Junior Wallabies stun Baby Blacks with away win in Wellington
The Junior Wallabies have stunned the ‘Baby Blacks’ with a 34-26 win in Wellington in the first of two warm-up fixture between the two sides as discipline let the home side down.
A hat-trick to right wing Ronan Leahy powered the Australia U20s to victory, who led the entire way after scoring the first try despite New Zealand closing the gap on numerous occasions.
The visitors enjoyed a dominant set-piece over New Zealand, with the Aussie forward pack impressing at scrum time and at the breakdown.
The home side was hit with injuries losing tighthead prop Maliu Niuafe inside the first few minutes while fullback Payton Spencer was forced from the field midway through the first half.
Australia withstood an early wave of attack before getting a chance of their own down the other end. After a rolling maul and plenty of narrow carries, they earned another penalty from which they decided to scrum. A powerful shunt earned a penalty try to give Australia a 7-0 advantage.
New Zealand hit back from their own chance inside the five, when blindside flanker Malachi Wrampling-Alec dived over from close range after the maul had been stopped.
Junior Wallaby captain Teddy Wilson then came up with a big play, breaking open New Zealand at the ruck after selling a big dummy before linking up with inside centre David Vaihu out wide for the finish.
Down by 14-7, problems compounded for New Zealand when reserve prop Bradley Crichton was yellow carded for a high shot.
New Zealand Sevens rep and left wing Codemeru Vai had to be substituted in order to bring on another prop, Raymond Tuputupu.
Australia took advantage of Vai’s absence with a nice shape on the left edge that gave fullback Mason Gordon a three-on-one. The outside backs combined to put Leahy over for his first and take a 19-7 lead.
New Zealand was in need of a resurgence and a try right on half-time offered some hope for the home side, with reserve fullback Finn Hurley providing a cross-field kick for Isaac Hutchinson.
However the 19-14 deficit quickly became 26-14 when Australia struck with a clever switch play from the scrum from five out.
After the No 8 broke to the openside, scrumhalf Wilson scampered back and threaded a grubber in behind for Leahy to latch onto for his second.
New Zealand hit back from their own scrum play, when a link pass from their right wing found left wing Cody Vai unmarked to reduce the gap to 26-21.
A number of opportunities couldn’t be capitalised on by New Zealand to take the lead, with Australia’s defence holding firm.
Giant reserve lock Leafi Talataina then burst through New Zealand’s defence on the third phase of a launch play, setting up play deep inside their 22.
Quick hands the same way on the next phase put Leahy over his hat-trick and gave Australia a commanding 31-21 lead.
Otago pair Finn Hurley and Ajay Faleafaga combined to strike back once again, with Hurley showing some pace and elusiveness to glide across two Australian defenders before crashing over.
A Mason Gordon penalty goal restored the lead to eight points at 34-26 which was enough to secure a rare victory on New Zealand soil.
The two sides meet again on Saturday afternoon at Sky Stadium as the curtain raiser for the Hurricanes vs Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific clash.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments