Kangaroos close to unstoppable
November 3rd 2008 08:03
Australia were in a contest against England believe it or not, right up until a play by Petero Civoncieva (or error from Tony Archer) broke Pommie hearts bigtime.
Kangaroos prop Civoncieva provided the matchwinning play. His error when he played the football early in the first half was not detected by Archer, and from the ensuing play, Greg Inglis scored Australia’s second try of the night to effectively end any hope for the English, who were eventually thrashed by their opponents 52-4.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, that was the turning point in a match which England were expected to put on a show of sorts against the world champions.
Their performance against Papua New Guinea was thought to be a smokescreen compared to the confidence surrounding the English camp prior to their showdown against Australia.
That confidence however was obliterated early in the first half when the Kangaroos put on two quick tries to race out to a commanding 12 nil lead.
There was a period in the game though that England did show potential. When James Roby scored a suspicious try from dummy half, the Poms grew in confidence and this reflected in their forwards, led by former Sydney Rooster Adrian Morley.
Indeed they had chances to peg back the deficit on the scoreboard, but the lack of flair displayed by Leon Pryce condemned the English with disappointment.
That was their moment in the sunlight and they failed to bask. The Kangaroos themselves decided it was time to enjoy some time out in the open and they took it with both hands with a key try to Anthony Laffranchi putting the Aussies well clear at the break.
From there, English coach Tony Smith, let alone the rest of the tournament, could only sit back and watch as the Kangaroos flexed their backline muscle which yielded hat tricks to Storm sensations Billy Slater and Greg Inglis.
Inglis in particular has now scored eleven test tries in just over two years of international football. He is without doubt the best centre in the world and the Storm themselves should now be getting that message for next season.
Kangaroos captain Darren Lockyer seems to be getting better with age. His craft with the ball in hand close to the line speaks volumes about why he was the only present player to be named as one of rugby league’s 100 greatest ever players from the past century.
His partner in crime Scott Prince keeps delivering migraines for the Australian selectors. Despite the injury to Johnathon Thurston, Prince was a more than able replacement for his Cowboys counterpart, providing the Australian attack with skill and cohesion close to the line.
Despite Prince’s performance, he will be cast aside when Thurston is ready to return, emphasising the strength of this unbeatable Kangaroos line-up.
As for the English, Peter Sterling said England were his most feared opponent in terms of ruining Australia’s dominance at test level.
But when half a century gets scored against a nation who breathes pride and passion, Sterling can only hope this will inspire the English to better things, or indeed leave them a shambles, like so many other nations that have witnessed Australia’s wrath.
If Papua New Guinea get even close to the Australians, maybe this world cup is more than meets the eye, because so far, its everything its supposed to be - an Australian victory - again.
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