Australia ended their six-match tour with a hard-fought 18-11 win over the Barbarians in the Olympic Centenary match at Wembley on Wednesday.
Victory was sealed two minutes from time by replacement Lachie Turner’s breakaway try after South Africa’s Francois Steyn, who missed two goalkicks, was turned over. The result meant Australia had won four of their six tour matches, also beating Italy, England and France, but losing to New Zealand, in Hong Kong, and Wales last weekend in Cardiff.
“The spectators got their money’s worth and to battle for the whole 80 minutes was a good step in the right direction,” said flanker George Smith, captaining Australia in the absence of injured skipper Stirling Mortlock.
PHOTO: AFP
Worryingly for Australia, props Matt Dunning, who exited on a stretcher with a snapped achilles, and Sekope Kepu (torn pectoral muscle) both went off early in the second-half after the Barbarians demolished a Wallaby scrum.
“Both of these are significant injuries. To have it happen in the last outing is not great, but they are resilient characters,” Australia coach Robbie Deans said.
Defeated Barbarians captain John Smit, who last year led the Springboks to World Cup glory, said: “It was an awesome experience, spending three days with players who are usually your opponents. That was as intense as any Test.”
This match was organized as part of the British Olympic Association’s celebrations of the centenary of the first Olympics in London, where the Games will return in four years’ time.
Australia took the Rugby Union gold medal in 1908 with a 32-3 victory over Great Britain, represented by the southwest English county of Cornwall.
The Barbarians, in honor of that match, all wore the socks of the Cornwall rugby team as they departed from their usual tradition of players wearing their club socks.
The Barbarians were 13-6 behind with just under 30 minutes left when they got back into the game with a superb try.
Australia outside-half Quade Cooper’s poor kick out of defense gave possession back to the Barbarians and Steyn, playing at outside-half, threw a long cut-out pass to Wales wing Shane Williams, the newly-crowned International Rugby Board player of the year.
Williams, on as a half-time replacement for Percy Montgomery, sprinted clear down the touchline.
And the flyer, who scored in Wales’s 21-18 over the Wallabies last weekend, then took several Australians out of the game with a well-timed pass inside to All Black flanker Jerry Collins, who went over for the try.
Steyn missed the conversion but Australia’s lead was now 13-11. Then, with eight minutes left, Steyn was off-target again, pushing a penalty wide of the posts when a successful kick would have put the Barbarians a point in front.
In the ninth minute, Springbok wing Bryan Habana, one of seven members of South Africa’s World Cup-winning side in the Barbarians’ starting XV, broke clear and chipped ahead.
But his kick was fielded near Australia’s line by Lote Tuqiri who, despite pressure from New Zealand captain Richie McCaw, grounded the ball for a 5m scrum.
Minutes later Tuqiri, making his first start since knee surgery after this year’s Tri-Nations, scored.
Australia wing Ryan Cross burst down the right touchline from deep in his own half and his clever cross-kick inside was gathered up by Tuqiri, who strolled in under the posts for a try.
Teenage full-back James O’Connor added the conversion on what was his first start for the Wallabies.
The 18-year-old soon stretched Australia’s lead to 13-0 with a couple of penalties.
The Barbarians, with South Africa lock Bakkies Botha a powerful presence, did start to gain ground. They were rewarded with two penalties from Montgomery, the Springboks’ record points scorer, and at half-time Australia’s lead had been cut to 13-6.
Habana and All Black wing Joe Rokocoko caught the Wallabies cold with a neat exchange of passes which took the Barbarians to within sight of the try-line.
Samoa prop Census Johnston and Botha both went close and referee Chris White called on the video referee. But no try was awarded and instead the Barbarians had a 5m scrum.
Off the back of that, former Wallaby prop Rodney Blake almost got over the line but again the replay couldn’t offer firm evidence of a try.
On the hour, former Australia captain George Gregan came off the Barbarians bench to face his compatriots, but there was no fairytale finish for the scrum-half.
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