Kangaroos triumph over Kiwis but at
what cost?

A hard bruising encounter at Loftus Road in London in heavy rain culminated with the Kangaroos running out easy victors over the Kiwis by 32-12.

In front of a packed stadium full of patriotic Australians and New Zealanders the Kangaroos soaked up the pressure put on them by the Kiwis in the first half, where the Kiwis held a 12-8, 3 tries to 1 lead, only to have man of the match, and Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer, score in the 43rd minute leading the way to 4 unanswered tries and the victory for the Kangaroos.

The game started off as anticipated by many with both sides hard on defence and attack.

A try early to the Kiwis by fullback Brent Webb, unconverted by the Kiwi Number 1 was answered 4 minutes later with Rooney crossing out wide for the Kangaroos.

The kicking boot of Fitzgibbon the difference as he netted two penalties to give the Australians an 8-4 lead which they held for the majority of the first half.

The inclusion of British based Kiwi Robbie Paul with 10 minutes remaining in the half added another dimension to the Kiwi attack and two tries soon followed with the Kiwi winger Vainikolo over the line out wide and Vinnie Anderson crossing the line as well just before the break.

With Webb still unable to convert the tries, the players headed to the changing sheds with the Kiwis in front by 12-8.

The Australians totally dominated the game from thereon in with excellent ball control in wet conditions, firstly with a try to Lockyer in the 43rd minute, and tries to Tonga in the 55th, Berrigan soon after in the 59th minute and Civoniceva scoring his first try in a Kangaroo jumper, in the 73rd minute.

The Kiwis totally guilty of soft turnovers early in the tackle count. Although dead on their feet, they tried hard for the full eighty minutes, unfortunate to lose possession and tries going begging.

The only downside for the Kangaroos was the loss of their skipper Lockyer midway through the second spell with a reoccurrence of his rib injury which kept him sidelined during the NRL season. Hopefully just a precautionary move at the beginning of the Tri-Series as the Kangaroos move on to Manchester next week to face the Great Britain side.

Scorers:

Kangaroos:

Tries - Rooney (8th min), Lockyer (43rd min), Tonga (55th min), Berrigan (59th min), Civoniceva (73rd min) Goals - Fitzgibbon 3, Lockyer 2, Berrigan 1

Kiwis:

Tries - Webb (3rd min), Vainikolo (31st min), V Anderson (37th min) Goals - Webb 0/3

Att: 16,725