New Zealand 27 Italy 6
Welcome back!
Italy put in a spirited performance but did not have the firepower to threaten the All Blacks who won 27-6. The All Blacks were far from convincing and were saved by the performance of Isaac Ross who inspired the team in the second half to get the All Blacks over the line.
The All Blacks experiment with Luke McAllister appears to have failed with the All Blacks attacking moves falling down on a number of occasions. The Tri-Nations opener is likely to reveal a new combination and the All Blacks will need to work hard in the next few weeks.
Wallabies 22 France 6
Wallabies continued their winning start to the 2009 International Rugby season with a 22-6 win against France. In a tough and uncompromising performance the French were never in the game save for some early attacking opportunities where they had the Wallabies on the backfoot.
The Wallabies won convincingly in the end but would be disappointed with their attack only scoring one try and scoring the rest of their points through Matt Giteau’s boot. The Wallabies defence was inspirational at times and is forming as a major area of strength leading into the upcoming Tri-Nations.