping hole in the Kiwis on-line defence, sending Hunt over untouched again, but this time under the posts.

With the Kangaroos now ahead 12-6, emotions rose to the surface.

Attacking the line again the Kangaroos threw the ball wide with Gasnier and King attempting to find space only to have the ball cross the touchline. Matt King was pushed over the sideline by Manu Vatuvei, but rather than cope the typical end of play 'interference', King took exception and got off the deck with a swinging arm. At this point the fight escalated with players running in from everywhere as the fight moved deeper into the corner knocking over one of the telecast cameras.

The Kiwis were awarded the penalty, and luckily no one was binned.

Enter Willie Mason. The big Bulldog prop took the field off the bench and the Kiwis wasted no time in extracting revenge on Mason following his abuse during the haka. David Kidwell lined him up with a reverberating shoulder charge that floored Mason for up to a minute. Mason finally got to his feet sprouting a swollen right eye socket, while Kidwell earned backslaps from almost all of his team members.

The Kangaroos extended the lead with a penalty goal, but in the shadows of halftime with the Roos ahead 14-6, an intercept by Mark Gasnier all but sealed the Kiwis fate. Gasnier ran 80 metres and looked set to be run down a number of times by the only Kiwi chaser in Simon Mannering. Mannering struggled to make in roads eventually diving at the feet to no avail as Gasnier crossed in the left corner. Another brilliant sideline conversion put the Roos ahead 20-6 at the break.

Nine minutes after the break the Kangaroos looked to have scored a 50m try through newcomer Greg Inglis, but the video referee's ruled obstruction had taken place.

It was a reprieve the Kiwis took full advantage of, ten minutes later Jerome Ropati scored through soft defence to put the Kiwis back within eight, 20-12.

Any comeback was quickly extinguished as big prop Mark O'Meley took a short pass at pace just metres out from the kiwi try-line. There was little defence and no stopping O'Meley.

After earlier being denied a try, Greg Inglis then grounded the ball brilliantly inside the corner post for a try with five minutes left.

The Kiwis then responded in the dying seconds with a final try to winger Manu Vatuvei for a final score of 30-18.



Tri-Nations Game 1 Preview: Kiwis vs. Kangaroos
Fri October 13, 2006
The eagerly awaited International Representative Season is upon us, finally! First up will be the defending champions, the New Zealand Kiwi's against the best side in the world, the Australian Kangaroos.

Without wanting to detract from the game, it's a damn shame that Channel 9 decided to cock it all up for Australian Rugby League fans by declining to show the game live anywhere in the country. It is a travesty and only goes to show what a farce the current "save our sport" compaign by the free-to-air networks really is. Now that I have that off my chest ...

Both sides come into this match with a number of debutants. The Kiwi's have named 4 first gamers (Matai, Soliola, Mannering and Blair) whilst the Kangaroo's have named 5 (Hodges, Inglis, Maitua, Smith and Kite). Despite the number of debutants, both side have a great mix of youth and experience, with the Kiwi's have the edge in Test Match experience courtesy of the likes of Stacey Jones, Nigel Vagana, Ruben Wiki, David Kidwell, Nathan Cayless and Tony Puletua. Australia are not without experienced campaigners in their line-up; of note are Darren Lockyer, Petero Civoniceva, Willie Mason, Mark O'Meley and Nathan Hindmarsh. If we were to go on experience alone, the Kiwi's definitely have the edge.

However, experience is not the best indicator, and there are a number of other factors to consider.

The Kangaroos have got the advantage across the park in terms of combinations. Firstly you have the 1, 6, 7 and 9 - Hunt, Lockyer, Thurston and Smith. These four players were the spine of the Queensland State of Origin winning campaign in 2006, and have the big game experience together. From a New Zealand perspective, the same 4 positions are almost the polar opposite - Brent Webb and Stacey Jones have played together for the Warriors and NZ but Dene Halatau and Nigel Vagana have very little experience playing with their counterparts in these positions, and they would also be considered out of position (hooker and 5/8th respectively). The Kangaroos have a definitive advantage here, one which is further enhanced by Justin Hodges and Shaun Berrigan's presence in the Australian 17.

Another area to look at is match fitness. The Kangaroos have 13 players from sides that played in the last two weeks of the NRL competition. Of the remaining 4 players, two played in the NRL Finals - leaving only Thurston and O'Donnell out of action for over a month. In stark contrast, the New Zealanders have only 5 players who have played in the last month, with the balance not participating in Finals football in either hemisphere. Whilst many may argue the rest will be of benefit for the Kiwi's, the battle-hardened Kangaroos will be better prepared for the torrid impact likely to come out of this game. Conventional thought says this is another area where the Kangaroos appear to have the edge; but this may be a furfy if recent season openers are concerned (discussed further below).

Both sides are full of game-breakers. The Kiwi's have a number of gamebreakers in the forwards, halves and backs. The keys to this match for New Zealand are the mercurial Stacey Jones, the skipper Ruben Wiki and his partner Roy Asotasi, the explosive and elusive Brent Webb and the hugely talented Frank Pritchard. These are the guys that can break the game open for the Kiwi's, and Jones in particular will need to be at his best - something a Kiwi jumper usually brings out of him. The Kangaroos have a number of gamebreakers at club level, but at international level the proven players are Mark Gasnier, Darren Lockyer, Willie Mason and Nathan Hindmarsh. Whilst it pains me to discount guys like Tony Puletua and Nigel Vagana for NZ and Greg Inglis, Karmichael Hunt, Justin Hodges and Johnathan Thurston for Australia; the gamebreakers will be the guys I've called out. They all have a tendency to pull something special out on the biggest stage of all; a desperate tackle, a miracle offload, a barnstorming run, a sublime pass or an incisive run. It's hard to pit these gamebreakers against each other, but the Kiwi's probably have the edge slightly when it comes to making a game-turning play; although they are just as likely to lose the plot trying to do so.

And lastly, the impact of playing the opener in Auckland should not be under-estimated. The Kangaroos would dearly have loved to start the campaign at home in the comfort of Aussie Stadium, or, better still, Suncorp Stadium. This is not the case, and the Kiwi's have a very, very good record at home. In 9 clashes since 1993, the Kiwi's have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 3 in Auckland. Two of these losses were by 2 points, showing how difficult the Kiwi's are to beat in Auckland. The fact it is an opener looms large as a double whammy for the Kangaroos; the Kiwi's have won the season opener twice and drawn once in the last 3 seasons. The Kiwi's look to have a strong advantage from this perspective.

So, what does this all mean? Overall, it appears the Kiwi's have a slight advantage - despite my patriotic heart making me tip the Kangaroos. If I try and take the Green and Gold blinkers off, I would think that the Kiwi's should win the opener by 4-6 points, with a late charge by the Kangaroos making the scoreline closer than the half-time margin. Probably be at least 45 points scored in the match, most of which will be in the first half. However, upon reflection on my Finals tipping, it'll be 12-8 and a dour drop-a-thon!

Now, if only Channel 9 would show the game live ...

Tue October 10, 2006
• Aussies "one-up" Kiwis and name five debutants; Thurston halfback
  
Tue October 10, 2006
• Latest Tri-Nations Refereeing Appointments
  
Tue October 10, 2006
• New Zealand employ 'youth policy' for first test
  
Mon October 9, 2006
• Victorian Rugby League fans dudded yet again
  

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