England make six changes for All Blacks
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England have made six changes for their match with the All Blacks this weekend after a toothless performance in the 37-20 loss against the All Blacks in the first test.
Five changes were made to the English backline and one forced change to the forward with the withdrawal through injury of Andy Sheridan and inclusion Tim Payne in his place. The backline suffered heavily from the loss with only Topsy Ojo and Mike Tindall surviving the previous test. Rob Andrew will be hoping the revamped backline will add some much needed attacking spark after only Topsy Ojo was able to make any real impression against the All Blacks with two opportunistic tries.
The English team is;
Mathew Tait, Topsy Ojo, Mike Tindall, Jamie Noon, Tom Varndell, Toby Flood, Danny Care, Luke Narraway, Tom Rees, James Haskell, Steve Borthwick, Tom Palmer, Matt Stevens, Lee Mears, Tim Payne.
Reserves: David Paice, Jason Hobson, Ben Kay, Joe Worsley, Pete Richards, Olly Barkley, David Strettle.
Mark Gerrard ruled out
Mark Gerrard the Wallabies winger currently playing for Australia A has been ruled out for one month. Gerrard suffered a shoulder injury in a tough physical encounter against Samoa on the weekend.
The injury comes at a bad time as Gerrard would have come into calculations for selection in the Tri-Nations series against the All Blacks and Springboks. Unfortunately it will make it difficult for Gerrard to force his way back into the Wallabies side without any significant time under his belt on the field.
Shane Williams Welsh Maestro
Shane Williams is a sensational player and for anyone requiring any convincing this try against South Africa on the weekend should be proof that he is the best winger in the game. Williams evasive step and individual brilliance is a sight to be behold and we hope to see him delivering for a few years yet.
Check out the amazing try where he bamboozled four South African defenders coming across in cover.
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Andy Sheridan out of 2nd Test against All Blacks
Andy Sheridan has been ruled out of the 2nd test this weekend against the All Blacks after a nasty cut above his left eye required 12 stitches. Sheridan will be disappointed not to be up against Greg Somerville again after being out pointed by the All Black in the scrum, one of the few times Sheridan has not been dominant in recent years.
David Wilson will join the English squad for the final test but Andrew Sheridan’s place is likely to be taken by Tim Payne, the Wasps loosehead.
Pacific Nations Cup Roundup
The second round of the Pacific Nations Cup was held over the weekend. Japan were far too strong for Tonga winning 35-13. The New Zealand Maori held off Fiji to win 11-7 and Australia A beat Samoa 20-15.
The Australian A side beat Samoa in Apia in terrible conditions. Samoa came hard at Australia A in the second half and they were lucky to hang on for the win. Samoa as expected came out hard and pummelled the Australian A side, both sides scored two tries a piece. The difference in the end was the boot of Mark Gerrard.
Japan meanwhile lead 12-6 at halftime against Tonga after they sustained heavy pressure in the first 20 minutes. Japan blew Tonga away in the second half scoring four tries in what was a convincing 35-13 victory.
Australia A and the New Zealand Maori’s remain the only two unbeaten teams after two rounds. Fiji and Japan both have one win and one loss and Samoa and Tonga are yet to register a winner.
Wallabies survive tenacious Irish
The Wallabies were too good for the Irish on the scoreboard but not on the field last night. The Irish delivered a stirring performance but the solid Wallabies defence and aome impatient moments from the Irish cost them the game.
Robbie Deans would have been relatively pleased with the first effort from the Wallabies under his leadership but would be hoping for more in the coming tests against France before the Tri-Nations. The Wallabies looked tired at the end but hung on with Ireland putting the Wallabies under extreme pressure in the final minutes.
Deans will be impressed with the performance of his forward pack who were steady against a solid predominately Munster pack. The workrate of the Wallabies was also good with a solid effort with George Smith as always putting in a first rate effort and playing a key part in the win with pilfered ball and key tackles. The commitment of the Wallabies at the breakdown was impressive in the first half but dropped off in the second half as Ireland gave it everything. Fatigue likely played a major part in this but this will improve with match fitness.
The Wallabies backline looked classy, the speed of Peter Hynes was put to good use with an expansive game. Luke Burgess had a solid if unspectacular debut but suffered late in the game when the Wallabies went missing at the breakdown, consistently the Irish outnumbered the Wallabies in the last 20 minutes and George Smith did not have enough teammates and lost the contest and Burgess was consistenly overrun after having to go into the breakdown to retrive the ball. The late addition of the bulldog like Waugh gave the Wallabies a boost in the final minutes as the fresh legs helped them hold onto the victory.
Giteau and Burgess looked good together and look like forming a strong combination in the backline. Berrick Barnes was sensational and is likely to be a permanent fixture at the inside centre position. Lote Tuqiri took what limited chances he had and looked impressive, Stirling Mortlock was solid in defence but had few moments in attack. Cameron Shephard did well at full back and covered an intercept by the Irish just long enough to stop the Irish scoring a try.
While it was not a bad performance it’s a step in the right direction and it was good that the Irish gave it their all as it is a wakeup call for the Wallabies that having the master coach Robbie Deans is not going to win them the game, they have to work for it. The Wallabies now have two weeks till the French game and will improve even more in that two weeks as patterns and combinations start forming.
Do you have an opinion on the Wallabies performance? Who was best on ground, leave your comments below.
South Africa 37 Wales 21
South Africa will be pleased with the win over Wales but were not as convincing as their last encounter. South Africa were able to scramble their way to victory but were unconvincing in stages against a more spirited Welsh side.
South Africa struck with two early tries to De Villiers and Januarie which gave them a 14-3 after 17 minutes when the Welsh staged a comeback. A crafty try from a lineout on the Springbok quarter line led to a good try off a well worked move to Gareth Cooper. The Welsh struck again with a sensational try to Shane Williams the Welsh genius who picked up a ball near half way and bolted for the line evading Luke Watson and the cover defense to score. It was a sensational individual try that gave the Welsh a 15-14 lead near half time. Butch James struck back close to half time with a penalty goal to give South Africa a 17-15 lead.
The second half traded penalties with the Welsh leading 21-20 until the Springboks started to get their act together as the Welsh could not sustain the momentum. The Springboks took the lead back through a Butch James penalty and then a try to De Villiers under the posts setup a 9 point lead. The victory was clinched with a try on the siren to Bismarck De Plessis.
The South Africans will be happy with the win but will need to lift for what is shaping as a classic Tri Nations series.
South Africa 37
Tries: Jean De Villiers 2, Enrico Januarie, Bismarck du Plessis
Goals: Butch James 3 penalties, 4 conversions
Wales 21
Tries: Gareth Cooper, Shane Williams
Goals: Stephen Jones 3 penalties, 1 conversion
Australia 18 Ireland 12
The Australian Wallabies will be happy to have scored a win tonight after Ireland were clearly the better team but the defensive effort of the Wallabies saved the day. George Smith was everywhere and pilfered some key balls at the breakdown and made some key tackles, Berrick Barnes also had a strong game and was seen all over the park. Ireland will consider themselves unlucky not to win having plenty of chances and ample possession but it was the key final pass and some scrambling defence by the Wallabies that saved them the game. Never was this effort more obvious than the final minutes of the game when the Irish had nearly 20 phases and the Wallabies held on through some fantastic scrambling defence.
Ireland started strongly dominating early possession and using the full width of the field as they played with nothing to lose. The Irish attack pushed the Wallabies hard early on but were unable to score the first points that went to Australia after some expansive play where they finally scored a try to Berrick Barnes after a strong run from Lote Tuqiri. The try was setup by quick ball from Luke Burgess at the ruck and excellent support play.
Ireland did not take long to strike back with a pushover try to Denis Leamy after a strong lineout win metres from the Wallabies try line. The try was converted and Irish led 7-5. The Wallabies soon took the lead once again with good support play and a great pass from Giteau to Horwill who scored next to the posts. The try was successfully converted and the Wallabies, led 12-7. This was extended when Giteau kicked a penalty goal leading up to half time. The Wallabies led 15-7 at the break.
The second half started strongly for the Wallabies with a penalty to Giteau after 4 minutes of second half. The pressure soon turned on the Wallabies when Ireland had again the run of the play. Ireland will rue two chances on the 52nd and 55th minutes when a forward pass was pushed by Ireland with an open line ahead and an intercepted cross field kick by O’Driscoll on the half way line was somehow saved by Cameron Shephard after another botched pass from O’Driscoll. Shephard was trapped his tryline with no support and two Irish players but somehow the Wallabies came to cleanup and a certain try was left begging despite questionable efforts by Shephard to release the ball. The referee called in the Wallabies favour and awarded a scrum to the Irish as opposed to a penalty try which Ireland perhaps deserved. The scrum was defused by the Wallabies and once again they got off the hook.
Ireland were not to be denied and scored a sensational try that stretched 80 metres in the 63rd minute. A fantastic pass from O’Gara unleashed Tommy Bowe down the sideline in a 40 metre run and a fantastic final pass with cover coming across from Tuqiri to O’Driscoll for a sensational try. The conversion was missed but the Irish team visably lifted and with only 15 minuutes left in their season they went all out for victory. The aggression of the Irish at the breakdown lifted and the Wallaby forwards appeared to go missing late in the game at the breakdown which allowed the Irish to pin Burgess at key times causing vital turnovers. The Wallabies made some key late substitutions with the addition of Phil Waugh and Dean Mumm who both were involved in some key defence in the final minutes.
The Wallabies were successful in the end but it was not the convincing win many thought they were capable of and in the end it was the Irish who were the better team but they could not pull a victory out of the bag. It is obvious that the Wallabies will need more time under Robbie Deans before a noticeable difference will be seen.
Wallabies 18
Tries: Berrick Barnes, James Horwill
Goals: Matt Giteau 1 conversion, 2 penalties
Ireland 12
Tries: Denis Leamy, Brian O’Driscoll
Goals: Ronan O’Gara 1 conversion
New Zealand 37 England 20
New Zealand were too good tonight against a spirited but out-classed English side that could not match the All Blacks at key stages of the game.
Topsy Ojo played well on debut for England scoring two tries, one of a kick from scrum half Danny Care. New Zealand were too good across the park and led 23-13 at half time after a solid first half. The All Blacks quickly gave themselves some distance in the second half with two converted tries before England ended the scoring for the game with a try to Ojo.
Dan Carter once again had a solid match with a try, 3 penalties and converting all 4 tries. England will hope to be more competitive in the next test against the All Blacks but were a little flattered by the score as the All Blacks took their foot of the peddle at times.
New Zealand 37
Tries: Conrad Smith, Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu
Goals: Carter 3 penalties, 4 conversions
England 20
Tries: Topsy Ojo 2
Goals: Olly Barkley 2 penalties, 2 conversions
Argentina vs Scotland Profile
Argentina will be keen to make it two out of two against Scotland on Saturday in Buenos Aires. The Argentinians are showing they were no one World Cup wonders and on the strength of their performance in the first test they are likely to improve further.
Argentina now believe in themselves, whereas once they were a tough and uncompromising side up front but weak with scoring options on the backs they now have an impressive forward pack and equally impressive backline. Argentina should be too strong for a Scotland team that is still looking to get back on track. Scotland need to have a game breaker or two and this is lacking in their game, they have a solid team but no player is remarkable or a world beater at this stage. But the signs for the future of Scottish rugby are improving and this series in an important next step after the 2008 Six Nations. Argentina by 12.
Argentina: Bernardo Stortoni, Lucas Borges, Gonzalo Tiesi, Felipe Contepomi, Horacio Agulla, Federico Todeschini, Nicolas Vergallo, Manuel Leguizamon, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Martin Durand, Esteban Lozada, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino, Alvaro Tejeda, Marcos Ayerza.
Reserves: Pablo Gambarini, Juan Gomez, James Stuart, Alvaro Galindo, Alfredo Lalanne, Federico Aramburu, Federico Serra.
Scotland: Hugo Southwell, Chris Paterson, Ben Cairns, Graeme Morrison, Simon Webster, Phil Godman, Mike Blair, Allister Hogg, John Barclay, Alasdair Strokosch, Scott MacLeod, Matt Mustchin, Euan Murray, Ross Ford, Allan Jacobsen.
Reserves: Dougie Hall, Alasdair Dickinson, Alastair Kellock, Kelly Brown, Rory Lawson, Dan Parks, Nick De Luca.