Kiwis Much Improved in Loss to Kangaroos

Kiwis Much Improved in Loss to Kangaroos

Warrington , England , October 28, 2011 – The Kiwis were left empty-handed but put together a vastly-improved performance in their 12-26 loss to Australia in Friday night’s opening match of the 2011 Gillette Four Nations.

As has become an unwanted trend, the Stephen Kearney -coached New Zealand side coughed up a 0-16 lead at halftime before constructing another comeback.

Twice they scored in the space of eight minutes to cut the Kangaroos’ lead to just four points at 12-16.

They didn’t want for more opportunities either as they transformed the clash into another compelling one between the Trans-Tasman foes.

The most notable was produced by winger Jason Nightingale, his dazzling display of skill coming within a centimeter or two of engineering another try.

Chasing down a grubber which seemed destined to go dead, the Kiwi acrobatically flicked the ball back in-goal, fullback Kevin Locke pouncing for what the Kiwis thought was a stunning try. Video replays, though, showed Nightingale touched the dead ball line as he was in the process of keeping the ball in play.

If the Australians were precariously placed they still had the means to repel the Kiwis and eventually score two more tries of their own to win 26-12.

The Kiwis had gone a long way to moving on from their poor exhibition in losing 6-42 to Newcastle on October 16 but Kearney was still far from satisfied.

“We’re disappointed because we gave ourselves opportunities in the second half but didn’t make the most of them,” he said.

“I thought the guys were a lot better in the second half but it was still frustrating for us in the first half.

“In saying that, the positives were that this performance was better than our last one against Australia in Newcastle .”

Captain Benji Marshall’s reaction wasn’t dissimilar.
“I was really proud of the performance from what is a very young side,” he said.

“The fight back shows the character of this side but we still didn’t execute well enough.”

The fight back had been required after the Kiwis leaked a try to Australian prop Matt Scott in just the second minute of the match followed by one for Tony Williams in the 30th minute and Johnathan Thurston seven minutes later.

Not that the Kiwis were without hope in the first half. They wanted only for some finish on a couple of raids which would have had them right back in it.

For much of the second spell, the Kiwis delivered the kind of quality Kearney had demanded from the outset. The rewards came first with a try to the impressive Nightingale when he swooped on the loose ball when the Kangaroos failed to defuse a Kieran Foran bomb.

And eight minutes later the Kiwis had the try of the night after some thrilling ball movement on the last tackle. Simon Mannering kept the ball alive before Gerard Beale and Nightingale were both involved in creating a first Test try for winger Kalifa Faifai Loa in only his second Test.

The momentum had swung decisively the Kiwis’ way but they weren’t able to make the most of it, Australia eventually hitting back with a Darius Boyd try in the 65th minute and then one for Akuila Uate five minutes short of fulltime.

The Kiwis’ four props were all in strong form, Ben Matulino outstanding after missing the Newcastle Test. He made 32 tackles and carried the ball 16 times for 114 metres. Jeremy Smith (41) and Mannering (37) were the Kiwis’ busiest defenders while Australian hooker Cameron Smith made 55 tackles.

The Kiwis came through the match without any injury issues and the knowledge suspended props Adam Blair and Russell Packer will both be available for their second Four Nations match against Wales at Wembley Stadium in London next Saturday. The Welsh start their campaign against England in Leigh today (Saturday).

The Kiwis will spend Saturday in Liverpool before travelling to London on Sunday.
Match details:

At Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington
Kiwis 12 (Jason Nightingale, Kalifa Faifai Loa tries; Benji Marshall 2 conversions)
Kangaroos 26 (Matt Scott, Tony Williams, Johnathan Thurston, Darius Boyd, Akuila Uate tries; Johnathan Thurston 3 conversions).
Halftime: 16-0 Kangaroos.
Referee: Phil Bentham ( England ).
Crowd: 12,491.

Kiwis: Kevin Locke; Kalifa Faifai Loa, Lewis Brown, Gerard Beale, Jason Nightingale; Benji Marshall (c), Kieran Foran; Ben Matulino, Issac Luke, Sam McKendry; Sika Manu, Simon Mannering; Jeremy Smith. Interchange: Thomas Leuluai, Fuifui Moimoi, Alex Glenn, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.

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