League: Second-half burst carries Australia through

New Zealand's Nigel Vagana crosses the line. Picture / Brett Phibbs

An early second-half burst tonight helped to carry Australia to a heartstopping 28-26 victory over New Zealand in Auckland in their Tri-Nations rugby league test.

The Kangaroos, beaten in Sydney last weekend by the same opponents in the tournament opener, set up their win shortly after the interval with three tries in five minutes.

The New Zealanders had suffered a similar mid-match lapse at Telstra Stadium, but this time they were unable to come back, although they went close.

For Australia, Darren Lockyer and Matt Cooper scored two tries each, while young New Zealand winger Jake Webster also managed a brace in a match played in wet weather at Ericsson Stadium.

After a tight, mistake-free opening by both sides, Australia struck first through skipper Lockyer after 12 minutes.

An Andrew Johns' bomb went uncontested by the Kiwis, allowing Kangaroo centre Matt Cooper to regain the ball, which was worked to Lockyer out wide.

But New Zealand hit straight back when the Australians let Motu Tony's big kick-off go dead.

From the ensuing possession, Stacey Jones switched the attack to the blind side, where his overhead pass found winger Webster, who crossed in the corner for his first test try.

New Zealand was showing some aggressive defence, twice forcing the ball carrier back over the goalline for line drop outs.

With 13 minutes to go before the interval, they hit the front after a strong run by interchange forward Iafeta Palea'aesina in his test debut.

The ball was moved wide to five-eighth Nigel Vagana, who somehow got the ball down in the corner under heavy attention and with most of his body in midair over the touchline.

The try was Vagana's 17th in a test, equalling Sean Hoppe's New Zealand record.

Jones missed the conversion, but landed a penalty to take the Kiwis out to 10-4.

Australia cut the deficit when Kiwis winger Manu Vatuvei failed to hold a bomb and from a backline move Cooper went over in the corner.

But on the stroke of halftime, the home crowd erupted again.

A Kiwis move broke down deep in their own half, but fullback Brent Webb swooped on the loose ball, and great support play by Vagana ended in hooker Motu Tony going over under the posts.

Jones' conversion took the home side out to 16-8 at the break.

However, the match swung sharply Australia's way early in the second half, as the Kiwis defence dropped off.

Firstly, centre Mark Gasnier showed scorching speed to outsprint the cover down the right sideline to score.

Then Lockyer ran through a hole near the ruck area to dot down under the crossbar for his second try, before Cooper completed his brace out wide.

Fitzgibbon added two conversions to pull Australia out to a 24-16 lead.

Webster's second try 15 minutes from the end closed the gap to four points.

But an offload by Kangaroo loose forward Ben Kennedy sent fullback Anthony Minichiello on a long run to the goalline.

With the clock winding down, Kiwis interchange forward David Faiumu went over from a quick tap penalty by the posts, and Jones' third goal set up a grandstand finish, with Australia holding out.

Kiwi coach Brian McClennan said there was disappointment in the New Zealand dressing room at the narrow defeat but his players would bounce back.

He said the reason the Kangaroos were able to turn the contest around just after the interval was because New Zealand could not control the ruck area.

"We lost it in the ruck a little bit and they got away from us," he said.

"But one thing we're all proud of in the Kiwi camp is the way we ralled and came back."

Vagana said allowing the opposition to score in quick succession in the middle patch of a test was something the Kiwis would have to address in England.

"They did that to us last week and it's an area of the game we're going to have to improve on."

Vagana said he wasn't aware he had equalled Hoppe's try-scoring record, but added that the defeat had taken some of the gloss off the achievement for him.

Australian coach Wayne Bennett said the transTasman rivals had produced "two of the best games you will ever see" over the past two weekends.

"If you watched the first half tonight, New Zealand were absolutely superb, they couldn't have played any better," he said.

"They had one error and we had zero and the intensity was as good as I've seen for a long time, from State of Origin right across the National Rugby League competition."

- NZPA