Awesome Auckland crashes

Press, 1 May 1989, Page 44

Awesome Auckland crashes

PA Sydney The mighty Auckland rugby side crashed to its first defeat in 35 matches yesterday, going down 1116 to a New South Wales side whose scintillating play belied the muddy conditions at Sydney’s Concord Oval. It is the first time a Sydney or N.S.W. side has beaten New Zealand’s top provincial team since Sydney beat Auckland, 30-17, in a night game in 1981.

After a monsoon-like deluge in Sydney during the last week, large patches of Concord Oval were ankle-deep in mud but the N.S.W. backs ran relentlessly at Auckland in the first 40 minutes and were rewarded with a lead of 16-0 at the turnaround from four unconverted tries. The Blues confounded critics by finishing strongly, but not as strongly as the desperate Aucklanders who were camped in the N.S.W. 22 during the last 10 minutes of the match. Auckland remained

scoreless until the fortyninth minute when Grant Fox landed an easy penalty in front of the goal posts. Auckland then briefly looked like a side that could claw back and win the match, but the gutsy Blues had an answer for everything Auckland threw at them. N.S.W.’s forwards effectively muffled Auckland’s firepower in set play and rucks for most of the match and inspired attacking by the Blues’ backs made the Auckland backline look mediocre.

Had N.S.W.’s goalkickers managed to put the wet, slippery ball between the posts just once Auckland’s embarrassment would have been greater.

Auckland started the match with 108 points for and 33 against from its three South Pacific Championship matches, compared to N.S.W.’s tally of 80 to 50. The best Auckland can now salvage out of the championship is a draw with N.S.W. and to do that it has tb beat Fiji at Eden park next Sun-

day. Auckland was on defence' for much of the first half with N.S.W. peppering the fullback, Mathew Ridge, with high kicks. In the second half Auckland forwards found holes in the N.S.W. lineouts, but could not stop the Blues from winning the game lineout count, 25-18. Late in the game, Auckland’s powerful scrum sent the Blues’ pack reeling back metres virtually at every put-in.

It was Auckland’s forward dominance late in the match which yielded tries to lock Gary Whetton and the halfback, Brett Iti. Whetton crossed after crashing through the N.S.W. side of the lineout eight metres from the line and Iti pounced on the ball after the Auckland scrum pushed the N.S.W. pack almost to its line.

Despite missing training all week because of a groin injury, the N.S.W. halfback and captain, Nick Farr-Jones, directed play superbly and fired

out long accurate passes to his eager backs.

Farr-Jones featured in N.S.W.’s first try after 16 minutes, plucking the ball up after an Auckland clearing kick had been charged down and firing it out on the blind side to the five-eighths, Lloyd Walker, who scored near the corner.

In the nineteenth minute, the N.S.W. centre, Darren Junee, fly-kicked the ball ahead and the wing, Acura Niuqila, picked up the ball and passed it to his other wing, Dwayne Vignes, to score.

N.S.W.’s third try came from a chip kick from Walker which went over the Auckland wing, Terry Wright’s head and Niuqila beat Wright in the race for the line.

Scorers: New South Wales 16 (Lloyd Walker, Acura Niuqila, Darren Junee, Dwayne Vignes tries), beat Auckland 11 (Gary Whetton, Brett Iti tries, Grant Fox penalty).

• Wellington hit form yesterday with a vengeance when it produced

staggering reserves of spirit, dedication and skill to down Queensland, 3218, at Athletic Park.The South Pacific Championship rugby match threatened to be another huge downer for the home side following its humiliation by Auckland and two other losses in the series.

On top of that, the injury problems which decimated the side during the week made the rearranged team odds-on for another burying. The strong, cold wind and persistent rain seemed only to add to the Capital’s woes.

But in several remarkable passages of play, Wellington cleverly took the game to Queensland through its commitment and, when facing the wind and on level terms at 1818, it showed steely resolve.

Scorers: —Wellington 32 (J. Gallagher, J. Schuster, J. Meates, D. O’Brien tries'; Gallagher 4 penalties, 2 conversions, beat Queensland 18 (P. Carroza try; M. Lynagh conversions, 4 penalties). Half-time: 18-9.