The All Blacks completed a fine day for New Zealand, following the soccer team’s World Cup qualification, with a grueling 20-6 win over Italy in front of a record rugby crowd at the San Siro on Saturday. In holding the mighty All Blacks to just one try and 20 points, Italy coach Nick Mallett felt it was a job well done.
“This was a fantastic occasion for Italian rugby and I’m proud that this team was the first to play in front of 80,000 people,” he said. “It was a wonderful response from the Italian people who were supportive and knowledgable. And the important thing for this team when the fans left they were proud and I think we did this today.”
For All Blacks coach Graham Henry it was another unspectacular performance, even if by a largely second-string side, following last week’s 19-12 defeat of Wales in Cardiff.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“It was a great experience for a lot of our young players, we had three new caps and a lot of others hadn’t played much Test match rugby so to be thrown into this cauldron was a great experience,” he said. “But the game didn’t live up to its billing.”
With 80,000 fans roaring them on, Italy made a frantic start and were ahead on four minutes after New Zealand collapsed a scrum and former Australian rugby league international Craig Gower knocked over the three points from straight in front of the posts.
The lead lasted only three minutes, though, before Salvatore Perugini was caught offside and Luke McAlister landed a similarly straight-forward kick.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Italy were suffering from ill-discipline in the early stages and after McAlister put a penalty wide from just inside the hosts’ half, he scored from straight in front of the posts on 13 minutes after Alessandro Zanni handled in a ruck.
Italy were enjoying great success in the scrum, though, and after the All Blacks were punished with a third penalty for collapsing, Gower missed his penalty from wide on the right.
They would soon pay for that miss as Corey Flynn went over in the corner for the only try of the game on 25 minutes.
The All Blacks spread the ball right from the back of a scrum on Italy’s 22 and then swung back to the left where prop Flynn was left one-on-one with diminutive winger Kaine Robertson, a Kiwi by birth, five yards out.
Robertson should have done better but he had neither the weight nor the strength necessary to bundle Flynn into touch.
McAlister landed another penalty before halftime to send the visitors into the break with a 14-3 lead.
Three minutes after the break he kicked another after Gonzalo Garcia was penalized, and sin-binned for a spear tackle in midfield.
Despite their depleted numbers Italy came their closest yet to a try as Gower’s reverse inside pass released Gonzalo Canale who was smother-tackled just a yard out.
Italy survived the sin bin period without taking another score and on 58 minutes New Zealand collapsed another scrum and Gower brought the score back to 6-17 with his second penalty from wide on the right.
However, McAlister soon landed another penalty after missing his second of the day when hitting the post from around the halfway line.
The game ended with a period of sustained Italy pressure on the New Zealand five-yard line.
But despite the All Blacks giving away a succession of penalties from scrums, Italy could not force their way over and referee Stuart Dickinson somewhat unfairly denied the hosts a clear penalty try which would have put the seal on this historic occasion.
■ENGLAND V ARGENTINA
REUTERS, LONDON
Victory seemed like defeat at Twickenham on Saturday as England fans digested another toothless display by Martin Johnson’s team.
A rare line break allowed winger Matt Banahan to score the only try of the match in the home team’s 16-9 win over Argentina.
But, after last week’s 18-9 defeat by Australia and ahead of Saturday’s clash with the All Blacks, the win could not disguise England’s deep-rooted problems.
Against the Wallabies and for most of the error-strewn game England barely crossed the opposition 22, let alone threaten the tryline. Their slide to an unprecedented low of eighth in the world rankings is a fair reflection of their form.
Last week Australia captain Rocky Elsom said his team had been comfortable in defense and Argentina coach Santiago Phelan echoed those thoughts on Saturday.
“We are disappointed to have lost, particularly because it was because of one mistake, but in another way we are satisfied,” he said.
Argentina, although ranked two places above England, were fielding a desperately inexperienced team, including a handful of amateurs and three debutants who got together only last week.
England, too, are suffering from an horrific injury situation. But, with their depth of playing talent and with their extensive preparation time, they should be producing more than has been on show in the last two games.
Manager Martin Johnson and his coaches have to shoulder much of the blame.
England’s tactics of kicking away possession, usually via an up-and-under, would not have been of the players’ making and against a team who showed themselves masters of that routine in the last World Cup it was questionable at least.
On current form, England are in line for a repeat of last November’s 32-6 thrashing at the hands of New Zealand.
That loss was part of a trio of heavy defeats at the hands of the Tri-Nations countries and, while Johnson’s standing as the 2003 World Cup-winning captain still earns him leniency, he will realize more than anyone that the clock is ticking, with the next World Cup only two years away.
■US V URUGUAY
REUTERS, MONTEVIDEO
Wing Kevin Swiryn scored two tries as the US beat Uruguay 27-22 in the first leg of their 2011 rugby World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
The Eagles, who have played at all the World Cups, ran in four tries, two in each half, and looked to be running away with the match when they led 27-6 with 15 minutes remaining.
However, a fine second half performance from Uruguay fullback Jeronimo Echeverry, who scored a try and 14 points from perfect goal kicking, gave the Teros hope for the return leg in the US on Saturday.
The winner of the two-legged playoff, which is decided on total points, will qualify for the 2011 rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
US scrumhalf Tim Usasz put the first points on the board after 15 minutes when he exploited gaps down the blind side behind a ruck to touch down.
Teros flyhalf Nicolas Morales replied with a penalty to make the score 5-3, but within seconds of the restart Swiryn stole the ball on the left and ran through several poor tackles to score.
US flyhalf Mike Hercus, who missed both first half conversions, slotted a penalty to give the Eagles a 13-3 lead at the interval before Swiryn extended the lead eight minutes into the second half with another break down the left for his second try, which Hercus converted.
With Uruguay prop Mario Sagario in the sin bin midway through the second half, centre Junior Sifa found a gap in the middle to dart through for another try that Hercus converted.
Echeverry began the Uruguay fight back with four well taken penalties before he picked up a well placed, left-footed, soccer style kick into his path on the left from scrumhalf Juan Campomar to score in the corner a minute into injury time.
“We have to correct our mistakes. We gave away all four tries,” Campomar told reporters.
Uruguay missed the last World Cup in France in 2007 after playing at the previous two.
■SCOTLAND V FIJI
AFP, EDINBURGH
New Scotland coach Andy Robinson had mixed emotions in the wake of his side’s 23-10 triumph over Fiji and he warned they will need to be “at least 15 percent better” to have any propsect of beating Australia next weekend.
Robinson picked out try scorer Johnnie Beattie for special mention, along with front row pair Moray Low and Ross Ford.
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