New Zealand 26 Australia 12: Henry looks to World Cup after dour victory
Monday, 23 July 2007
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New Zealand's hard-fought victory in Auckland on Saturday secured the TriNations title and retained the Bledisloe Cup. More surprisingly, the All Blacks' coach, Graham Henry, then dropped two high-profile players from the World Cup squad he named yesterday.
The scrum-half Piri Weepu and lock Troy Flavell will not travel to France, their places in a 29-strong party - the prop Greg Somerville has three weeks to regain full fitness before being named as the 30th man - going to Andy Ellis and Sione Lauaki, neither of whom featured in the Tri-Nations campaign.
Weepu and Flavell, along with Conrad Smith, Rico Gear, Ross Filipo and John Schwalger, were fined for breaking an unofficial team curfew in the run-up to the Australia game. Smith, a highly rated centre coming back from serious injury, is the only miscreant who has made the World Cup squad.
"We have been working towards the World Cup for years," said Henry, "and now it is our only focus. We are doing everything we can in terms of preparation."
Most of the squad will not play again before the Pool C opener against Italy in Marseilles on 8 September. Those thought to need more rugby, including Smith and the first-choice locks Chris Jack and Ali Williams, will play in the opening rounds of the provincial Air New Zealand Cup.
At Eden Park on Saturday the prop Tony Woodcock, with a close-range plunge, scored the only try of a game played in heavy rain. The All Blacks' fly-half, Dan Carter, kicked seven penalties from seven attempts, returning to form after some shaky displays. The Australia captain, Stirling Mortlock, kicked three penalties and his fellow centre Matt Giteau scored a long-range drop goal.
"I don't think the All Blacks have the edge at all," said John Connolly, who coached the Wallabies to a 20-15 victory in the first Bledisloe Cup match three weeks ago. "Most games swing on close decisions. We saw that in Melbourne and we saw it here. We played a fair bit of rugby in the first half [but] neither side looked like scoring a try and a lot of the game was played between the 22-metre areas. The All Blacks' pick-and-go game was very good, their clean-outs around the rucks were good and Carter got the team around the field very well."
New Zealand: Try Woodcock; Penalties Carter 7. Australia: Penalties Mortlock 3; Drop goal Giteau.
New Zealand: M Muliaina; D Howlett, I Toeava (N Evans, 76), L McAlister,
J Rokocoko; D Carter, B Kelleher (B Leonard,
47); T Woodcock, A Oliver (K Mealamu, 47), C Hayman, C Jack, K Robinson, J Collins, R McCaw (capt), R So'oialo.
Australia: A Ashley-Cooper; M Gerrard, S Mortlock (capt), M Giteau (S Staniforth, 76), D Mitchell (C Latham, 44); S Larkham, G Gregan; M Dunning, S Moore (A Freier, 72), G Shepherdson (A Baxter, 70), N Sharpe, D Vickerman (M Chisholm, 77), R Elsom (H McMeniman, 62), G Smith, S Hoiles (P Waugh, 62).
Referee: N Owens (Wales).
