The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 32

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD MONDAY, JUNE 23, 1997 Sporting Life 31 mm RUGBY day on a badly bruised back. He remains in serious doubt for the second Test against France at Ballymore next Saturday night. In the 47th minute, when the ball went astray at the back of an Australian scrum, French halfback Philippe Carbonneau toed it through and Horan pounced on it. After Carbonneau dived over Horan the French captain ran in and, when falling on top of the Wallaby pivot, put his left knee into the middle of Horan's back. While teammates Brett Rob inson and George Gregan complained angrily to referee Clayton Thomas, Horan writhed on the ground in pain.

Even Benazzi appeared concerned, immediately checking on Horan. When returning to his feet, Benazzi shrugged his arms as if to indicate it was an accident. However, the Australian camp wasn't so sure, prompting it last night, after arriving in Brisbane, to watch a videotape of the incident to see whether there were grounds to cite the French captain. After repeated viewings, Australian manager John McKay said the team would not cite Benazzi. "The referee has dealt with the incident so, under International Rugby Board rules, there's nothing we can do," McKay said last night However, the Australian Rugby Union was still concerned with the incident, releasing a statement last night which said, in part, that it will "be urging the IRB to embrace the independent citing provisions of the Super 12 and Tri-Nations series, whereby incidents such as this can be acted on Although Horan played the rest of the game, Australian coach Greg Smith said he had been hampered during his first Test appearance at five-eighth by being kneed.

"Tim got belted during the match and I just hope he's all right, even though the doctors are saying he may not be all right," Smith said. "He's pretty stiff and sore. Even though his x-rays were clear, he is struggling a bit at the moment in getting around." Horan's condition has prompted the delay of the announcement of the Test team until today but if fit he is certain to retain his spot as Smith is eager to pursue the Horan experiment. If Horan is not fit, Pat Howard is likely to move into five-eighth. Even though it wasn't the greatest five-eighth performance on record, Horan was the ideal pivot for this match, as it was a night where Australia's defence was repeatedly tested, particularly in the first half when France were constantly perched in the Wallaby quarter.

As crucially, because Australia's possession from set pieces was sloppy during the first half, Horan had little chance to ignite the Wallaby backline early on. It was too fractured a Test match for a pivot to reign. Most importantly, Smith was happy. "I thought Tim went all right. He was under a lot of pressure, and we have to give him a little GREGGROWDEN The Australian team management decided last night against citing French captain Abdel Benazzi for kneeing Wallaby five-eighth Tim Horan in the back during Saturday night's Test victory.

Many Australian players and members of management were upset by the incident in the second half, which forced Horan to undergo x-rays yester- bit of time to work it all out He's such a plucky bloke and will only get better. "And also when he chased the French player down the wing in the final stages. Not many others would have done that" It was noticeable that at numerous set pieces Horan set the backline extremely deeply, sometimes at least 10m behind his forwards. Smith believes that when Horan's confidence in the position improves, the Australian backline will move in closer. aw i in mtMtJ).

mw i .111 1 jUMiimiitnajiklnn, mi ll um i MBgaggHaMMiiini.i tii.w rrx vj Iff sp (A rO firV I 1 '-f France perish at another Waterloo Comment SPIR0ZAV0S For some years now the French have had a Napoleonic strut to their rugby. The Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night, though, was a Waterloo for them rather than an Auster-litz when thev were defeated 29-15 by the Wallabies. But it was, as the Duke of Wellington said of the battle of Waterloo, "a close run The Wallabies in the last 20 minutes of the match, finally, gave away their unfathomable tactic of playing to the strength of France in the middle of the field. A series of raids down the flanks was mounted. The big, lumbering French forwards were forced to try to speed up to cover and holes appeared in the side's defensive patterns.

Substitute Mitch Hardy, who has the knack of scoring tries, touched down twice, the first involving several sidesteps and the second a dash for the ball as it rolled into the in-goal area. It was magnificent and it was winning rugby. But why so long for these ultimately triumphant tactics to be worked out and put into action? For his efforts, Hardy was decommissioned to the sideline after 10 match-winning minutes on the field and the more blood-stained but less successful warrior, Stephen Larkham, was sent back into the battle. Throughout the rest of the match, however, as they did when he was not on the field in the first hour of play, the Wallabies lacked a finisher. Time and again tries were on offer, only for these chances to be lost by players being too anxious, and lacking the dedication to get across the tryline that Hardy showed.

Most of this tour, the coaching staff and management of the French XV have been talking about the new-found discipline of the players and their determination to play with the traditional flair, but within the laws of the game. On the evidence of this Test and the tour matches so far, there is more rhetoric (Napoleonic bombast, perhaps?) than reality in the claims. In the second half, hen the big French forwards finally began to tire, the militant tendency to play offside and to indulge in rough play emerged with all the tenacity of an acquired characteristic. The eight-to-one penalty count against France in this 38 minutes and 51 seconds of play the referee, Clayton Thomas, of Wales, inexplicably blew for full-time with 69 seconds still on the clock was a critical influence in turning the match towards the Wallabies. The French battle plan seemed to involve the old strategy of presenting a solid front in the middle of the field with a big pack, and relying on the occasional very occasional, in fact dazzling counter-attack by the backs when a ball was kicked down to them.

Having played for most of the Test with the wrong tactics and still able to come out on top, the Wallabies can now go with confidence to the wide, expansive and dynamic game the coaching staff has promised, in the expectation of an even more emphatic victory at Ballymore next week. Super sub winger Mitch Hardy gives a tired cliche new life as he goes over for his second match-winning try in three minutes against France. Photograph by CRAIG GOLDING Warner sticking with Wicks Club Rugby PHILWILKINS Fast-rising NSW representative inside back Christian Warner has travelled far enough this winter and intends dropping anchor at Coogee Oval, Randwick. With disillusioned David Knox leaving to join Natal's Currie Cup team, Warner will return to club football next Saturday after tomorrow's game for the Barbarians against the French at Topper Stadium in Newcastle. Following Eastern Suburbs' seven tries to nil and 53-3 flaying of Northern Suburbs on Saturday, the night's rumour was that 21-year-old Warner, who left Easts for Randwick earlier this season when Scott Bowen joined the Beasts, was planning another move, this time to Norths.

"No, I'm looking forward to playing with Randwick this weekend, and staying there," he said from Newcastle yesterday. Randwick will welcome back Warner. They were beaten six tries to three and 42-15 by the Brumby-enhanced Canberra side at Manuka Oval, explosive flanker Ipolito Fenukitau scoring two tries. Australian under-21 squad members are available for round 10 of the AAMI Cup on Saturday, which will restore the myrtle green jersey to Warner and outside centre Jason Jones-Hughes, a striking performer in the Australian under-21 trial at Coogee last Saturday, for the clash with Parramatta. Tom Bowman, another to impress in the under-21 trial, will rejoin Easts' pack while Norths regain three under-21 squad forwards in breakaway Keith Gleeson and props Lach-lan Fear and Ben Darwin.

The trio will provide Norths with much-needed youthful fire and muscle, sorely lacking against Tim Gavin and Easts. Norths, ho have won one game of their past four, meet second-placed Warringah at North Sydney Oval on Saturday. Sydney University continue to make bold headway in the competition, having won four games in succession. Fullback Andrew Gordon raced over after the bell for his second try to seal Manly's fate 17-15. University now meet Easts at University Oval.

For Easts, two who shone out as replacements against Norths were speedy breakaway Ben Dunn and winger Andrew Crocker. Despite several important absentees, Southern Districts gained a valuable 13-8 win over Newcastle at Forshaw Park and West Harbour continued their gradual rise by beating Penrith 48-29 at Waratah Stadium. In the Possibles versus Probables under-21 trial, Victorian centre Matthew Nasalio was a late withdrawal with an ankle injury. Like inside centre Marc Stcherbina, who has been troubled by a hernia, Nasalio was omitted from the 26-player squad to prepare for the game against England under-21s. Coach Ian Kennedy had some hard judgments to make.

Queensland five-eighth Shane Drahm, best on the field in the 20-12 defeat of NSW's under-21 a week before, was omitted for Warner, Elton Flatley and Manuel Edmonds. tesiwd FotiDfldto aDD Bon ao mm French test Lions show Boks they're no dummies GREGGROWDEN AUSTRALIA 29 FRANCE 15 skipper Gary Teichmann opened the way for Russell Bennett, a half-time replacement for centre Edrich Lubbe, to score in the corner. That signalled a spell of home dominance, but great tackling saved the Lions and restricted the scoring to a Henry Honiball penalty. Jenkins struck again on the hour to draw the Lions to within a point at 15-16. In a gruelling duel, there were few chances for the Lions backs, and with Joost van der Westhuizen pulling the strings for the hosts, the Lions were on the defensive for long periods.

Bennett thought he had scored a second try, only to be called back for a forward pass. However, the Lions survived and struck late to seal the match. AFP Cape Town: A moment of brilliance by half-back Matt Dawson turned the first Test at Newlands and set the British Lions on course for a famous 25-16 victory over South Africa. With the Springboks leading 16-15 and just six minutes left on the clock, Dawson escaped from a scrum, threw a dummy and strolled over the tryline unopposed. Alan Tait added a second try in the last minute to top off Neil Jenkins's five penalties for a victory that was a just reward for a defensive display described by coach Ian McGeechan as "We've worked so hard at improving our game when we haven't got the ball," he said.

"The fact that we gave away only one penalty for offside when we were defending is testimony to our discipline." Dawson said of his superb score: "I suppose it was a dummy -1 haven't got away with one like that for a long time." After an early penalty apiece, South Africa scored the first try of the series when giant prop Os du Rant was driven over the line in the 24th minute. The Lions recovered well, putting together some impressive rolling mauls, and forced the home defenders to give away penalties that were duly punished by Jenkins to give the tourists a 9-8 half-time lead. Another penalty soon after the break stretched it to 12-8, but the Springboks scored their second try soon after as a great charge by play the tourists in Newcastle tomorrow night. The Test selectors yesterday added Matthew Burke, and prop Dan Crowley to the Wallaby squad. But late last night Crowley withdrew because of lingering leg problems.

The Wallabies are expected to recall Burke to fullback at the expense of Stephen Larkham, but there may be changes to the back and front rows, particularly after a flawed first half at the SFS. The Australian scrum struggled against the French in the first half, while flanker David Wilson's lingering hamstring strain may work against him, with Troy Coker a strong chance to move into the back row. Australia are also aware they were extremely lucky to be just two points behind at the break, with stoic defence saving them. Two tackles Daniel Manu on Jean-Luc Sadourny and Larkham on Abdel Benazzi were standouts and almost as crucial to the final result as Tune's bear hug of Bernat-Salles and the goalpost. AUSTRALIA 29 (M Hardy 2 tries; Eales 5 pen goals, 2 goals) bt FRANCE 15 (T Castaignede, Bernat-Salles tries; Dourthe pen goal, goal).

Crowd: 31,572. Lineouts: Australia 13-10. Penalties; Australia 17-9. Referee; Thomas (Wales). AUSTRALIAN BARBARIANS Latham; Hardy, Taupeaafe, Holbeck, Smith; Warner, Whitaker; Rnau, Kefu, Pinkerton, 0 Rnegan, Langford, A Blades, Kearns (c), Blades.

Res: Johnstone, Edmonds, A Murdoch, Zammit, Bell, Domoni. Mitch Hardy has a way of sinking opponents. In 1993 he sunk Randwick's premiership aspirations. In 1996 he sunk several Super 12 teams. But on Saturday night, he torpedoed the biggest nuclear target of all France.

Off the field, the Gordon and ACT Brumbies winger is the most unassuming of athletes quiet, particular and not interested in fuss. But on it, Hardy is the most irritating of opponents widely known as the intercept king of Australian rugby through his rare ability to bob up when and where least expected and turn a game on its head. He is an out-and-out pest. Although Hardy supposedly emerged from nowhere to enjoy his Andy Warhol moment of fame by coming off the Wallaby bench to score two tries in three minutes to turn a 15-all deadlock into a 29-15 first Test success, those in the know had been waiting for him to do something like this for years. Four seasons on, bitter Randwick supporters still grumble about the night Hardy wrecked Philippe Bernat-Salles into the goalposts at the Paddington end.

This put the French back on their line and allowed the Australians to thumb through the Brumbies handbook, opt for the driving 12-man maul and set up Hardy's first try. While Tune has assured himself of automatic Test selection for some time, Hardy's efforts enabled him to remain in the 22-man Wallaby squad for the second Test at Ballymore next Saturday night. Hardy will also get another chance to frustrate the French after being selected in the Australian Barbarians team to their chances of winning another premiership. In the 1993 major semi-final against Gordon at North Sydney Oval, the Galloping Greens were cruising towards their 17th successive grand final appearance, leading 20-16 in the 77th minute and with David Cam-pese on the burst. Randwick had the numbers out wide, prompting Campese to lob a pass to teammate Peter Jorgensen, who was in enough space to finish off the move.

However, from nowhere came Hardy, who plucked the pass out of mid-air, then out-sprinted Campese and Jorgen sen for 60m to score, giving Gordon a 23-20 victory. Gordon became premiers; a demoralised Randwick didn't even make it to the grand final. The French were in a similarly sullen mood on Saturday night when, in the 66th and 69th minutes, Hardy finished off excellent lead-up work by Wallaby winger and man-of-the-match Ben Tune to score twice. First, he dummied a pass and, although believing he would "get smashed by the drifting turned back in, sidestepped twice and ran past four tumbling Frenchmen for a ridiculously easy try, which, really, shouldn't have been scored. Hardy's junior soccer club skills came to the fore a few minutes later when he dribbled the ball, then got a slight touch on it as it bounced over the line, giving Australia the best start they could expect to their long representative season.

Hardy was the star, but Tune the true hero. It was sad to watch Tune lose his confidence on the Wallaby tour of Europe, where his form disintegrated. It was rousing to see that he has now regained all of his spark. He turned the match around when he tackled French winger Absorb the pressure, says coach Origin now in a healthier state Eis closes on second straight Buick crown Soccer AFL GOLF defeated by Argentina and Canada beat Hungary. If Australia finish second they will play either England or Mexico in the next round, on Thursday.

Scheinflug has had to patch up his team with players out of position after injuries ruled out midfielder Kasey Wehrman and defender Simon Colosimo. The team has also had to contend with temperatures between 34 and 36 degrees and humidity of up to 95 per cent. Despite the problems, Scheinflug said the players remain confident about their chances and look forward to qualifying for the second round. the future of the concept. But Jackson, speaking in Adelaide, said the best way to end any speculation was to secure the future of Origin football.

"The commission probably has to put the stake in the sand and get over the issue every year of debating the value of State of Origin and then playing it," he said. "We ought to say, 'Well, at least until the year 2001, because sponsors Coke are with us at least until then there will be a State of Origin game or two every year', and that's that" Asked if that would happen, the league chief replied: "Do I expect that will happen? Yes. But can I guarantee it? No." Jackson admitted he was "We can't afford to slip up by sitting back. Our national style is to go forward but we still need to be patient. "The first 20 minutes is most important and we have to absorb and not concede.

We must make sure we are tight and combined and don't put everything into that opening time period." Defending champions Argentina won both opening matches, against Hungary and Canada, and have qualified for the second round. With the top two teams and the four best third-placed sides advancing to the next round, Australia would miss out on a spot only if they were heavily worried about Western Australia's commitment to the concept The once-powerful State not only lost to the Allies made up of players from Tasmania, Queensland, NSW, ACT and the Northern Territory for the second time in three years, but has not won an Origin game since 1991. Jackson hinted the Allies, who have played either in Perth or Melbourne in their three-year existence, would play a home game next year. "The Allies have earned a chance to play in Sydney, Hobart or Brisbane or in Adelaide against South Australia," he said. AAP Coach Les Scheinflug will call on Australia's known attack and determination to cope with group leaders Argentina in today's final preliminary round match in the World Youth Championship in Malaysia.

Scheinflug plans to field an unchanged team from the side which drew with Canada and defeated Hungary 1-0 in the earlier group games. "What we have achieved so far has been from sheer courage and determination," he said from Malaysia yesterday. "This team is solid and has to stay in attacking mode. The thriller between Victoria and South Australia on Saturday night seems to have secured the future of the State of Origin concept. AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson yesterday said he wanted to see State of Origin stay a key part of the Australian rules calendar after the Vies scored a 13.15 (93) to 12.13 (85) victory before more than 40,000 fans, a far cry from the crowd of less than 17,000 which saw the Allies beat Western Australia in Perth on Friday night.

The build-up to the weekend's Origin games focused largely on Sunday for the US Open. Maggert shot a 66 on Saturday. Els won by eight strokes last year, and after 12 holes of the third round this year was already eight ahead of the field. But he lost two strokes coming in, and Maggert picked up three more over the last five holes. Stuart Appleby was the best-placed Australian at one under 212 after a 69, one ahead of Bradley Hughes, who had a 71.

Of the other Australians, Steve Elkington (70) picked up a shot to move to one over, while Craig Parry had a 73 to be three over. Reuter New York: US Open champion Ernie Els stood one round away from a second successive all-the-way win at the Buick Classic after shooting a four-under-par 67 at the Westchester Country Club in Harrison on Saturday. The South African had a three-day total of 14-under-par 199 and the same three-stroke lead with which he had entered the third round. Closest to Els was American Jeff Maggert, who was second to him here last year and was one of the four contenders last.