After two fierce Tri-Nations clashes in the past two weeks the action is not set to slow down when the two trans-Tasman rivals, two powerhouses of rugby, Australia and New Zealand, do battle this Saturday in Melbourne, in the Tri-Nations series and for the Bledisloe Cup to boot.
The teams:
Australia: 15 Julian Huxley, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 George Gregan, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith (v/c), 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Matt Dunning.
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Phil Waugh (v/c), 21 Scott Staniforth, 22 Mark Gerrard.
New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Rico Gear, 13 Luke McAlister, 12 Aaron Mauger, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Troy Flavell, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Anton Oliver, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Ross Filipo, 19 Chris Masoe, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Mauger, 22 Nick Evans.
Date: Saturday, 30 June
Venue: MCG, Melbourne
Kick-off: 20.05 (10.05 GMT – 22.05 NZ time)
Conditions: Low 7 degrees celsius, high 14 degrees celsius. Partly cloudy with showers expected. 23km/h northwesterly wind.
Referee: Marius Jonker
Touch judges: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Willie Roos (South Africa)
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie (France)
June 30th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I noticed again in last night’s Valke/Cheetahs match that all SA refs are really calling the scrums properly, as per the IRB directive.
“crouch, touch/pause, engage”
With the emphasis being on the touch/pause as almost one word.
However, both referees [NH] in the two Tri Nations matches were not calling it like that. They both left a distinct gap between touch and pause, this caught our guys out badly.
1. Should they not have cleared this up in a chat to the refs prior to the match?
2. Should they not have quickly adapted or queried the ref?
June 30th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I hope the the S African contigent blow up the Aus scrum for early engaging(Dunning and Shepperdson), and the Kiwis breakdowns (Mc Caw offsides).
Go kiwis, bone the shackles!
June 30th, 2007 at 11:59 am
How long before the Aussie commentators start bagging the ref?
June 30th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I want the Aussies to win, firstly to shake the Kiwis, secondly because it’ll lift our guys, knowing the Tri Nations is still up for grabs.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Springbok coach Jake White has invited further criticism of his squad from the Australian media, as his side uses their B-team label as fuel for the fires of their motivation in their oncoming fixture against the Wallabies on July 7.
“I can say the more you guys do it, the better it’s going to be for me because you are motivating these players every single time you ask those questions,” White said on Friday when queried again about a Springbok team missing up to 24 top players.
South Africa captain Bob Skinstad admits all the second-string talk will help the side’s preparation.
“You shouldn’t need any motivation, but it certainly helps,” Skinstad said.
“We’ve got a lot of injuries, a couple of those guys are at home with some of the coaching staff and one of those guys is the team motivation expert and psychologist, we haven’t needed to bring him along.”
The Springboks, with a win and a loss in the Tri-Nations after their home leg of the series, play Australia in Sydney on and the All Blacks in Christchurch, New Zealand on July 14.
White says his side can still win the tournament.
“Look at the log, we’ve got five (points), the All Blacks have got four, the Wallabies have got nought, so at this stage anything is possible,” White said.
“Let’s see what happens between Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne, if our B-side can click next week we should
be OK.”
White refused to comment on claims that the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) might try to seek financial compensation from their South African counterpart because the depleted Springboks side could dampen ticket sales.
“Coaches get fired for mentioning ticket prices, so I’m not going to mention anything about ticket prices,” White said.
Looking ahead to the Melbourne fixture between Australia and New Zealand, White said that the Wallabies would gain an advantage from the extensive travel the All Blacks had just undergone from South Africa.
“They basically won with seven minutes to go and then to fly from the other side of the world over to Melbourne, that is obviously a negative,” White told the AAP.
“A positive for the Wallabies is that they get to play at home. We played a really tough game against Australia in Cape Town (the previous week) and that helped us in the first 20 or 30 minutes the way we started, but it probably took its toll in the last 20, so it will be interesting to see tomorrow what happens.”
Meanwhile Skinstad is looking forward to leading his country once again, capping off a remarkable return to international rugby after a four year absence from Test rugby for the Springboks.
Both he and his wife knew he had unfinished business at international level when he kept waking up in the middle of the night when the Springboks were in England last year.
“We had a long chat about it and we both realised that it wasn’t something I wanted to let go, for me this is an opportunity to find some closure.”
Sapa-AFP
June 30th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Rasp
I’m not watching (our sky is down), can you keep us updated on the game?
June 30th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
AB’s score
June 30th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Carter converts
June 30th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
The way the Aussies are playing, they better fear the Bok C team.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Sorry Welshy, sure.
AB’s score a pushover try through Woodcock, went to TMO and he decided it was grounded on the line.
NZ 7
Aus 0
June 30th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Eish
Mortlock just misses out converting a Larkham grubber….inches
June 30th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Jonker has blown up the Kiwis 3 times at the ruck already.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
Gregan is such an expert at marshalling the referees! He ‘coaches’ them throughout the match.
Mortlock misses the kick.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Jonker blows the AB’s again at the breakdown.
When’s he going to the pocket?
4 infringements in a row…. I suspect a Saffa player would be walking soon…
June 30th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Now the Aussies are blown for George Smith knocking the ball out the hand over a ruck. Silly stuff.
AB’s 10
Aus 3
June 30th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Jonker is not using the touch/pause…
June 30th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Penalises the AB scrum, interesting.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
NZ 10
Aus 6
June 30th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
22 mins elapsed.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Hey! A brand new backline move from the Wallabies.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Very intricate move.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Now Jonker penalises an attacking Wallaby scrum 15m out.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Now a freekick against the Wallaby scrum on their own put-in again.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
NZ tap, go through various phases and Gear goes over.
N
June 30th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
NZ 15
Aus 6
27 mins
June 30th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
NZ scrum penalised twice, Aus scrum penalised twice
June 30th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Now it’s the AB’s scrum penalised plus 10m
June 30th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Aus 12 missed tackles, NZ 5
June 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Eish, NZ get away with murder at the breakdown. Even our own refs allow them to get away with it.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Aus players not playing well individually, too many errors.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
NZ relentless on attack, very physical exchanges.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Carter’s 2nd kick out on the full.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Another AB infringement at the breakdown, still no talk of cards.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Mortlock misses the kick, pretty easy one.
Judging by the boos before the kick, there are plenty of Kiwis in Melbourne.
June 30th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Half time
NZ 15
Aus 6
Tries to Woodcock and Gear.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Rasp
Whats happening in line outs?
Are aussies hitting that fraction too early in the scrums like they were doing to us?
June 30th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Are aussies hitting that fraction too early in the scrums like they were doing to us?
Comment by welshbok — June 30, 2007 @ 1:03 pm |Edit This
Both are, Welshy, but when the scrums do set, the AB’s are getting a huge secondary shove on and destroying the Wallabies.
Lineouts are fairly even.
Sheperdson just butchered a try for the Aussies…CJ would have barrelled over.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
He was about 8m out, instead of putting his head down and going flat out, he hesitated, jogged a few metres, then decided to go for it but his momentum was lost.
Another penalty against the AB’s at the breakdown.
I think Jonker left his cards in SA.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Surprised that Gregan hasn’t reminded him of the breakdown penalty count.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Aussie commentators are bitter that the Aussie lineout has been penalised for not straight a number of times.
They insist it is straight.
Hehehehe, I was complaining in the Bok/Aus match that every Aus lineout was skew and the ref did nothing about it.
Payback time.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Another AB breakdown penalty.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Welshy, Aus lineout has fallen apart now.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I swear, half the Bok team would be off by now if it was Rolland or Welsh etc. officiating.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Wallaby scrum has imploded. The same scrum that gave our A team such trouble.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Wallaby possession from set-pieces has been rubbish in the last 40 minutes.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Now Jonker talks to McCaw after giving yet another breakdown infringement penalty.
Are we suckers or what in SA???
A Kiwi or Aus ref would have carded us ages ago.
He says he ‘might’ have to consider further sanction.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
NZ 15
Aus 6
60 mins
June 30th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
About time!!!
Yellow card for Hayman.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Adam Ashley-Cooper, after intense Aussie attacking phases!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Ashley-Cooper used HUGE leg drive to go through tackles from Gear, McCaw and Jack and go over.
NZ 15
Aus 13
June 30th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
AB’s still infringeing at the breakdowns and getting away with it.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Time?
June 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Bet Jonker won’t have the guts to send another one off.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
AB 15
Aus 13
68 mins
June 30th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
cMON YOU CONVICTS!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Kickable penalty AB’s
June 30th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Carter misses again!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Mauger kicks a 50m punt out on the full! Fourth time for the AB’s.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
MORTLOCK is a GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Staniforth goes in under the posts!!!!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Aus 20
NZ 15
73 mins
June 30th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Masoe on, Rodders off.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Sivi on, Rocko off
June 30th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Missed tackle count is huge for both sides.
In the 20′s for both teams.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
77 mins
June 30th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Aussies pinged for not rolling away…
June 30th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Donut off, Baxter on
June 30th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Baxter will have his first scrum when time is on again
June 30th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
78 mins
June 30th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
AUSTRALIA WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Teams P W L D BP TP
Boks 2 1 1 0 1 5
All Blacks 2 1 1 1 0 5
Wallabies 2 1 1 0 1 5
June 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Tri Nations is wide open again and this was an exhausting match for the Aussies, plus Gregan looks like he’s injured his knee badly.
June 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Lekker lag ek nou!
Waar is Platkop Patrick?
June 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
It’s a pity SA decided to withdraw from the 3N before it was over.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Make no mistake, this was the AB First XV.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
The reconditioned First XV.
Who we should have put away last week but for a complete brain implosion in the last 15 minutes.
The Aussies showed HUGE guts and character to hang in there despite being thrashed in the set-pieces and the AB’s getting away with murder at the breakdowns.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Did the all black perhaps go into this game thinking they have already won?
After all, Wales nearly beat them in Aus 4 weeks ago!
Unfortunately it popped their bubble and brought them down to earth, and they’ll be super sharp in 2 weeks time.
It would have been great if the Boks could have done the bubble popping in the WC…..with Smit smiling at McCaw….4 more years!
June 30th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
AB’s starting to wobble in World Cup year…
Our problem is that the likes of Ackerman will not last the pace against the Aussies and who do we have as reserve? Albert.
And our midfield, possibly Julies/Murray, are going to have to be in top nick defensively as the Aussies will batter away constantly at them.
Huxley is a weak link, he’s hesitant, hasn’t got a pinpoint kick and doesn’t run it back with any confidence.
Target kicks into the corners and let him deal with them.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Have we been focussing to much on the Kiwis, and forgotten the Wallabies?
It puts the WC in a different perspective, with France, Ireland, Aus, NZ and SA in pretty much an even race (IMO)
Aus, Ireland, France respectively can all be very dangerous on a good day, and SA, NZ can both also fall apart on a bad day as we have seen the last 2 weekends.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Ras
Not really. Luke at 13 and Flavell at lock. It’s close, but not Henry’s first choice. Still, we all have to cater for injuries.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Stirling Mortlock was in awesome form, big dangerman for our midfield. He constantly cut through the All Blacks, very impressive match from the big fella.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Jeez that was huge by Mortlock…best outside half back in the world!
June 30th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
“Comment by welshbok — June 30, 2007 @ 2:05 pm”
Welshy you never know it could be Gregan saying it one last time…lol!
June 30th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Once these Wobblies get their turnover attack going, they’re going to be deadly…
June 30th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Patern forming….
)
SA beat AUS week1, a week later they take on the AB’s and lose in the last 20min when they got tired. Aus had a rest and take on the AB’s who play back to back and they lose in the last 20min… (Tired?)
Next week the Bokke come over and are rested and playing an Aussie team that may be pushed in the last 20min… Going to be interesting (B-squad or no B sqaud
June 30th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Hasnt the 3N been an exercise on mediocrity this year.
The SA vs Aus game was pitiful. One team unable to cycle the ball through more than one phase of posession (Aus) and the other team entirely incapable of converting territory into pressure and points.
And its sort of got worse.
Looks like we have a wide open RWC this year.
June 30th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
St M
You’re right. The 3 SH sides, Ireland and France.
June 30th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Hey david
you forgot Italy, Wales and Scotland.
Dad’s army led by geriatrics with zimmer frames still have to get past these 3 mentioned minos.
Do you think old Mike Catt will have to be drawn from retirement again, St Michel , to lead the old boys club?
June 30th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
BOLAND 18
W.PROV. 13
Hehehe.
June 30th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Website fooling around again.
Very slow too.
Cheers!
June 30th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Referee issue:
2 IMO identical situations but 2 totally diferent decisions! Both in favour of NZ, IMO the 2nd decision is correct the first was a farce! see video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_UBss252_4
June 30th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I’d add Wales to list of contenders – not perhaps capable of winning but certainly of causing an upset all the way to the semi’s.
England are naturally you may say my own particular dark horse:
1. The largest pack of forward in the competition including the new ‘next star of world rugby’
2. Half a team that have the RWC before
3. The English derring do, never say die attitude and composure under pressure.
Bravo Sir!
July 1st, 2007 at 1:42 am
Did you know that the All Blacks didn’t score a single point in the second half?
Can anyone tell me when last that happened to New Zealand?