In today’s special we’ve got the Wallabies squeaking past the Babas, Brisbane City stunning the Western Force Perth Spirit, the All Blacks conscious of a rising England and the Darkness overwhelming the USA Eagles at Soldier Field.
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Wallabies Get Past Barbarians, Barely
In what was a stunning debut for rising star Sean McMahon, the Wallabies squeaked past the Barbarians at Twickenham on the weekend with a final score of 40-36. Paced by the consistently excellent form of Tevita Kuridrani and the explosion of Sean McMahon onto the test stage the Wallabies were able to close out a very entertaining match featuring 11 combined tries by both sides. The Wallabies seemed to sputter out at times and this was reflected in the commentary of new head coach Michael Cheika, “I though there were some really good patches and at other times guys looked a bit uncertain”. The Wallabies will be looking to move on from the match and place their focus upon keeping Wales under their heel, with the last Welsh victory occurring in 2008.[/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
Brisbane City Takes the NRC in a Shock Victory
Brisbane City managed to wrestle the inaugural NRC title from the grasp of the Perth Spirit at Ballymore in front of a crowd of just shy of 8,000 on Friday evening. A showcase match for the competition, the lead would change twice in the opening half of the match with City going into the sheds up 24-21. A herculean defensive display from City in the second half would allow them to pull away and claim victory – preventing the Spirit from scoring a single point in the half until Davis Tavita dotted down after the final hooter. Boosted by a pair of tries to prop Petowa Paraka, City would seal the match with an absolutely dazzling run and even more spectacular finish by replacement winger Junior Laloifi and a final score line of 37-26. The strength of the City set piece throughout the match stood as a testament to the proficiency of Nick Stiles, who was humble in victory “It doesn’t always happen as a coach, but we had good dominance”. [/one_half] [one_half last=”no”]
All Blacks Blow USA Away in Chicago
In a match whose conclusion was all but foregone from the start, the All Blacks were able to put 74 and 12 tries points on the Eagles at Soldier Field to a final score line of 74-6. The match announced the reunion of the black jersey with Sonny Bill Williams, who would dot down for a pair of tries before allegedly corking a muscle in his hip. Hooker Nathan Harris and veteran wing Cory Jane will both likely leave the tour with injury. The Eagles would start the match strongly and show great enterprise in attack before injuries to Danny Barrett and Brett Thompson along with an inability to match the pace of the All Blacks would lead to the floodgates opening. Eagles Head Coach Mike Tolkin would bemoan the mistakes made by his squad at various points in the match, “What we saw out there was ruthless efficiency. Every mistake they punished”. [/one_half] [one_half last=”yes”]
New Zealand Wary of Rising England
In the words of Jerome Kaino, “When I compare the England I first played and the one now – it is two totally different sides”. Coach Stuart Lancaster has steadily built England into a true contender for the upcoming World Cup and this was evident in their defeat of the All Blacks are Twickenham only a few years ago and how close they would push New Zealand during points in their three game series this June, despite not winning a single match. Players from both teams will be primed to put on a show with the English being mid-season and the All Blacks coming off of a few months of successful test campaigning. Opening your test season with an All Blacks test is a very stiff task, even at home. New Zealand expect to be greeted with a stiff challenge when they face off against England this weekend with both teams looking to display their dominance before the 2015 Rugby World Cup. [/one_half]
