League: Australia hold key to final prospects

By PETER JESSUP

The Kiwis' 22-12 defeat by Great Britain at Huddersfield yesterday means they must now rely on an Australian victory this weekend if they are to have a chance of making the final of the Tri-Nations series.

Their mental application has to be questioned after they let the Lions score three tries in eight minutes to turn around a 12-2 halftime lead.

The result means Australia, with five points, are guaranteed a place in the final, Great Britain have two points and two games to come, while the Kiwis, with one point, must hope Australia beat Britain this weekend and then win their last match against the Lions at Hull on November 21.

As against Australia in their last game, when they let in four second-half tries, the Kiwis could not score again themselves. They lacked incisive punch in the second half, throwing away territorial advantage with a poor kicking game and possession advantage with a series of errors.

Robbie Paul did not come on until the 54th minute and then only because halfback Thomas Leuluai had retired injured. Paul will play halfback against France and may hold the seven jersey for the next game against the Lions in a fortnight if Leuluai does not recover from the shoulder tear he suffered yesterday.

There were two moments of momentum change after halftime.

The first came in the 50th minute, when Leuluai made a great break, an opportunity the Kiwis needed after conceding two quick tries. With the fullback to beat and tacklers closing, he should have held the ball, but instead threw a hopeful pass that was taken by a retreating defender.

The second came three minutes later when Lions five-eighth Danny McGuire turned on a dance of individual brilliance to stupefy the big Kiwi forwards, then pushed wide, throwing a long looping pass to wing Stuart Reardon, who spun out of the tackle of Nigel Vagana to score.

With that try Great Britain took the lead and from there their defence won it.

The Kiwis missed only four tackles in the first half, Great Britain 17, as Ali Lauitiiti then Sonny Bill Williams scored near the posts. They were caned in the penalty count, enjoyed less ball but used it wisely.

In the second half, they fell into frustration and the game slipped away, with Paul Rauhihi and Williams called for infringements near the posts and the Lions kicking easy goals.

There were some hard calls from referee Tim Mander, especially in the area of raking the ball out in the tackle, where first fullback Brent Webb, then Williams and later captain Ruben Wiki were penalised for two-man strips.

Coach Daniel Anderson was ruing those and the subsequent change in momentum, but credited Great Britain with taking the opportunity to punish them. "They made the big plays better than we did."

He defended the late injection of Paul and his use as dummy-half.

"I thought we were going well in the first half with Louis [Anderson] - we were creating opportunities. Robbie is a dummy-half, he is not a halfback by trade - he hasn't played there once this year for his club."

Williams, the most damaging off-loader, and Rauhihi, the best prop, were rested for the middle period of the second spell. Anderson said he took them off because he figured they would need points at the back end of the game and he wanted some potent input from the bench.

But it wasn't to be, the Lions outstanding to hold out repeat sets of six and defuse bombs on their goal-line.

All in the squad bar Leuluai are available for the test against France on Thursday and Anderson said Lauitiiti and Rauhihi, who needed match-fitness, Wiki and others not too bruised would back up, along with all six players who did not play yesterday.

Other good performers at Huddersfield were Anderson with 33 tackles, Nathan Cayless, who was always damaging in carting the ball up, and Webb, who played with enthusiasm. Vagana made a big 21 tackles but he and the other centre Clinton Toopi, who had some good runs, both looked short of timing.

The lack of an accurate deep kicking game continues to haunt them, as does the inability to go the distance.