League: Kiwis get close but drop it at the death

Stacey Jones breaks through a tackle during the Tri-Nations Series match between the Australian Kangaroos and the New Zealand Kiwis. Mark Dadswell / Getty Images

Australia 20 New Zealand 15

MELBOURNE - Two tries in the final five minutes sealed a dramatic win for a Kangaroos side that was all but dead and buried.

When Stacey Jones landed a field goal to give the Kiwis a 15-8 lead with eight minutes to play, most would have expected the Kiwis to grab the points. That was until, however, Greg Inglis raced down the sideline and touched down under the sticks, then Mark Gasnier followed suit.

It was a cruel blow for a Kiwis side that thought they had the game in the bag. They will take a lot of heart out of the game, however, and can be proud of the fact that international league is alive and well.

A couple of years ago, there were grave fears for the international game. Australia was just too good and enjoyed a dominance only punctuated by the occasional upset by the Kiwis and Great Britain.

Now, however, there is life in what should be the highest form of the game. The Kiwis started it in last year's Tri Nations and they almost continued it last night when threatening to upset an Australian side many are predicting to be one of the greats.

Brian McClennan had said his side would improve but few expected it so soon after being comprehensively outplayed by the Kangaroos last weekend.

Across the park last night, the Kiwis matched their more-favoured counterparts. For them, it's all about belief and Brian McClennan has given that side belief. They no longer fear Australia.

Unfortunately, they let it slip in what was a dramatic encounter in Melbourne last night and will now need to notch two wins over Great Britain to ensure a place in the Tri Nations final on November 25.

As expected, it was an explosive and action-packed game.

There were more than a few eyes on Nathan Fien and he mumbled something resembling the anthem, although few of his team-mates could have been said to be belting it out, and he also fumbled his way through the haka. Not bad, though, for a first attempt and few of the Aussies would have seen him hiding in the back row anyway.

For the record, the Kangaroos politely lined up on their own 10m line for one of the most eagerly anticipated hakas in rugby league history and couldn't be seen to utter anything offensive about Fien's heritage.

It was about as courteous as things got, however. Some of the hits were bigger than those by the Beatles but there was nothing illegal about them.

Tough, not thuggery, as McClennan liked to call it.

The Kiwis produced all of the early pressure - Manu Vatuvei spilled a bomb with the line wide open, David Kidwell was held up over the line after a quick tap and makeshift winger Shontayne Hape dotted down in the corner in the seventh minute after muscling over from 10m out.

They went close again but Iosia Soliola lost the ball over the line under the attention of three tacklers, while the Kangaroos went close themselves when Matt King was denied twice by the video referee.

For all that, the Kiwis would have been disappointed to go to the sheds trailing 6-4. They had enjoyed a lot of possession and territory, were more organised than last weekend and also showed more endeavour, regularly trying their chances out wide. Stacey Jones was infinitely better - it's hard to keep a Little General down - and orchestrated a lot of the Kiwis' attack.

But they needed to convert their pressure into points and this need became glaringly obvious when Greg Inglis waltzed in for his second test try after fending off Jones in the 36th minute.

The Kiwis got things back on track soon after halftime when Soliola showed good strength to score in the corner. Johnathan Thurston added a penalty to level the scores at 8-8 with 23 minutes to play.

Soliola grabbed a double and Jones landed a field goal to put his side in the box seat. But this Kangaroos side is a classy one, and a dogged one.

The Kiwis looked heartbroken, but it's not the end of the road yet.

Australia 20 (G. Inglis 2, K. Hunt, M. Gasnier tries, J. Thurston 4 gls) New Zealand 15 (I. Soliola 2, S. Hape tries, S. Jones gl, fg). HT: 6-4.