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Home / Sport / League

League: Kiwis scrape home against French

12 Nov, 2004 03:19 AM4 mins to read

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7.10am - By ROBERT LOWE

CARCASSONNE, France - A late piece of Ali Lauitiiti footwork helped New Zealand to escape with a 24-20 win over a fired-up French side in a one-off rugby league test at Carcassonne today.

The Kiwis trailed 8-12 at the break and were down 18-20 with just three
minutes to go at Stade Albert Domec when Lauitiiti cut back inside the French defence to score under the posts.

France last beat New Zealand 24 years ago and were left ruing a real opportunity missed to end their barren run.

But they had the player of the match in former Featherstone five-eighth Maxime Greseque, who combined superbly with halfback and skipper Julien Rinaldi.

Greseque also grabbed a try, landed four goals from four attempts and produced two 40-20 kicks for good measure.

The Kiwis ended up scoring five tries to three, with centre Clinton Toopi getting a brace.

They were hampered by errors in the opening spell, but played tighter after the break to keep up their record of not having lost at Carcassonne in five visits here.

Coach Daniel Anderson admitted that the Kiwis might have underestimated the French early on, but described the second 40 minutes as a "brutal" contest.

"We played not lethargically, but a little casually -- we were a little impetuous and tried to throw miracle balls," he said of the first half.

"We stepped up in the second half and the French went toe-to-toe with us, and it became a really brutal game of rugby league."

The match was played in overcast and cool late autumn conditions on a French public holiday for Remembrance Day.

New Zealand, fielding four new caps, looked rusty during an opening spell in which they conceded two tries to errors deep in their own half.

After just six minutes, Toopi lost the ball just out from his line and Greseque pounced to kick on and score a try he converted himself.

Toopi made up for his error midway through the half after he grubbered ahead and dived on the ball in the in-goal.

The Kiwis hit the front shortly after, when Lauitiiti and Toopi combined to put winger Shontayne Hape over.

New cap Jamaal Lolesi, who missed both conversions from wide out, had a solid game in the unfamiliar position of fullback, but just before halftime failed to control another Greseque kick.

This time, it was winger Claude Sirvent's turn to pick up the scraps and dot down, and Greseque's conversion gave the French a surprise four-point lead at the interval.

Toopi's second try six minutes after the restart, converted by halfback Robbie Paul, edged the Kiwis 14-12 ahead.

Greseque tied the scores with a penalty, and then produced a crossfield bomb for winger Frederic Zitter's converted try and a 20-14 lead.

With 10 minutes to go, skipper Ruben Wiki, who had started on the bench, barged over to bring New Zealand back to within two points, but Paul's conversion attempt hit an upright.

The vocal French crowd were spurring their side on, but had their hopes of a famous victory dashed by Lauitiiti's late effort.

"We made it hard for ourselves and we only got home in the 77th minute," Anderson said.

"But we fly out of here with a win and another test match at least to play."

The Kiwis head back to England tomorrow and will meet Great Britain in the final round of pool play in the Tri-Nations at Hull on November 20.

France's Australian coach, Mike Aldous, was disappointed his players couldn't hang on, but said he took great pride of their performance.

"These are boys. They're a team of babes who we've put together in the last three days."

Aldous pointed out that Greseque, who returned to France to complete his studies despite Featherstone's interest in retaining him, was a fifth-year law student.

"You could see that intelligence coming out in his play."

New Zealand 24 (Clinton Toopi 2, Shontayne Hape, Ruben Wiki, Ali Lauitiiti tries; Robbie Paul 2 goals)

France 20 (Maxime Greseque, Claude Sirvent, Frederic Zitter tries; Greseque 4 goals)

Halftime: 8-12

- NZPA

Kiwis and Tri-Nations fixtures and results 2004

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