Showing posts with label Julian Savea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Julian Savea. Show all posts

Saturday, 16 November 2013

All Blacks Maintain Record

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New Zealand avenged last year's defeat at Twickenham but were given a mighty fright by England before emerging from a titanic struggle with a 30-22 victory, their 13th in an unbeaten 2013.

England trailed 17-3 early in the game, battled back to lead 22-20 after a hour but succumbed to a ferocious finish from the All Blacks.

New Zealand went ahead early through tries from the outstanding Kieran Read and Julian Savea, but England kept in touch through a scrappy try from Joe Launchbury and the relentlessly accurate boot of Owen Farrell.

It was Farrell's sixth kick from six which edged England ahead briefly but Savea's second try and a conversion and penalty from Aaron Cruden - on as a replacement for the injured Dan Carter - kept New Zealand's unbeaten year intact.

Carter joined the ranks of rugby's Test centurions, but his afternoon lasted just 26 minutes until injury ended his involvement.

The fifth All Black to reach 100 caps contributed a penalty and two conversions before making way for Cruden.

England started brightly but the home fans were stunned into silence when their line was breached after just 105 seconds.

New Zealand broke down the left wing through Read and some naive defending saw the number eight suck in Chris Ashton, Tom Wood and Billy Vunipola.

Somehow Read slipped a pass out to the lurking Savea and the wing had the simplest of run-ins, with Carter converting.

A penalty from Farrell got England on the board and Ben Foden thought he had scored a try after intercepting and running two thirds of the pitch, but referee Craig Joubert had spotted offside. To rub salt into Foden's wound, Carter kicked the penalty.

By the 18th minute New Zealand had surged 17-3 ahead with their second try started when lock Brodie Retallick sent prop Owen Franks racing through a gap.

The ball was recycled quickly and fed right where Foden was outnumbered and Read easily loped over. Carter added the conversion.

Finally England exerted some pressure, declining a shot at goal and kicking for touch to enable their forwards to pound away at the All Blacks' line.

They appeared to have mauled their way over, but video referee Gareth Simmonds controversially refused to award the try.

The score arrived moments later, however, when the ball squirted out of a five-metre scrum, touched the boots of Chris Robshaw and Wood before falling to Launchbury who gathered it up and fell over the line.

Farrell converted and then exchanged penalties with Cruden, reducing the deficit to 20-13 and with the added benefit of Read being sent to the sin-bin for entering a breakdown from the side.

The pendulum had swung in the final 10 minutes of the first half, England's resurgence founded on their dominant pack and Joubert's willingness to penalise the All Blacks at the breakdown.

And the shift in power continued after the interval as England produced their best passage of play with their backs also involved, only for Ashton to kick the ball away.

The action was captivating as New Zealand counter-attacked, missed a penalty and then allowed increasingly influential Billy Twelvetrees to burst through their ranks.

When Ashton was illegally blocked by Wyatt Crockett as he chased his own kick, England won a penalty landed by Farrell.

Rattled New Zealand continued to be penalised at the breakdown when they conceded again, they slipped behind for the first time in the match as Farrell hit the target.

The lead lasted just four minutes, however, as the All Blacks produced a stunning response in the face of some tiring home defence.

Desperate scrambling defence kept New Zealand out in the left corner, but a brilliant offload from Ma'a Nonu gave Savea a sniff of the line and he pounced, with Cruden converting.

A penalty from Cruden put the All Blacks eight points ahead and finally England's resistance had been broken.


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Saturday, 7 September 2013

All Blacks Beat Pumas

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New Zealand extended their 100% start to the Rugby Championship with a hard-fought victory over a stubborn Argentina in rain-lashed Hamilton.

The Pumas took an early 7-0 lead with a converted Juan Manuel Leguizamon try.

But a Dan Carter penalty and two quick-fire tries from scrum-half Aaron Smith saw the All Blacks take a 15-10 half-time lead at Waikato Stadium.

Another Carter penalty and Julian Savea's try put the hosts 25-13 clear before Beauden Barrett's late penalty.

But the All Blacks, who equalled their own Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship record with a ninth straight victory in the annual southern hemisphere tournament, saw skipper Richie McCaw limp off with a knee injury on the hour.

Argentina also suffered a blow when Leicester-bound wing Gonzalo Camacho departed early in the second half with a dislocated shoulder.

The visitors had opened the scoring when debutant All Blacks centre Francis Saili knocked the ball on inside his own half and quick hands from the Pumas saw number eight Leguizamon cross, fly-half Nicolas Sanchez converting.

Carter's penalty in response saw Test rugby's record points-scorer become the first man to pass 1400.

He missed with two other shots in the atrocious conditions but when Pumas hooker Eusebio Guinazu was sent to the sin-bin after a series of penalties, the All Blacks pounced with a man advantage.

Smith grabbed his first try after the outstanding Kieran Read's offload out of a double tackle, then three minutes later fell on a kick ahead by Ben Smith after Carter had sparked a counter-attack.

A Sanchez penalty kept the Pumas in it at the interval.

But after the fly-half's exchange of penalties with Carter on the resumption, Read's charge-down of a Sanchez kick in the 54th minute allowed Carter, Saili and Conrad Smith to create the decisive try for Savea, his 14th in 14 Tests.

Carter converted with his last act of the game before his replacement, Barrett, put the outcome beyond doubt with five minutes left.

Saturday's second game sees Australia, who lost their opening two games home and away to New Zealand, host South Africa - who have beaten Argentina twice so far - in Brisbane.

New Zealand: Dagg, B Smith, C Smith, Saili, Savea, Carter, A Smith; Woodcock, Hore, Faumuina, Retallick, Whitelock, Luatua, McCaw, Read.

Replacements: Coles, Crockett, B Franks, Thrush, Cane, Kerr-Barlow, Barrett, Piutau.

Argentina: Hernandez, Camacho, Bosch, Fernandez, Agulla, Sanchez, Landajo, Ayerza, Guinazu, Figallo, Carizza, Farias Cabello, Fernandez Lobbe, Matera, Leguizamon.

Replacements: Creevy, Lobo, Orlandi, Galarza, Macome, Cubelli, Contepomi, Gonzalez Amorosino.

The Rugby Championship 2013

Saturday 18 August
Australia 29-47 New Zealand
South Africa 73-13 Argentina

Saturday 24 August
New Zealand 27-16 Australia
Argentina 17-22 South Africa

Saturday 7 September
New Zealand 28-13 Argentina
Australia v South Africa 

Saturday 14 September
New Zealand v South Africa
Australia v Argentina

Saturday 28 September
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand

Saturday 5 October
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia


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