The Wallabies overpowered the Barbarians to launch their domestic rugby season in spectacular style with a 55-7 win in Sydney yesterday.
The Australians stormed into an early 20-0 lead before completing an eight tries-to-one victory for their seventh straight win over the international-studded invitational side, making their first appearance in Australia.
The Wallabies led 20-7 at halftime and maintained their dominance in the second period while keeping the fading Barbarians scoreless.
PHOTO: AP
Spiced with some intriguing matchups, the game lived up to its entertainment billing with some adventurous running rugby in front of almost 40,000 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Wallabies showed early promise this international season under coach Robbie Deans ahead of next week’s first of two Tests against Italy and France later in the month.
Wallabies skipper Stirling Mortlock won his personal duel with Toulon-based Kiwi Sonny Bill Williams at outside center, with the pair rattling each other with some thunderous hits.
Williams almost scored with his first touch of the ball but was thwarted by a great lifting tackle by the smaller Luke Burgess to save a try in only the third minute.
Williams had brushed aside Mortlock’s tackle in that surging run, but the Wallaby skipper nailed him when their paths next crossed minutes later.
The Wallabies dominated possession and surged to a 20-0 lead after three tries in the opening 23 minutes.
Lock James Horwill charged over off a clever pass from George Smith and winger Drew Mitchell first had a try disallowed before it was reversed by the video referee’s intervention.
Matt Giteau mesmerized the Barbarians’ defense with two dummies before sprinting over for the third try untouched.
The Baa-Baas finally got points on the board when English international winger Iain Balshaw finished off in the corner after All Black Luke McAlister had split the Wallaby defense right on halftime.
It was a breathless opening half with both teams committed to uninhibited attack.
The Wallabies lost debutant flanker Matt Hodgson (shoulder) and scrumhalf Burgess (hip) just after halftime.
Australia pulled away to lead 27-7 midway through the second half when hooker Stephen Moore backed up a break from replacement scrumhalf Josh Valentine to score a converted try.
Prop Ben Alexander scored just minutes after coming on as a replacement for the Wallabies’ fifth try and greeted it with an extravagant swan dive.
Mitchell completed his try double, followed by replacement flanker David Pocock, and the exciting 18-year-old back James O’Connor finished with aplomb for the Wallabies’ eighth try in the final minute.
The Barbarians, boasting a total of more than 700 Test caps, lost Wallaby forward Rocky Elsom with a knee twinge on the morning of the match, giving way to former teammate David Lyons, at No. 8.
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