Australian Schools made a storming comeback in the second half of their test match against NZ Schools, but although they scored 21 points in ten minutes to come within three points with eleven minutes to go, the young Kiwis steadied and finished better.
First half
Just before the start there was hail coming down and the Aussies looked like strangers in a strange land in the conditions.
New Zealand had a breeze at their backs and 10 Ereatara Enari and 15 Jordan Trainor kicked the ball to where the Aussies weren’t, including bouncing long kicks out when they had to.
The Aussies negotiated each catch and pass of the wet ball as though they were handling grenades and each completed pass was a victory. They were barely moving forward with the ball and had no hope of breaching the NZ tackle line.
Although the lads in black dropped too much pill from kicks and passes, they occupied the gold half with ease.
They bullied the Aussies in their scrums which looked more like mauls and almost as high. Blind Freddie could see that NZ had the vectors right and had the force flowing through, and the Aussies looked like people rushing through the store door in in the after-Christmas sales. 8. Harley Fox did a good job picking up scrappy ball from the back of the Aussie scrum the whole game.
The Aussie kicking was poor also, but at least the Aussie lineouts were better than in the last game; and the Kiwis, with the dropsies, weren’t scoring.
But after Oz repelled a dangerous attack near their line and Aussie 9. Harrison Goddard missed a long penalty goal attempt, NZ got a scrum near half way and put on one of their several clever set-piece moves.
Trainor kicked the ball through for 11 Malo Tuitama to chase down the short side and the Kiwis walked over defenders in the ruck for 9 Sam Nock to score in the corner. Trainor added the extras from touch and NZ led 7-0 at 18 minutes.
After another unsuccessful penalty attempt by Goddard, NZ put on a cracking set piece scrum move which had and unders’ runner passing into the gap and the blindside winger coming through to catch the ball. The other winger, 14 Jonah Lowe, got the try and Trainor converted from the other touchline for NZ to lead eight minutes before the break.
New Zealand weren’t playing brilliant footie except in set piece bursts, but the Aussies seemed incapable of getting in the right real estate and then being able to exert pressure.
Trainor kicked a penalty goal and the half-time score was NZ Schools 17 – Australian Schools 0.
Second half
The signs were good for the Aussies after half-time with Goddard slotting a goal and the Kiwis kicking the restart out on the full. Australia got into the NZ 22 but the Kiwis worked back up the field and when a key tackle was missed in the Aussie 22 others had to cover. This left room near the breakdown for Nock to score his second try.
The conversion was easy for Trainor and NZ increased its lead to 24-3 seven minutes after the break.
The Aussies should have been down and out but instead they started a commanding period as though they were playing in a parallel universe and had received all the coaching that the Kiwis had from a young age, and they had theirs.
Maybe it was because the sun was out shining at their darkest time, but whatever: their confidence rose. After three runners had taken the ball up following a lineout, 10 Connor O’Shea, the fourth, popped the ball up to 13 Izaia Perese, who beat five tacklers and scored in the tackle of the sixth. Goddard had an easy conversion and NZ lead 24-10 with 20 minutes left.
Trainor kicked a penalty for NZ but it didn’t spoil the Aussie vibe because near halfway 10 Connor O’Shea grubbered the ball into space, and after some pin-balling several Aussies took the ball up as the Kiwis were on their heels. With the ball in the NZ 22 and a defender looking elsewhere, 7 Connor Moroney hared off and managed to squeeze the ball down on the line for a try.
The easy conversion had the scoreboard reading 27-17 to NZ. It was game on !!
But wait—there’s more. The Aussies launched a series of pick and goes and when they got to the NZ 22 O’Shea kicked through for Perese, but Moroney controlled the difficult ball for reserve prop Gavin Luka to pick up and rumble forward to score near the posts.
The score was 27-24 after the conversion—the Aussies had scored 21 points in ten minutes and there were eleven minutes left.
But the mojo of the Aussies had left them, and they couldn’t get back into the NZ half because of pressure from a desperate home team.
It was the Kiwis who were in the right area and when they set a five-metre scrum they fooled an Aussie defender into double coverage and the excellent 12 Sio Tomkinson scored between the posts.
Final score: NZ Schools 34 – Australian Schools 24.
The teams
New Zealand
They were dominant in the scrums, generating three tries from them, They took a tighthead and spoiled delivery from the Aussies’ scrums. Outside of the Australia Happy Hour period they had the edge at the breakdown also.
The wetter it was in the first half the more superior their kicking was compared to that of the Aussies.
They played the territory game better in the first half, when it mattered more. They lost the knack of it when the Aussies came back but when the game was in the balance with ten minutes to go the Kiwis made sure the ball was in the Aussie half until it didn’t matter.
They showed class in the backs more often than the Aussies did, but having more good ball helped.
Australia
They had a poor start to the game in wet conditions and couldn’t get into the NZ half of the field with the ball. On the odd occasion they did, they had no continuity and were easy pickings.
They were a different team when they scored three tries in eleven minutes with shadows on the ground but they had given the home team too much of a lead.
The players
New Zealand
3. Jordan Trainor (15) – Their most influential player. The game was won in the first half and several of his low long kicks had the Aussies turning around. He made a long chase-it kick for his winger, which led to the first try of the game, and slotted two conversions from touch.
2. Sam Nock (9) – Scored two tries around the ruck by keen anticipation of where a gap would be.
1. Rieko Ioane (13) – Always dangerous—and was also the rock and facilitator in the midfield.
Honourable mention to the New Zealand front rowers.
Australia
3. Connor Moroney * (7) – Had a quiet first half like most of his team mates but had a marvelous second half scoring one try in a sizzling individual effort, and setting up another.
2. Ed Craig (2) – Decent lineout throwing and acted well as fourth loose forward.
1. Izaia Perese (13) – Sparked the whole team with his stepping try and had to be watched every time thereafter.
Honourable mentions to: 15 Jordan Fulivai and 10 Connor O’Shea
[* Moroney got the Bronze Boot award for his team from the opposing coaches. NZ’s Sio Tomkinson (12) got the award from the Aussie coaches, but I rated other Kiwis higher.]
The Wrap-up
New Zealand deserved to win but I think their minders would agree that they are not one of the better Kiwi sides of the last ten years: teams that would put the foot on the throat and not allow a recovery.
Australia may have lost, but their comeback was full of merit and it must have given the boys some rugby self-respect that they can take forward.
The Scoring
New Zealand Schools 34 (S. Nock 2, J. Lowe, S. Tomkinson tries; J. Trainor 4 cons, 2 pens) def. Australian Schools 24 (I. Perese, C. Moroney, G. Luka tries; H. Goddard 3 cons, pen)
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