League: Handling lapses cost Kiwis dear

LONDON - A clinical second-half performance in the wet carried Australia to a 32-12 victory over a gallant but error-prone New Zealand side in their Tri-Nations test in London yesterday.

The Kiwis had looked on course to cause a boilover at a sold-out Loftus Rd, scoring three tries in the opening spell to be 12-8 ahead at halftime.

But the Kangaroos, superbly led by skipper Darren Lockyer, shut out the opposition after the break, running in four of their five tries.

New Zealand coach Daniel Anderson described Australia as a quality side and said there was no despair in the Kiwis camp because of the effort that had been put in.

"The scoreline doesn't look very good, but we'll regroup and get ready for Great Britain in a couple of weeks," he said.

"I see plenty of positives out of the game. At the very back end, we were still making breaks, we were still threatening their defensive line, but we have to hold on to the football."

Dropped ball hindered the Kiwis' chances in the second half. They also had to contend with Australia's superior kicking game and a forward pack that provided a solid platform.

For New Zealand star youngster Sonny Bill Williams was a constant danger with the ball. But two handling lapses late in the game, when the Kiwis were desperate to score, blotted his performance.

New Zealand were first on the board, scoring in a matter of minutes, and Williams was at the heart of the move.

He had the 16,750-strong crowd buzzing with an impudent back-handed offload to centre Nigel Vagana, whose inside pass sent fullback Brent Webb over the tryline.

Australia replied quickly through winger Luke Rooney, who finished a well-worked move, and the addition of two goals by second rower Craig Fitzgibbon gave them an 8-4 lead.

However, 10 minutes before halftime, a looped cutout pass by New Zealand centre Vinnie Anderson allowed winger Lesley Vainikolo to score his 13th try in as many tests.

Next, it was Anderson's turn to score his fourth try in just three tests, as the decision to run on the final tackle paid off. Webb missed all three conversions.

In the second half, Australia found a different gear. They hit back shortly after the restart, when Lockyer went through a big hole to dot down beside the goalposts.

The Queenslander then turned provider as an inside ball created a try for centre Willie Tonga.

Australia's last two tries, to centre Shaun Berrigan and interchange forward Petero Civoniceva, resulted from well-weighted grubber kicks by halfback Craig Gower.

Anderson said a key reason the match slipped away from the Kiwis was their lack of ball control.

He said equal shares of possession and field position were needed to beat Australia.

"They are a quality outfit, and we did that in the first half - we had 50-50 of everything.

"In the second half, we just coughed up too much pill and they, to their credit, played very, very well."

Kangaroos coach Wayne Bennett admitted he felt his side were in trouble at halftime.

"They [the Kiwis] were playing pretty good and they got two tries just leading into halftime, which is always a bad sign," he said.

"It was a bit flat in the dressing room. They were certainly on their heels."

Of Lockyer's performance in helping to turn around his team's fortunes, Bennett said that was why he was made captain.

"We were in a pretty tight spot and he needed to put his hand up and he did. But he had plenty of friends. A lot of the other guys helped."

Lockyer didn't finish the match, coming off with a rib injury in the second half after the Kangaroos had established a 14-point lead.

He is now in doubt for Australia's test against Great Britain in Manchester next weekend.

- NZPA