[patch01]

Australia put on a rugby clinic to demolish the visiting Barbarians 55-7 in a dominant display at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night.

Read on for a blog of the match.


FULLTIME: AUSTRALIA 55 BARBARIANS 7

79/ TRY WALLABIES: James O'Connor burns Josh Lewsey with pure speed to sprint 35 metres and score the final try of the match to complete the rout for the home side. What a star of the future that kid is. What a night for the Wallabies who run out 55-7 winners.

76/ TRY WALLABIES: Australia continue wave after wave of attack with David Pocock finally coming up with the five-pointer through brute strength. Marshall is not happy with the decision for what he believes was a double movement. Referee Stuart Dickinson has none of it and the Wallabies lead 48-7 with mere minutes remaining.

Brad from Novartis is happy to see Lote stay on the sidelines. "Great speed by Mitchell. Deserves his place ahead of Tuquiri."

He certainly is a talent.

68/ TRY WALLABIES: It's a procession now with Drew Mitchell scooping up a grubber to touch down in the left hand corner. All class from the Aussies with the Barbarians looking dead tired. Australia 41-7.

BB is now trying to get a date on my Live Blog. "'School Teacher Shez', can I be your class pet???"

You are kidding yourself BB. Straight to the naughty corner for you champ.

65/ TRY WALLABIES: Hooker Benn Alexander runs a sensational line off a superb short ball from Berrick Barnes to score under the posts. The big belly flop probably wasn't required from the 118kg unit but the crowd certainly got a laugh out of it. It's all Australia as they open up a 34-7 lead.

BB is my new best mate. "I would have picked a current player with match fitness. Having Marshall and Whitaker as both your 9's is effectively saying its a nostalgia match instead of a showpiece. Why don't we offer Gregan or Zin Zan a last hurrah??? Where's Wilkinson?"

I like your style BB. Zin Zan was one of the all time greats. However, I still believe a showpiece game like this can still be nostalgic. Look at the size of the crowd and the ovation Whits got when he came off. This is what it's all about.

'School Teacher Shez' is a fan of the infamous BB. "I agree with Bad Beats, would be awsome to see Sonny Bill Wanker get hammered again."

There is an SBW conspiracy going on here. Take a chill pill Shez.

56/ TRY WALLABIES: Vintage George Smith again with a beautiful inside ball to send Valentine through a gaping hole who in turn found a charging Moore who had enough legs to get under the posts. Brilliant try by the Wallabies who now lead 27-7.

Bad Beats is back. Where did they dig up justin Marshall from???? was there really no other no. 9 available?



Love him or hate him, Marshall is a legend. Who would you have picked insted for a showcase game like this BB?

48/ Chris Whitaker makes his final exit after a superb rugby union career to the roar of the Australian crowd. Whits is a fan favourite and it's good to see him back on home soil still playing good football. We wish him all the best in his retirement. He will be missed.

Mr Bad Beats from Rosebery in Sydney is another fan hoping to give Sonny nightmares. "I want to see SBW hammered again, George Gregan style..."

Let's hope that wish comes true Bad Beats.

44/ Mortlock comes in like a missile every time Sonny Bill goes anywhere near the ball. The Wallaby enforcer is obviously out to make a statement. SBW might be wishing he stayed in the boxing ring.

41/ The second half does not start well for the Wallabies with Burgess being taken off with what looks like rib damage. Meanwhile Stephen Moore is also taken to the sheds with plenty of claret coming from the head. Maybe i'ts the Barbarians who can smell blood? Game on.

40/ TRY BARBARIANS: That's the Barbarians we know and love with the visitors going the length of the field to get on the scoreboard through Balshaw. Waugh did the damage with an intercept before finding McAllister who made a 70 metre burst before the ball found Balshaw who crossed over out wide. The Barbarians are on the board and trail 20-7 at halftime.

37/ The game has lost a little bit of structure as the clock winds down. The Barbarians have literally seen no ball for 20 minutes and are lucky to only be down by 20 points. The Wallabies are far from perfect, but they are the superior team in all aspects. Hats off to Whitaker who has put on a couple of try savers in the first half.

Dave from Dublin is not a fan of Kearnsy and Co. "Hey there, Watching online from Dublin, Ireland. Not impressed with your commentators on Fox. One of them said Chris Whitaker is wearing Leinster socks - he's clearly wearing green Randwick socks. Also, they're pronouncing Iain Balshaw's name wrong - it's literally BALL and SHAW. Schoolboy errors, eh?

I best stay neutral on this one Dave!!! Thanks for taking time out to write in.

26/ The Barbarians are on struggle street and just holding on. Both Mortlock and Turner should have scored in quick succession from wayward Barbarian passes only to fumble over the tryline. The Wallabies are camped on their opponent's tryline and looking for blood.

22/ TRY WALLABIES: This is getting a touch embarrassing for the Barbarians with livewire Matt Giteau mesmerising the defence to score a superb try under the posts. It was a show and go that left every back in the Barbarians defence with absolutely no idea, including SBW. Australia open up a 20-0 lead.

I think Denise from Canterbury in NZ has a spot for coach Deans. "YAY go Robbie and the Wallabies. "

Robbie and the Wallabies are looking real good at the moment Denise.

19/ Mitchell almost finds more open pasture down the right sideline before SBW wrecks the party with a big hit that rifles Drew out of bounds. I was worried for a moment the tackle was all shoulder. Replays suggest there was enough arm in the hit.

17/ TRY WALLABIES: It's all the Wallabies at the moment with Drew Mitchell evading the desperate tackle of Chris Whitaker to score next to the posts after a huge weight of posession to the hosts. Giteau is off line again and Australia lead 13-0 after 18 minutes.

13/ PENALTY GOAL WALLABIES: Stirling sinks the boot in again, this time on the scoreboard with an easy penalty conversion from right in front to push the Australia lead out to 8-0.

Tom is suddenly the fortune telller. "Stirling will smash the SBW..it is foretold!"

I love your work Tom. Hopefully Stirling can continue the pain.

7/ TRY WALLABIES: Vintage George Smith takes it to the line before delivering a short ball to lock James Horwill to stroll over for the easiest of tries. Giteau misses the conversion and Australia lead 5-0 after 8 minutes.

5/ CRUNCH! Mortlock absolutely hammers SBW in a bone rattler. The Kiwi gets up smiling, but there is no doubt Stirling wins that early battle. And the crowd love it.

2/ What a start by the Barbarians with Sonny Bill almost scoring with his first touch of the ball. The Wallabies somehow stop the big fella who look destined to score under the posts. The Barbarians are here to play. It was Luke Burgess with the try saver.

1935: A stirring national anthem and we are just moments away from the action getting underway. Waugh does look a little funny dressed in black and white. The crowd is a beauty. You gotta love the SFS.

1902: Matt is not a fan of tonight's match-up. "Who really cares what happens in this match??? It means absolutely nothing and is nothing more than a waste of time and a PR stunt for Sonny Bill Williams!!!"

I agree on th SBW sentiment. But this game will be a great spectacle, there is no doubt about that. There should be a big crowd out there to watch two superstar teams going at it hammer and tong. Plenty of big hits and plenty of tries. What's not to like?

1840: The countdown is on ladies and gentleman with Mark from Waikato happy to be the first cab off the rank. You bloody Aussies have got no chance against the global gladiators. Sonny is gonna put a hurting on Mortlock and the boys with the Barbarians to get the TKO victory in the 80th minute. Go the BAA BAAS!!!

[C.Ronaldo]

^I followed the match
What a defeat for Barbarians

[C.Ronaldo]

After quite long i watched it and what a win for Australia

[patch01]

^^ Yeah, SBW wasn't quite the weapon the baa baas were hoping for.....

[C.Ronaldo]

yes

[patch01]

Teams have their fortress grounds. England are hard to beat at Twickenham. The Wallabies generally win at ANZ Stadium. The Springboks go to Ellis Park when they want a win, although this did not happen against the Lions. The All Blacks have Eden Park, Auckland, as their fortress when a victory is desperately needed.

So it was no surprise when Eden Park was scheduled for the first Bledisloe Cup of 2009 on Saturday.

Last season the Wallabies comfortably defeated the All Blacks at Sydney, only to be thrashed 39 - 10 the next weekend at - Fortress Eden Park.

The last defeat the All Blacks suffered at Eden Park was in 1994 against a French side that scored ‘a try from the end of Earth,’ an ensemble attack that started virtually from the French tryline and went through several phases and many hands before the try was scored.

In the last 32 Tests at Eden Park, the All Blacks have had only one defeat, one draw and 30 victories.

The last Wallaby victory at Eden Park was in 1986, with Alan Jones’ Bledisloe Cup-winning side playing the All Blacks off the park.

Since then the Wallabies have lost 9 Tests at Eden Park.

This year, the Wallabies must be rated the favourites to defeat the All Blacks in a four-Test Bledisloe Cup series. Robbie Deans has all his players available. The team has played reasonably well in defeating Italy and France.

The all-round play of Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes, the playmakers, has been excellent. And for the first time in years, the Wallabies have real pace in their back three.

Perhaps even more importantly, this is Deans’ third campaign with the Wallabies. They seem to be learning the lessons of playing what is in front of them and playing smart.

Deans’ game plan, too, with its quick responses required to move the ball skilfully out wide, is now being accepted by the players.

The New Zealand build-up has been dreadful.

The All Blacks played without mongrel or skill against Italy and France. The backs are nervy and did not seem to have plans in place to confront a strong front-line defence.

Neither five-eights used impressed. Stephen Donald played with the stiffness of a Leg-man. And Luke McAlister played as if he were afflicted with sudden panic attacks at crucial moments.

The All Blacks played the same way as they have this season at Sydney last year. But when Richie McCaw came back into the side last year, the All Blacks turned their season around and did not lose another Test.

McCaw is back for this Test. Will history repeat itself with his return, and with the fortress qualities of Eden Park for the Wallabies?

And just as a footnote that might be relevant to this discussion, last year the Springboks defeated the All Blacks at Carisbrook, Dunedin, the first time this result had been achieved by South Africa since the two teams had played Tests there in 1928.

Hoodoos about fortress grounds, in other words, are there to be broken.

[patch01]

South Sydney chief executive Shane Richardson says the club won't rush into splashing the cash on a replacement for rugby union-bound star Craig Wing.

But that didn't stop the Rabbitohs boss from throwing up the likes of off-contract Brisbane star Karmichael Hunt and banished former Canberra playmaker Todd Carney as players of interest.

Rabbitohs prodigal son Wing was on Tuesday released from the final two years of his deal with the club to take up a two-year offer with a yet to be named Japanese rugby union side once he finishes this season with Souths.

The announcement signalled the end of an eventful two-year return to Redfern for the local junior, who was paraded with great pomp and ceremony when lured back to club from the Sydney Roosters midway through 2007.

His decision to quit has left the Rabbitohs with an unexpected cash windfall, though Richardson was adamant the club would not be forced into making a signing.

"We never budgeted for this, we were under our cap and we didn't require Craig to go to be under our cap, but we'll obviously have a substantial amount money that we can spend," Richardson said.

"There's lots of targets out there ... we'll just see what happens the next few weeks and keep our powder dry and, you know, Mick Crocker fell out of a tree and you never know what could fall out of the next tree."

Asked if the Bunnies would go for a like-for-like replacement for Wing, Richardson said:

"It doesn't have to be - we may look up front, we may look anywhere - there's very few utility players running around like Craig Wing.

"But you've got (Todd) Carney on the market, you've got Karmichael Hunt - you've got a fair few blokes out there.

"We'll bide our time and see what happens."

Carney - currently playing park football in far north Queensland - has been heavily linked with a move to the Sydney Roosters next season while Hunt is believed to be close to following Wing to Japanese rugby.

Richardson said Wing approached him a few weeks ago seeking permission to look overseas, the NSW Origin utility seeking some financial security following reports he had loss large sums of money in failed business deals.

While disappointed to let a current Origin player go, Richardson admitted the move was laced with compassion.

"Craig's personal issues have been well documented over recent months," Richardson said.

"The contract with Japanese Rugby will go a long way to helping his personal situation and we respect that and wish him well in his further football career."

Wing will finish his NRL career having played over 250 first grade games during stints with the Rabbitohs and Roosters, winning one premiership and representing Australia in 16 Test matches and NSW on 12 occasions.

"I truly appreciate the club granting me this special release and I want to thank Souths for agreeing to my request so that I can move on with my personal life off the field," Wing said in a statement.

"I started my NRL career here in the red and green and it is fitting that I finish it in this great jersey."

[xXx]

Hmm.....

[patch01]

Last year's French rugby is this year's Japanese version with former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones claiming he was witnessing a "stampede" of leading NRL players looking for a big money move to Japan.

Speaking in the wake of South Sydney utility Craig Wing's switch to the 15-man game in Japan, Jones - who is in charge of Japanese club side Suntory - said he had been handed the CVs of up to 10 big name league players, including a bona fide NRL superstar.

"It's amazing the number of CVs we're getting from league players at the moment," Jones told Sky Sports Radio.

"There's a real stampede at the moment for guys obviously looking for pretty good deals.

"Over the last two months (I) would have received approaches from at least eight or 10 very, very good league players."

Jones' club has been linked with Brisbane star Karmichael Hunt, but when asked who the players approaching him were, the former coach replied one of them "can play".

"If you had to pick your best team in the NRL, he'd be in it," Jones added.

He denied the Hunt move was a done deal, claiming "the money they're asking for is just ridiculous."

Despite the luring of Wing and the courtship of Hunt - who is off contract at the end of the season - leading player manager Wayne Beavis rejected claims that NRL players were set to head to Japan in droves.

"It's pretty limited with the number of imports they can have and they chase specific sort of players," Beavis said.

"If you've got a player they're looking for at the right time and he ticks all the boxes they come and grab them.

"Other than that, just say you have a player here and he wants to play in Japanese rugby union, it ain't going to happen."

Jones' Japanese threat is eerily similar to the one NRL bosses apparently found themselves facing last year when high profile pair Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams defected to French rugby on big money deals.

It was claimed their departure would spark a mass exodus, but to date, no more players have joined them and earlier defectors Luke Rooney and Craig Gower.

Wing has joined a second division Japanese side, the standard of which Jones said was "terrible", adding "you're not doing it for anything but the money.

But Wing denied he was switching codes because he was in financial strife.

"I'd really like to clarify that and that's totally false," he said.

"I'm not leaving because I'm financially broke or anything. Yes, I have made a couple of investments over the last couple of years that are taking a while to come to fruition due to the current economic situation.

"I'm in a great position. I've been playing rugby league for 11 years, been earning really good money and financially I'm in a position that's a lot better than pretty much anyone I know that's my age.

"This is just more about a new challenge, new goals, getting away and a new lifestyle."

[patch01]

The Qantas Wallabies have arrived in South Africa ahead of next Saturday's Bundaberg Rum Tri Nations showdown with the Springboks in Cape Town.

But the team will spend most of the week preparing for the vital Test without coach Robbie Deans, whose father has passed away in New Zealand. As the Wallabies left Sydney on Friday morning, Deans instead rushed from home to Christchurch after learning his father was gravely ill.

He is not expected to arrive in Cape Town until Wednesday night, leaving assistant coaches Jim Williams and Richard Graham to take charge of the Wallabies' training sessions in the meantime.

The Wallabies will have a training-free day on Saturday as they recover from the draining 19-hour journey from Australia. The squad will gather at the team hotel to watch the Springboks-All Blacks clash on Saturday afternoon before hitting the training paddock on Sunday.

The team is confident Deans' absence will not adversely affect their build-up as they look to bounce back from a 22-16 loss to the All Blacks in their opening Tri Nations match in Auckland two weeks ago.

"We've all been working together. We all know where we are trying to get to and what we need to do to achieve that," winger Drew Mitchell said.

Hooker Stephen Moore said most of the tactical work had been completed during a three-day camp in Sydney prior to leaving for South Africa. "And the game plan against the Boks is pretty simple: we need to match them in the physical department," Moore said.

While the Wallabies broke an eight-year Test-match losing streak in South Africa last year with a 27-15 victory in Durban, they crashed back to earth the following week with a demoralising 53-8 defeat in Johannesburg.

The Wallabies last won at Newlands in 1992.