Three-time defending champions New Zealand secure the first
semi final place at Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 after beating
Wales 41-8 to top Pool A, before Australia beat South Africa 62-0.
AUSTRALIA 62-0 SOUTH AFRICA
By Karen Bond
Sharni Williams scored with the last play of the match to
push Australia to within touching distance of a place in the
Women's Rugby World Cup 2010 semi finals following a 62-0
defeat of South Africa in the last Pool A match at Surrey Sports
Park.
The Wallaroos went into the match knowing the size of the
task in front of them, win by at least 56 points if they were to
overtake Canada, second in Pool C after losing to France, and put
themselves in pole position to be the best second placed team to
join New Zealand and France in the last four.
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Their intentions were clear from the outset with captain
Cheryl Soon at the heart of everything, the scrum half setting up
the opening try after only six minutes, taking the ball from Debby
Hodgkinson and jinking through the defence, tying in defenders
before sending Kristy Giteau over in the corner.
A superb touchline conversion from Nicole Beck made it 7-0
before the young wing kicked a penalty from in front of the posts
after a South African side, who picked up their first ever World
Cup win last time out, were penalised.
Australia looked odds on to score a second try just minutes
later, but prop Caroline Vakalahi seemed to lose the ball as she
stretched for the line. Things, though, turned worse for South
Africa when their hard-charging number 8 Namhla Siyolo was
sin-binned for a blatant slap at the ball.
The loss of Siyolo would prove very costly for South Africa
with 21 points scored while she was off the pitch as the
attack-minded Australians ran riot. Full back Tricia Brown began
the scoring spree within a minute, before the rampaging Hodgkinson
charged over the try-line.
Phumeza Gadu gave the Australians a reminder of the threat
she posed, stepping off both feet to break through the defence, but
with the South African lineout not functioning, the Wallaroos added
a fourth before half time through prop Lindsay Morgan to go in
leading 31-0.
With a point total in their minds, there was no danger of
Australia letting up and after only four minutes of the second half
the lead had grown, flanker Alex Hargreaves picking up and just
charging over the line as the space opened up before her.
Williams was another player catching the eye with her
charging runs through the midfield and the centre got her reward
with Australia's sixth try of the day after being sent under
the posts by Hodgkinson, the IRB Women's Personality of the
Year 2009.
Three minutes Australia moved to within a converted try of
Canada's tally - with just under half an hour to play still -
after Lindsay Morgan scored her second of the afternoon from close
range. That try came through replacement Cobie-Jane Morgan, but
Beck missed the conversion.
South Africa, to their credit, never gave up the fight and
battled hard to keep the Australians honest, but in reality they
spent most of the second half camped deep in their own half as the
Wallaroos sought that extra point to take any further calculations
out of the equation.
Australia, though, almost began to force it, losing the
free-flowing attacking that had been the hallmark of their play as
passes went astray and balls were dropped or lost in contact as
nerves began to take their toll with the '56 point' in
their minds.
The Wallaroos should not have had to worry anymore after
Cobie-Jane Morgan darted over the line, but rather than simply dot
the ball down, she tried to step inside the defender and lost the
ball to dismay of her teammates on and off the pitch.
A lengthy stoppage for a serious injury to a South African
player gave Australia a chance to regroup for what would be the
final play of the match, Williams making the break and throwing a
dummy to coast over the line.
POST MATCH REACTION
Australia coach John Manenti: "We certainly left a few points out there which in coach speak means I'm not happy but the effort from the girls and the lessons that we learned from our last game were significant in today's performance. Sharni was outstanding. She's been great all tour and I think she got paid today for months of hard work."
Australia captain Cheryl Soon: "I think we
performed well in patches. We just wanted to execute our game plan,
execute the simple things, get that right. We weren't actually
worrying about anyone else or how they were doing, it was all about
us. We spoke about that before we went into the game it's just
about executing what we want to do, that was our main focus and I
felt that was probably one of the best games we played even though
we did fall away a bit, we came back in the end."
Australia wing Nicole Beck: "All the girls
put in 100% through the whole game even right at the end. We
didn't look at the scoreboard we just played what was in front
of us and just tried to keep putting the points on."
Australia try scorer Sharni Williams: "I
really enjoyed it but it could have gone a couple of ways. If I
hadn't been positive in myself and backed myself it may not
have come off. I had a lot of support there as well, that's the
great thing about Aussie footy."
South Africa coach Denver Wannies: "We were beaten by a team that was much better than us on the day. They managed to monopolise possession, kept the ball away from us and you can't win without the ball.
"The inexperience we are having and the severe loss of our captain [Mandisa Williams]….showed that there was a bit of a lack of leadership. Bit of a problem with the inexperience we have. When we did lay our hands on the ball, we couldn't put it to good effect. We couldn't use it the way we wanted to use it, but on the day Australia were by far the better team."
South Africa captain Lorinda Brown: "It was tough out there, it wasn't our day but at least we have too more games to redeem ourselves and come back. We will keep our heads up high, we will correct all our mistakes. We will go tomorrow and Monday and make it right. The girls played with confidence, the defence was there and we played as a team."
NEW ZEALAND v WALES
The Black Ferns of New Zealand maintained their
hopes of a fourth successive Women's Rugby World Cup title with
an impressive 41-8 win against redoubled Wales in their final pool
match at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford.
Set the target of cancelling out England's strong lead in
points difference for a chance of entering the semi finals as top
seeds, New Zealand opted instead to field nine players who
didn't start against Australia.
In doing so, coach Brian Evans highlighted the full talent at
his disposal and ensured valuable match sharpness and competition
for places across the full breadth of his squad entering the
tournament's knock-out stages.
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Spurred on by the disappointments of opening losses against
Australia and South Africa, Wales were much-improved and matched
the kiwis up front for long periods of the match. They also
finished the first half in the ascendency to score their only try,
but over the full 80 minutes of the tie the Black Ferns were much
the better side.
Captain for the day Victoria Grant showed class and poise,
open side flanker Joan Sione put in a strong case for semi final
selection and both Rebecca Mahoney and Kelly Brazier gave mature
performances in changed positions at fly half and full back
respectively.
It was one of the six players retained by Evans who set the
Black Ferns on their way in the match, Brazier clearly enjoying the
greater attacking license at full back and showing good strength to
cross for their two opening tries.
Non Evans' penalty kept the Welsh in the match but
Mahoney's class soon told at pivot as her long mis-pass allowed
Grant to stretch her legs out wide and set her up for their third
try and a 17-3 lead.
Wales finished the half strongly and scored through wing
Caryl James to cut the deficit to just nine points at the break -
only the second try conceded by New Zealand in the tournament - but
they suffered from the inevitable backlash in the second half.
Player-of-the-match Brazier needed only five minutes after
the restart to claim a fine hat-trick and her score also opened the
floodgates as the brave Welsh defence flagged in the face of wave
after wave of unrelenting attack.
Centre Huriana Manuel's slick handling set up Grant out
wide and just two minutes later right wing Halie Hurring carved
through the midfield to touch down and cement an insurmountable
34-8 lead.
The Welsh rallied, denying the Black Ferns a further point
until the latter stages while offering glimpses of their own
attacking verve, but their most promising moments came up short
against a sea of black defenders as the New Zealanders'
superior physical conditioning came to the fore.
With eight minutes remaining the Black Ferns' 17th
consecutive World Cup win was rubber-stamped by a try for second
row Monalisa Codling, one of only two players to have featured in
all three of their title winning teams.
Only a brave punter would now bet against Codling winning a
fourth as the Black Ferns ready themselves for more World Cup
knock-out rugby at the Twickenham Stoop over the coming week.
POST MATCH REACTION
New Zealand coach Brian Evans: "There is a
heap to work on, it was pretty frustrating at times. There were
some great tries though so fair play to the ladies. I like it (the
hat-tricks) so long may it continue.
"Our try scoring ability is awesome, our players
certainly know their way to the try line. They strung some really
good movements together and I think for the ladies game it is good,
I hope the crowd enjoyed it."
New Zealand hat-trick scorer Kelly Brazier:
"The forwards do all the hard work up front and I am just on
the end to finish it off. We always knew they (Wales) would come
out firing - they had nothing to lose. For us it was just about
taking another step forward and going from there.
"We took each game as it came, and now we have ticked
those three off and now we can look forward to the semi and go from
there."
New Zealand captain Victoria Grant: "In the
first half the Welsh really took it to us, especially at the
breakdown. In the second half we played some really good running
rugby, but we've really got to work on our breakdown.
"We were just getting killed on penalties, especially in
that first half, and we really have to look at what we are doing
wrong. So we'll go back to the drawing board and break it down
on the video.
"Our goal is just to be in the semi finals, it
doesn't really matter who we play. I think we had quite a tough
pool, but I think the tougher games are better for us. Even if we
are seeded second or third it doesn't bother us at all."
Wales coach Jason Lewis: "No it doesn't
[do us justice]. The girls really dug in today, they were full of
self belief going out onto that field. We really believed that we
could really take them on and give them a good game and for large
parts of it we did. All credit to them, I mean the second half they
just came out that first 20 minutes, they upped a gear and put a
few tries on the board and there's not a lot you could do about
them.
"The tournament was over for us as soon as we had lost
those first two games. It was a matter of pride out their today and
I think the girls came off with full marks. Everybody gave 110% and
I'm very proud of them. We've got to win the next two games
now and we are up for that and we'll make that happen."
Wales wing Non Evans: "I don't think that
the score reflected the game. They scored some breakaway tries and
they're very dangerous when you kick the ball to them.
"I think that we can hold our heads high; looking back
at the way we played against Australia and South Africa, if we had
played like that I think we could have beaten both of them.
"It was [a close first half] and I think at half time
they had a talking to. They were in the lead but I thought that we
matched them. But the second half when they threw the ball wide
they had us on the rack every single time."
