Thank you for your company and your comments this afternoon. I’ll be back here to do it all again tomorrow afternoon. A full report on the Kiwis/Kangaroos game will follow soon.
Summary
Wow, just wow. What a game. It started slowly and poorly, but the last 20 minutes of the first half was a cracker. Australia led 12-8 at half-time, but New Zealand started the second half like a rocket. There were trys a-plenty, including by debutants such as Brandon Smith, the Kiwis went into a 26-12 lead and I said there was no way Australia were coming back from that. I was right, but only just. The Kangaroos did come back, spectacularly so, with two quick succession late trys and conversions. But New Zealand held on under relentless pressure.
Final score of a wonderful game: New Zealand 26 - Australia 24.
Boyd Cordner says Australia gave the Kiwis too much of the ball.
New Zealand beat Australia
Final score NZ 26 - Australia 24. What a game.
Tedesco’s try:
Our debutants combine!#RoosKiwis 24-26 with 2 minutes to go.
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
Let's go!#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/XNDgBWKFkz
NZ 26 - Australia 24: there is a serious spring in Australia’s step. 80 seconds to go.
NZ 26 - Australia 24: and now Tedesco scores a try and Holmes converts that too! Two minutes to go.
Updated
NZ 26 - Australia 18: try and conversion for Australia.
Felise gets the ball down!#RoosKiwis 18-26 with 4 minutes to go.#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/BSfSF3GR7I
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
NZ 26 - Australia 12: Smith is denied a second try as he grounded the ball on a foot before it touched the grass. A tough call, but the correct one.
NZ 26 - Australia 12: scrum to New Zealand. Everything is going their way. Seven minutes left for the Kangaroos to pull off a miracle. But they won’t.
Rapana’s wonderful try:
Joey Manu gets a ball back into Rapana who gets it down.#RoosKiwis #GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/NJ87ct6Rhb
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
NZ 26 - Australia 12: Johnson converts. There are 10 minutes left. Australia have not scored in the second half and don’t look like getting out of jail now.
NZ 24 - Australia 12: try to Jordan Rapana! This is becoming a rout.
Here’s Marsters’s try:
Marsters scores after the @NZRL_Kiwis get an overlap on the left edge.#RoosKiwis 12-20 with 17 minutes to go.#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/B5WGLVrawz
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
Updated
NZ 20 - Australia 12: New Zealand are playing with their heads up. They know they have one hand on a little bit of history. Thirteen minutes to go.
NZ 20 - Australia 12: Johnson converts. What a second half the Kiwis are having. They’ve been superb. There are 16 minutes left for the Roos to mount a comeback.
NZ 18 - Australia 12: try for Esan Marsters. No less than NZ deserve for all their pressure on Australia’s line.
Brandon Smith’s try:
Brandon Smith burrows over.#RoosKiwis 12-14 after 55 minutes.#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/NqC1yi6cN0
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
NZ 14 - Australia 12: Mal Meninga has never lost as Australia’s coach. Could this be the first? We’ll know in 24 minutes.
NZ 14 - Australia 12: Brandon Smith’s try is given. Another debut try. And Johnson converts. That’s a big turnaround and possibly turning point in this game.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: penalty to NZ. Smith is on and Bromwich off.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: knock on by Australia, scrum to NZ.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: there’s a half hour left, but so far in the second half Australia have been dominating.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: New Zealand did well to keep Australia out in a fine set of six.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: it took three Kiwis to take Holmes down.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: Tedesco earns Australia’s second penalty of the second half. We’re seven minutes into the half and the game is continuing at the blistering pace set at the end of the first half.
Here’s Gagai’s try.
We find a way!
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
Tommy Turbo gets into space and sends in Gags.#RoosKiwis 12-8 at the break.#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/kzqkqO9fkJ
Second half under way
NZ 8 - Australia 12: after a dull start to the first half, it finished with a bang. What will the second half bring? Hopefully more of the frenetic pace of the finish of the first.
NZ 8 - Australia 12: try to Australia against the run of play. Dane Gagai scored the try and Holmes converted. The Kangaroos lead at half-time.
And here’s Manu’s try. Isn’t technology wonderful?
Manu continues his #NRL season form.
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
He breaks us down our left.#RoosKiwis #GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/VFKc3L7YU5
NZ 8 - Australia 6: New Zealand’s first try:
A tunnel ball from DWZ sees the @NZRL_Kiwis find some space on our right edge.#RoosKiwis 6-4 after 29 minutes.#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/EijH8j958n
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
Updated
NZ 8 - Australia 6: great try for Joesph Manu on his debut. What a day for him. Johnson misses the conversion, though. Four minutes left in the first half.
NZ 4 - Australia 6: the game has picked up the pace and intensity since New Zealand’s try.
NZ 4 - Australia 6: bad news for the Kangaroos as Luke Keary, who crashed into Kevin Proctor, fails his HIA and is out of the game.
NZ 4 - Australia 6: Shaun Johnson misses the conversion from a difficult angle. 11 minutes left in the first half.
NZ 4 - Australia 6: great try from Ken Maumalo! Now we have a game.
Australia’s try:
Quick hands releases our left edge!
— Australian Kangaroos (@Kangaroos) October 13, 2018
Latrell sets up @val_holmes1.#RoosKiwis#GoTheRoos pic.twitter.com/LETTnC28jR
NZ 0 - Australia 6: forward pass from Masters. A wasted opportunity for the Kiwis.
NZ 0 - Australia 6: we’re halfway through the first half and it really has not lived up to expectations so far.
I wonder if the disappointing crowd affects the players? Most of them play in front of far bigger crowds week in, week out in the NRL.
NZ 0 - Australia 6: the home fans are not happy as the Kiwis are judged not to have scored a try. The call was correct though, as TV replays make plain.
NZ 0 - Australia 6: the penalty came to nothing,
NZ 0 - Australia 6: 15 minutes into the first half and it’s a penalty to NZ.
A nice picture from earlier today.
There are a lot of empty seats in Mt Smart stadium. The crowd surge they would have hoped for after the women’s game has not happened.
NZ 0 - Australia 6: better play from the Kiwis now.
7 mins: Australia spoilt for choice and end up bumping into each other. Bit of a waste of possession there.
4 mins: Holmes converts his own try. NZ 0 - Australia 6.
3 mins: Valentine Holmes scores a fine try for Australia. NZ 0 - Australia 4. Great starts for the Roos.
Kiwis v Kangaroos is under way
Can the Australian men win away, just as their female compatriots did earlier? Form says yes.
RL: the players are on the pitch and the national anthems have just started.
RL: the Kiwis are similarly without nine players from their World Cup quarter-final loss to Fiji, including skipper and Dally M winner Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
Key players Issac Luke and Tohu Harris will be missing through injury as well.
Coach Michael Maguire, who faces the biggest test of his new reign, said he was refusing to buy into the Kangaroos invincible aura.
“A lot of that has to do with what we do, what we do when we go away from the field. That’s the key to anything, it comes down to our preparation, our practice, the connections that we have.
“Our main goal at the moment is who we are. I’ve started on a journey with these boys and it’s a real honour to be sitting in the seat.”
RL: Mal Meninga has shrugged off the suggestion Australia are set to go through a rebuild, insisting there’s no reason why their reign of domination shouldn’t continue over the rugby league world.
Despite the departure of four potential future Immortals in Cameron Smith (56 Tests), Cooper Cronk (38), Johnathan Thurston (38) and Billy Slater (30), Meninga is refusing to see it as a new era.
Also absent from the side that won last year’s World Cup are Matt Gillett (12), Wade Graham (6) and Michael Morgan (12) while Greg Inglis (39) will miss the tour through suspension.
Australia’s 17-man squad has a total of 106 Tests between them, making them the most inexperienced Kangaroos squad since 2003.
But Meninga said the side featuring four debutants in James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell, Luke Keary and Damien Cook, can continue their unbeaten streak.
“The expectations are the same. It’s not because we’ve lost players, we’ve got new players stepping up. That’s what our focus has been.
“It’s the same expectations as anyone putting on the green and gold jersey in the 110-years of our history. We want to make sure we play really well and they come off the field happy with their performance.”
RL: Heather Ballinger of the Jillaroos gets the player of the match award, presented to her by former Queensland premier Peter Beattie.
RL: the Jillaroos led for all bar a brief period, but the Ferns gave a fine account of themselves and the game really was as close as the two-point margin would suggest.
Jillaroos beat the Ferns
RL: final score New Zealand 24 - Australia 26.
RL: we’re into the last minute at Mt Smart and it’s still New Zealand 24 - Australia 26.
RL: and, as is the nature of liveblogs, the Jillaroos scored a try as soon as I typed the last update. Baker missed the conversion though. New Zealand 24 - Australia 26, with four minutes to go.
Updated
RL: after trailing for most of the game, the Ferns are determined to hold their lead with five minutes to go. There are a lot of crunching tackles going in. New Zealand 24 - Australia 22
Updated
RL: and while I was changing the picture, the Ferns have scored a try, converted and taken the lead. It’s New Zealand 24 - Australia 22, with nine minutes to go.
RL: back to Mt Smart, 12 minutes to go and it’s NZ 18 - Australia 22.
Racing: and I’m sure you need no reminding, but the Everest is the world’s richest turf race – $13 million.
Horse racing: Osborne Bulls came third, with Le Romain fourth.
Redzel wins in The Everest
Horse racing: Redzel won his second straight victory in The Everest at Randwick, leading all the way stretching clear in the home straight. The only challenger was a late-charging Trapeze Artist.
Updated
RL: Apii Nicholls’s conversion doesn’t have the length, so it remains NZ 18 - Australia 18, with 23 minutes left.
RL: all square with a conversion to come. NZ 18 - Australia 18
RL: the Jillaroos are still leading. It’s NZ 14 - Australia 18, 14 minutes into the second half.
Bogut loses on his NBL debut
NBL: final score Sydney 83 - Adelaide 94. The first four winners of the season have all been the road team. Andrew Bogut is on the losing side for his NBL debut.
NBL: time is running out for the Kings. Sydney 83 - Adelaide 91, with 48 seconds left.
RL: the Ferns are fighting back. It’s NZ 10 - Australia 12, six minutes into the second half.
Updated
NBL: the 36ers are back in the lead. Sydney 83 - Adelaide 87, with three minutes left.
Horse racing: rain is falling at Randwick the punters wait for the Everest to start.
Updated
NBL: Bogut scores again. Sydney 80 - Adelaide 75 with 6.44 left to play.
NBL: Randle is not the only King having a great game, so is Bowen. Sydney 78 - Adelaide 73
NBL: Kickert fouls again. He needs to curb his enthusiasm. It’s costing the Kings. Sydney 75 - Adelaide 73 with eight minutes to go.
NBL: the fourth quarter has just started and it’s Sydney 68 - Adelaide 67. The 10,761 crowd is getting value for money.
Some of that Jerome Randle action:
Jerome Randle will not be stopped. 🔥🔥🔥#ADEatSYD #NBL19 | Watch LIVE on @9Go pic.twitter.com/8t4tePVIhs
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) October 13, 2018
RL: it’s half-time at Mt Smart and it’s still NZ 4 - Australia 12. There have been quite a few stoppages in the game.
NBL: it’s that man Randle again, scoring against his old club. Sydney 61 - Adelaide 60
NBL: Jerome Randle is the man! He has put Sydney in the lead. Sydney 57 - Adelaide 56
Updated
NBL: wow, this game is tight. Sydney 55 - Adelaide 56 with four minutes to go in the third quarter.
RL: back to Mt Smart, with five minutes left in the first half, it’s still NZ 4 - Australia 12.
NBL: the Kings were briefly leading, but it’s now Sydney 46 - Adelaide 49, with seven minutes to go in the first quarter.
Try to New Zealand
RL: the home side are finally on the scoreboard with a try. NZ 4 - Australia 12, with nine minutes to go in the first half.
Updated
RL: 13 minutes to go in the first half and it’s still NZ 0 - Australia 12 at Mt Smart. Some crunching tackles going in.
NBL: Brian Bowen almost certainly has the worst haircut in the league, but he is a scoring machine right now. Sydney 43 - Adelaide 44 at half-time.
Updated
NBL: the home town hoodoo of this season is continuing so far, despited Bogut just scoring two. Sydney 37 - Adelaide 44, with just over a minute left in the second quarter.
RL: the Jillaroos have extended their lead. It’s now NZ 0 - Australia 12, 14 minutes into the first half.
NBL: While I was checking on the rugby league, there have been a few more scores in the basketball. Sydney 27 - Adelaide 35.
And a great conversion from Chelsea Baker from the sideline! NZ 0 - Australia 6
Six minutes into the first half at Mt Smart and Julia Robinson gets in for a beaut of a try. NZ 0 - Australia 4
Back to the basketball, and it’s Sydney 22 - Adelaide 29, with seven minutes to go in the second quarter.
NZ v Jillaroos is under way
Strong opening from the home side after being fired up by their haka.
Jillaroos skipper Ali Brigginshaw said the teams can barely be separated in terms of quality.
There are six players in each side from her champion Brisbane Broncos outfit and she expected there would be little time for pleasantries, particularly up front where the hosts possess size and aggression.
“It’s going to cap off a really good year for women’s rugby league,” she said.
“We’re both really fit so I just think it’ll be a really good game, really good quality.”
We’ve now also heard the New Zealand anthem and the haka, so the game is imminent.
Australian coach Brad Donald said his team will be considerably stronger than that which won last year’s World Cup.
By the same token, he knows New Zealand shape as a superior outfit to the one they beat 23-16 in the decider in Brisbane.
Quality club coaching had lifted standards across the board, leaving national coaches to focus on the detail rather than the basics of years gone by.
“We’ve been fortunate to be able to sit back and pick the eyes out of both teams from the premiership and be able to coach them for a week. It’s been fantastic,” Donald said.
“Both organisations are taking the game seriously. The level of the game has gone to something new and we’ve afforded those girls a new opportunity.”
Meanwhile, at Mt Smart stadium, someone is belting out the Australian anthem, so game time has got to be close in the NZ v Jillaroos game.
The visiting team has won every game so far in this NBL season. Can it happen again here?
Sydney 19 - Adelaide 21 at quarter time.
Sydney have just scored for the first time in minutes.
Sydney 15 - Adelaide 21
2.24 left in the first quarter and the Kings are still trailing.
Sydney 12 - Adelaide 19
Some slick moves from the home side, but not always leading to scores.
Sydney 12 - Adelaide 17
If you are looking for the Sri Lanka v England blog, it’s here
Bogut gets his first score in the NBL!
Sydney 10 - Adelaide 13, with five minutes to go in the first quarter.
It’s not going Sydney’s way so far, with Adelaide getting the first five points.
Sydney 3 - Adelaide 8
Bogut's debut is under way
Sydney v Adelaide in up and running.
All eyes are on Andrew Bogut. And he’s looking forward to doing what he does best. “It’s been a long pre-season, so there’s been a lot of hype for a lot of months,” Bogut said.
“But I’m looking forward to just getting the game under way and getting out there and getting those nerves out and trying to get our first win.
“We’ve got a really tough match-up, a really well coached, well respected team coming to town so if we’re not ready for that, I don’t know if we ever will be.
“They are a run and gun team and they really like to attack the basket and they try to junk things up defensively, so hopefully we’ve learnt a lesson after playing them in the Blitz and we can adjust.”
Updated
And speaking of that actually not-so-poorly advertised horse race, here’s how we covered that story earlier this week.
What a day of sport we have for you. In basketball, Sydney Kings are playing the 36ers – a game made all the more exciting for being Andrew Bogut’s debut for the home side.
We also have Sri Lanka v England in cricket, which will be in a separate blog.
There is Women’s rugby league with NZ v Jillaroos, some poorly advertised horse race in Sydney and the NZ v Kangaroos rugby league Test.
Preamble
Do you care that Usain Bolt scored twice for Central Coast Mariners last night? Of course you do, he’s a sport legend, albeit at a different sport to the one he’s now pursuing. If you haven’t already read about it, our report is here:
