AUSSIE A VS NEW ZEALAND

Written Wednesday 07/10/2009

AUSTRALIA A SCHOOLBOYS VS NEW ZEALAND SCHOOLBOYS

Visited the Gold Coast and TSS on Monday, for the 2pm kick off of the Aussie A Schoolboys vs New Zealand Schoolboys. Nothing pleasant there for the Aussie side at all, getting smashed 47 to 7 by a big physical and fast side, obviously smarting from defeats by the Aussie sides of 2007 and 2008, 2008 on home soil in the land of the long white cloud.

The Kiwi side was awesome, and like being a fan of State High rugby at that particular level, I do enjoy watching New Zealand sides of any level, they play with a certain brand of ruthless violence that you have to see to appreciate.

The Aussie boys, except for probably only Matt Lucas, were a little stunned at the pace and physicality that the Kiwis played with, from where I sat anyway, never really entering the contest, and entering it meekly when they did.

I believe I only saw one dominant shot from the Aussies, and many from the Kiwis, one in particular by their 7 (look out for this guy) on our dancing 10, just smashed him, and from 40 metres away went off like a bomb, a cracking shot. I watched and photographed Waita Setu and Curtis Browning get smashed right in front of me in bone crunchers.

New Zealand probably bombed a half a dozen tries in the first half, I think they were shocked at times to look up and see 5 on zero, the score could have been anything.

A couple of times I noted our players doing nice little steppy dances in our own quarter, going nowhere, and getting wasted and coughing up possession for their trouble.

The New Zealand side was good, with plenty of improvement left in finishing off, the Aussie side, for the most part, just didn't show up.

There were times that the Aussie side were jamming 5 into breakdowns, and the Kiwis were winning it with two, no crocodile rolls or fancy stuff here guys, just hit, and shift, or hit, lift and shift, focus always on possession and on moving the advantage line forwards.

One has to hope there is a vast gap between the Aussie side and Aussie A side, this Kiwi side will be very hard to handle.

We were very impressed with their 10 in the first half, their 13, and thier 7 especially, looks like the openside factory in New Zealand goes on and on. All the Aussie folks that have people pigeonholed as too tall or too this for openside or whatever position, need to have a look at this rather tall and bruising openside, wouldn't make it in this country as a 7, too tall, probably go and play rugby league.

Ah the cynicism about our rugby system!!!