Jonny Wilkinson gave Australia a painful reminder of his match-winning abilities by kicking England to a 21-20 turnaround victory in the second Test in Sydney yesterday.
A week after being completely outclassed by the Wallabies, England were superb in attack and defense to level the two-Test series.
Both teams scored two tries apiece, but England were far more committed and dominated in both the forwards and the backs.
PHOTO: EPA
Fittingly, it was replacement flyhalf Wilkinson who kicked the winning points, seven years after booting a drop-goal at the same ground to win the 2003 World Cup, but every English player can stand tall after defying the critics.
Newcomers Ben Youngs at scrumhalf and lock Courteney Lawes justified their selections, while the back three of Ben Foden, Mark Cueto and Chris Ashton looked dangerous every time they touched the ball.
■ALL BLACKS 42, WALES 9
REUTERS, DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND
Flyhalf Daniel Carter returned to his sparkling best by scoring 27 points in New Zealand’s 42-9 victory over Wales in an emotionally charged match at Carisbrook yesterday.
Carter scored two tries, one from 40m out, as he challenged and taunted defenders, while he slotted 17 points with his boot as he displayed the kind of form that appeared to desert him during the recent Super 14 season.
Keven Mealamu, Cory Jane and Richard Kahui also scored tries for the All Blacks, whose forwards were challenged in the first half, but played at a higher tempo and took advantage as their opponents wilted in the second half.
Wales flyhalf Stephen Jones slotted a drop-goal and a penalty, while Leigh Halfpenny converted a long-range penalty for the visitors, who have not beaten the All Blacks since 1953.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwan’s Lee Hao-yu on Friday went 0-for-3 in his MLB debut for the Detroit Tigers against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, becoming the 19th Taiwan-born player to reach the big leagues. The Tigers ultimately lost 1-0 in 10 innings, ending their six-game winning streak. The 23-year-old started at third base and batted eighth for Detroit. He was promoted from Triple-A Toledo ahead of the four-game series against the Red Sox at the latter’s home stadium, replacing injured utility player Zach McKinstry. “Being right-handed, and given our schedule, I think six of the next 12 games are going to
Matheus Cunha on Saturday fired Manchester United toward the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win at Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur remain in the relegation zone after twice blowing the lead to draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea failed to take advantage of a United defense ravaged by injury and suspension as a fourth straight league defeat for the Blues left their Champions League hopes in ruins. United have missed out on the riches of Europe’s elite competition for the past two seasons, but are closing in on a return thanks to an upturn in fortunes under interim manager
RSS