Final thoughts:
Australia will head to the Four Nations with confidence after this fairly comfortable win over a NZ side that had more sting in defence that offence. Time and again they failed to complete their sets, and often they handed the ball over the Australia on the last after running a play that no-one seemed to know a thing about, much less the person with the ball. Their kicking was awful. Outside of a 20m period into halftime —a period that followed their only try to Proctor— NZ were clearly second best. But they’ve had a fair layoff since the end of the NRL season and I wouldn’t be writing off their Four Nations chances just yet.
Australia weren’t exactly polished but they showed far greater composure and their left side attack looked particularly potent. All three debutants (Boyd, Holmes and Frizell) did well but it was old-hand Inglis who caused the most trouble, and he ended up as man of the match. As usual captain Smith and half Cronk kept the side well-oiled.
And that’s that. Thanks for coming. See you next time.
Cameron Smith talks: “Really pleasing to finish it off that way. Mal spoke all week about being a professional outfit ... and I though we played a really clinical second 40.”
Jesse Bromwich: “We let ourselves down in that second half and we have a lot to work on,” he says. After hearing NZ completed just 11 sets he adds; “You can’t do that against them and expect to win.”
Fulltime: Australia 26-6 New Zealand
A comprehensive win for the Aussies, their second on the trot against New Zealand who were off the pace for most of the match.
80m: Australia get time to absorb three tackles before the siren sounds and it’s hugs all round.
Conversion! Australia 26-6 New Zealand (Thurston 80)
Easy peasy.
Try! Australia 24-6 New Zealand (Cordner 79)
That’s the icing on the cake. From centrefield, 20m out, Smith passes left to Thurston who holds the ball up and finds Cordner running a good line on his outside. Cordner bumps Johnson aside and runs 10m to score.
77m: We’re being reminded that Aaron Woods and Josh Mansour are in the wings for Four Nations selection. I’d have Mansour in for Ferguson. I’ve never been convinced about the Rooster.
74m: No try. Johnson kicked across field for Kata and it’s debatable whether or not he touched down for a try after Ferguson tried and failed to bat the dropping ball dead. The thing is, he was offside before that point so his grounding matters not. As you were.
74m: A hit up from Taumalolo who has not had a lot of impact tonight....
Hold the phone, Kata is claiming a try in the left corner...
72m: Holmes takes another bomb from Johnson. I can’t see NZ getting home now. A good 20m before halftime aside they’ve been off the pace and their execution has been that of a team who have not played a lot of football over the past six weeks.
Gould now says NZ can’t beat Australia in the Four Nations going on what he’s seen tonight. Seems premature to make a call like that.
Conversion! Australia 20-6 New Zealand (Thurston 69)
Another one from the left, another one curled over with a right-to-left banana.
Try! Australia 18-6 New Zealand (Inglis 68m)
That could be the game! From close in, Matt Scott wrestled forward and drew in defenders like zombies on the sniff. From the play the ball Cam Smith grubbered on the diagonal. It hit Inglis on the back of the legs as he entered the Kiwis’ in-goal and he turned and touched the ball down for the try.
Was he offside? No. But it seems Inglis might have been running a decoy and that the kick was aimed for Thurston who was outside Inglis. No matter. Still a try.
66m: After an Aussie set the Kiwis get the ball back but again lose it. Kenny-Dowall was the culprit this time.
The crowd? An educated one. Some 20,283 souls.
63m: Bromwich drops the ball cold on the Aussie 30m on the fifth. An ‘oh dear’ moment.
61m: The Aussies go right and Dugan is brilliantly bundled into touch by Kata and Nightingale.
59m: The ball hits the deck as Australia throw it about on the last, and that fact opens up the defence. Thurston banks like a jet through two tacklers before dinking a kick ahead for Cronk. He might have got their first but for the wicked bounce it took.
NZ clear but again butcher a last tackle play after Johnson was set upon as he was about to kick. They knock on on their own 40m.
57m: Thurston goes desperately close before Australia run it right. Wide out, after a string of passes, Dugan does well to get his arms free for a flick pass to Ferguson on his outside. Ferguson steps inside and looks bound for the line but as he spun clear of the cover defenders the ball spun clear of his arms!
55m: A midfield bust from Gillett puts Australia back on the offensive. He’s in open space but he can’t find a runner. A few tackles later Morgan runs towards his left winger and, as the sideline looms, he flicks the ball back inside. Holmes is tackled in the act of catching and the ball comes loose. A big call: the ref rules a NZ knock-on.
53m: Smith lies all over Nightingale and is penalised. A pressure reliever for NZ who were pinned inside their own 20m.
52m: Phil Gould has been giving it to NZ for their poor kicking and fifth-tackle options. Hard to argue with him.
50m: Taupau bursts between Scott and Thaiday and runs 30m before he doesn’t attempt to sidestep the approaching Boyd. No, he’s content to run through him. But he’s pulled down by the cover.
Yet NZ waste a good opportunity by over-egging the pudding. The pudding being the grubber kick. It runs dead, marshalled into the badlands by Ferguson.
47m: Taupau trips Thurston as he races through to put pressure on Kahu after an Aussie kick. He’s pinged for it, too. But from the resulting penalty Australia spin the ball right and throw a forward pass that Nightingale knocks down. It’s called forward, too, and you could say it’s not the first time that should have happened tonight. Aussie fans on Twitter have not been happy with the Johnson pass for Proctor’s try earlier.
Conversion! Australia 14-6 New Zealand (Thurston 45)
From the left touchline, with the wind blowing towards the posts, Thurston aims it way right and the curl and the wind bring it home.
Try! Australia 12-6 New Zealand (Holmes 43)
No, Kenny-Dowall carried the ball with too little security. A swift effective counter by Australia. Ninja-like. Holmes showed great toe to win the race to the line, too.
Possible try to Australia
Kenny-Dowall loses the ball on his own 20m line with Morgan on him like a Dora the Explorer backpack. Did Morgan strip the ball illegally before Thurston picked up, passed left to Inglis and the big centre found Holmes who streaked away to touchdown just inside the corner post?
43 min: Johnson grubbers behind the line but Holmes, who’s had a strong debut so far, attacks the ball and get out of his own in-goal with ease. Frizell then makes some nice inroads, before Thurston rips the ball downfield.
Updated
42m: Gillett spills it under pressure from Manu Ma’u. So it’s the Kiwis on the attack, Blair carrying a defender to the 20m line.
Peeeeeeep!
41m: Are we’re off! Plenty of mistakes that first half and a bit of rust but it sure had some sting, particularly from the Kiwis who have been hitting hard and sometimes high. The Aussies have a breeze at the backs this half, which should help their kickers.
About to kick-off again, folks.
Halftime: Australia 8-6 New Zealand
A half of two halves, that one. Back in a tic.
HALF TIME 🏉 #RoosKiwis
— LU 🇦🇺 🇳🇿 (@LeagueUnlimited) October 15, 2016
📍 @nibStadium@Kangaroos 8 @NZRL_Kiwis 6
🔗 https://t.co/pJ0qFGn8bl pic.twitter.com/vMTVRIj0PL
40m: Nup.
39 min: The Kiwis make a meal of their last play, running to the blindside with no plan. They turn it over. Can the Aussies, 50m out, make them pay in the shadows of halftime?
37 min: Morgan, 20m out from the Kiwi line, drops another one with Johnson hanging off his arm. He looked for an offload but he only had one arm.
Cordner’s been forced to leave the field to treat that head wound which has beaten the first attempt to stop the blood flowing. Frizell comes on for his debut.
35m: Cronk almost puts Gillett over with a short ball! But Leuluai pulls him down just short. Tackle! Later in the set Nightingale climbs highest to defuse a bomb just as it seemed Ferguson was set to take it and score.
34 min: Now Kenny-Dowall messes up the play-the-ball such was his haste to give his team quick possession. Aussie scrum 25m out from the Kiwi line.
We’ve just seen a replay of Thurston getting hit by Blair as if by a runaway piano.
32 min: NZ pound the Aussies, looking for a half-time lead, but their defence holds. On the last Johnson kicks high to Holmes’ wing again. The charging Rapana knocks it on as he reaches over Holmes. Aussies restart from the 20m.
31 min: Speaking of momentum, here’s some. Michael Morgan gets up to play the ball 30m out from his own line and he loses control of the pill as Proctor leaves his legs lying about. Careless from Morgan. NZ ball.
30 min: Momentum... doesn’t it swing about? It’s all NZ now, as a scrum packs on the Aussie 20m.
28 min: Strong carry from Taupau before Johnson puts up another bomb to Holmes’ wing. The debutant does very well to catch that under all sorts of pressure.
Moments later a head clash opens up a cut on Cordner’s head and every vampire from Kalgoorlie to Bon Temps, Louisiana, sits up, suddenly alert.
26 min: After another good Kiwi set another bomb goes up. This time it’s the other Aussie winger, Holmes, taking a bomb under pressure on his own line.
23 min: The Kiwis have the running now... and a Johnson bomb is well caught by Ferguson on his own line as he’s bombarded.
Conversion! Australia 8-6 New Zealand (Luke 22)
Luke, whose Test kicking record is a woeful 59% (20 from 34), makes no mistake from a slight angle.
Try! Australia 8-4 New Zealand (Proctor 21)
Too easy! Issac Luke in midfield dishes to Shaun Johnson who shapes to pass long to his right but instead slips a short ball, steering Proctor, running an inside line, through a gaping hole. Their first trip into the Aussie 20m ends up in a try.
Updated
21 min: Thurston wraps up Johnson after he scoots sideways from a Kiwi scrum win on the Aussie 40m.
19 min: Scrum to NZ on their own 10m line after repelling another Aussie raid. The post-season break hasn’t done the Kiwis a lot of good, it seems. They are way off the pace so far. And here’s Gillett, coming out of the line like a Miley-Cyrus-less wrecking ball to rattle Nightingale. He’ll have whiplash after that.
16 min: That try came from midfield where Scott wrestled off Proctor to slip a lovely ball to Thurston who found Inglis on his left shoulder. Inglis then passed to Holmes who streaked down the left wing like a happy labrador racing to the water. But when Kahu came across in cover Holmes kicked inside off the outside of his right. It hit Kahu and rebounded into the arms of Inglis backing up. He dived over, scoring his 29th international try. And in a week he became a father, too.
Thurston missed the conversion from the touchline. Seems the wind is playing havoc.
Try! Australia 8-0 New Zealand (Inglis 15)
And it’s Holmes who plays a major part in Australia’s second try!
Now THAT'S a Try! 👌#RoosKiwis #NRL pic.twitter.com/hFs6EiuTzS
— NRL (@NRL) October 15, 2016
Updated
14 min: But their set ends with a catch in goal by Holmes.
12 min: A penalty to NZ is received with relief. This will get them out of their danger zone.
11 min: A couple of big charges from Shannon Boyd and some light stepping from Merrin get Cronk close enough for a sniping run on the last. He gets a metre out! Hand over.
Try! Australia 4-0 New Zealand (Boyd 8)
After spreading the ball right, the Aussies go left, and a plan comes together. Smith to Thurston and, as Cordner ran inside as a decoy, Thurston swung it to Boyd who found enough space to beat Kenny-Dowall on his outside.
Thurston mongrels the conversion attempt and it ricochets off the crossbar.
Updated
6 min: Swarming defence by the Kiwis keeps the Aussies out: two big tackles by Kata and Kenny-Dowall noteworthy. Dugan, particularly, was hammered.
And now Valentine Holmes has been collared when running one back. He stepped inside Kenny-Dowall and the Kiwi centre threw out a lazy left arm. Another penalty to the Aussies.
4 min: Thurston was rattled by that. As would anyone, given the size of Waerea-Hargreaves’ arms. Hit him right on the schnoz. Penalty to Australia, it goes without saying.
Updated
3 min: The Aussie’s ferret down the Kiwi left edge and get to the 22m before Boyd is called for a knock on. Harsh, as a Kiwi hand quite clearly reefed that out. Not sure what the touchie was looking at.
Moments later Waerea-Hargreaves spills the ball on the Aussie 40m. Thurston catches it before he’s coat-hangered by Waerea-Hargreaves.
Peeeeeeeeeep!
1m: Issac Luke roosts the ball down the throat of Thurston and the Aussie’s negotiate their opening set without incident. Thurston, it is, who ends the set, kicking on the last. Rapana makes the catch.
John Boon wins a prize for first emailer of the night. “Absolutely frothing for this,” he says. “Should be a cracker. Does seem a shame that the opportunity was not taken to have a double header with Samoa Tonga beforehand though.”
I agree John, always good to see more internationals. Oh, there’s no prize.
We’re almost there, folks. A mere 25 mins late. Hang on... a delay. The Kiwi players are sticking their tongues out at the Aussies. I say, that’s a little rude. Oh yes, the haka. As you were.
So good to see an international in the sunshine! Need more day light internationals! #RoosKiwis
— Luken Gallagher (@King_Luken) October 15, 2016
Yes it is. More of it, I say.
The teams stand to attention for the Welcome to Country address before their respective anthems are played. Behind each team the Australia and New Zealand flags are spread out side by side and, at a quick glance, they look remarkably similar. Not sure if that’s ever been pointed out before.
The teams are still in the sheds, for flip’s sake. Already 15 mins past scheduled kickoff.
But finally, here come the teams! Kiwis first in their black jerseys with white V’s. And Australia in green jerseys with a yellow chevron. No sponsor on the Kangaroos’ jersey, and doesn’t that look good? Yes, is the answer.
Andrew Johns is tipping an upset. I think he means a Kiwi win but it wouldn’t be much of an upset these days would it? Darren Lockyer —like he’d know anything— reckons the Kiwis have a superior forward pack but he thinks Australia’s better game management will see them home. By game management, see Messrs Smith and Cronk.
JT nails one in the warm-up #RoosKiwis pic.twitter.com/oa6xLW3dXn
— Michael Radley (@mickradley) October 15, 2016
It’s a perfect evening in Perth, by the looks of it. And apparently the crowd is dominated by Kiwi fans. Kiwis! So un-Australian.
If you’re wondering why the game hasn’t kicked off yet you don’t pay enough attention to league telecasts in Australia. You’ve always got to allow at least 10 minutes (for TV ads). It’s a running joke now. You laughing yet?
It’s sold-out in Perth, which some will take as evidence enough that the city deserves an NRL side. But which one? Plenty would have been happy for them to take the Sharks two years ago but how quickly times change. Of course they’ll want their own, not some hand-me-down from the east coast.
Mal Meninga has been collared in the sheds: “It’s a self-driven team culture,” he says, when asked. “We got together and talked about our values and the players have been excellent this week. I want the players to do well and I’m coming on for the ride.”
Now David Kidwell: “It’s been a great preparation and the people of Perth have embraced us,” he says, before going on to outline his coaching style since progressing from assistant to head coach: “I’m pretty relaxed,” he says. “We’ve been training well but I like that nice relaxed approach.”
Last time these teams played was in May. The Aussies won 16-0 in Newcastle in a contest so run of the mill I can’t recall anything about it and have no desire to find out more. I do recall, however, that that win by the Kangaroos broke NZ’s three-game winning run that included the 2014 Four Nations final.
So there’s your reminder; Australia are still trying to claw back ground they’ve lost to NZ in recent times. That ‘ground’ includes the No.1 ranking.
Channel Nine’s coverage is up and running and we’ve been told three times already that the Perth crowd are an educated one. We haven’t been told, however, what they are educated in. Strangling animals? Basket weaving? Shoe-shining? Could be anything, really.
Brad Fittler is now interviewing Sam Thaiday who says he has been working hard to keep up his base fitness but, given the tightness of his training top —like cling film on yoghurt— not hard enough. Thaiday says the Kangaroos have been recognised in Perth. They’re an educated mob in Perth.
As you can see, the Kangaroos feature three debutants: Valentine Holmes, who has just won a premiership with the Sharks (still sounds weird saying that), Dragon Tyson Frizell (the cut of whose jib I really like), and Raider Shannon Boyd, who has the approximate dimensions of a refrigerator along with the approximate features of a human. There are plenty of old hands too, of course, like Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Matt Scott and Sam Thaiday, a core group of Queenslanders who did so well under national coach Mal Meninga when he was in charge of the Maroons.
As for the Kiwis, Solomone Kata and Jordan Rapana will make their debut in a line-up still looking very strong despite the continued absence of Kieran Foran and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Perhaps the most notable inclusion is prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who hasn’t played for NZ since 2013. Presumably he’s been forgiven for the time he once declared he didn’t like Dave Dobbyns’ Slice of Heaven. That was the incident that prompted his time in the wilderness. Or maybe I just dreamed the whole thing. I have been having weird dreams lately.
Anyhow, with Jar-Jar back, the Kiwis pack looks as potent as a stout brewed by monks: Waerea-Hargreaves, Issac Luke, Jesse Bromwich, Tohu ‘Tofu’ Harris and Jason ‘and all the Argonauts put together’ Taumololo. The brilliance of Shaun Johnson aside, the Aussie backs look to have the edge, while those Kiwi forwards edge out their counterparts.
Teams:
The envelope please....
Congratulations to Valentine Holmes, Shannon Boyd & Tyson Frizell who will debut for the @Kangaroos in #RoosKiwis#GoTheRoos 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/mr01BOYqCa
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 14, 2016
Coach David Kidwell names his line-up for Saturday's test v Australia #NZKiwis #TeIwiKiwi #KiwisRoos https://t.co/mdCmxXCLqK pic.twitter.com/ChngpCifhA
— NZ Rugby League (@NZRL_Kiwis) October 11, 2016
Preamble
With the 2016 Four Nations tournament kicking off in just under two weeks this Kangaroos v Kiwis Test in Perth is an opportunity for both teams to crack the knuckles, shake out the lead, blow away the cobwebs, sluice the pipes, massage the moose (I may be making these up now), and so on and so forth. If it seems an unnecessary match so close to the Four Nations tournament remember that many of these players haven’t played since the last round of the NRL on September 1. That’s [counts on fingers, toes… ears… nose] 43 days ago. A rabbit’s gestation period is shorter than that. What do rabbits have to do with anything? I’ll ask the questions around here.
As we settle into our settees it’s worth wondering what effect the long layoff will have on the players. Will Josh Dugan have forgotten how to pass the ball? — presuming, of course, he knows how to pass one in the first place (which he doesn’t). While we’re at it, we might also wonder what effect the coming Four Nations will have. On the one hand, we have players pushing for a starting berth for the tournament (which begins with Australia v Scotland on October 28 in Hull before England take on New Zealand in Huddersfield); on the other, it’s not exactly an opportune time to pick up an injury.
Do these two things balance each other out? Do they need to? Perhaps Australia and New Zealand couldn’t play a friendly in a friendly manner if their lives depended on it. I suppose that’s why rugby league never uses the term ‘friendly’ (though Storm teammates Cameron Smith and Jesse Bromwich sure look friendly enough here):
Game day!#RoosKiwis pic.twitter.com/QbCWWC3CkR
— NRL (@NRL) October 15, 2016
This is all a roundabout way of saying I have no idea what to expect from this game. Which isn’t a bad thing. When you have no expectations it’s difficult to be disappointed.
Kick-off: 4.50pm [local], 7.50pm [AEDT], 9.50pm [NZDT], 9.50am [GMT + 1]
As always, please feel free to drop me a line. E: paul.connolly.casual@theguardian.com. T: @PFConnolly
Paul will be with you shortly but in the meantime, check out Matt Cleary’s preview of tonight’s big game.
