Roos' win sends ominous warning

Australia produce a comfortable win over New Zealand with a big second half performance in Friday night's ANZAC Test match at Canberra Stadium.

THE last thing the Kiwis wanted to say was that they were robbed. The last thing Australia wanted to say was that they did it easy.

But after the Kangaroos' 32-12 win over New Zealand in the Anzac Test at a chilly Canberra Stadium last night, there was certainly a hint of both.

The Kiwis - brave in defeat after losing captain Simon Mannering with a calf injury just before kick-off - were denied three tries in the first half by the video referees but still went to the break at 6-6.

"We'd looked like kangaroos in the headlights," Australian coach Tim Sheens afterwards.

Australia scored four tries in the space of 11 minutes in the second half to seize control, but it was the first of them to centre Greg Inglis that had stand-in Kiwi captain Kieran Foran more than bemused.

"I thought that Inglis try could've been a no try," said the five-eighth referring to a possible obstruction from Australian captain Cameron Smith and a knock-on from fullback Billy Slater in the same movement. "The video referees obviously didn't see that.

"I'm not going to sit here and blame the refs (for the loss). We went out there in the second half and let ourselves down. But it would've been nice for a few calls to go our way."

Having started as outrageous underdogs without stars Benji Marshall, Jeremy Smith and Sonny Bill Williams, the Kiwis ripped into Australia's glamour side in the first half.

Cooper Cronk scores the opening try of the match for Australia. Picture: Evans Mark

Kangaroos halfback Cooper Cronk scored the opening try, but the Kiwis then surged back into the contest, seemingly falling to the whim of referee Ashley Klein and video officials Shane Rehm and Russell Turner. In the 22nd minute, it was ruled Alex Glenn hadn't grounded the ball correctly.

"I thought Alex Glenn's try was a try," Kearney said. "That's why they're up there doing their role, to get those decision rights."

In the 31st minute, centre Dean Whare appeared to have scored when Justin Hodges knocked on while attempting to snuff out a Foran cross-kick on the Kangaroos tryline.

Klein believed Hodges had been impeded by Kiwi winger Justin Nightingale in attempting to tackle Whare. In truth, it was a 50-50 decision.

The Kangaroos were awarded a penalty and the Kiwis' momentum was unfairly lost.

They bounced back though, when fullback Josh Hoffman scored on the stroke of half-time after Slater had misjudged a grubber kick.

"The try on half-time maybe shook us up a bit," Sheens said. "I felt like we were kangaroos in the headlights. We were a bit stung there at half-time," said Kearney: "I thought we deserved a bit more reward for the effort in the first half."

Australian forward Sam Thaiday runs into New Zealand's Kieran Foran at Canberra Stadium. Picture: Mark Evans

Kearney had predicted the well-oiled Queensland combinations of Slater, Cronk, Smith and Johnathan Thurston had been the reason behind the Kiwis' inability to win the Anzac Test since 1998. To be honest, the injection of Luke Lewis proved just as critical.

After Inglis's controversial try, another four-pointer to winger Brett Morris, after Lewis had smoked downfield on the play before, in the 55th minute extended the lead to 16-6.

Further tries to Lewis (59th minute), Morris (62nd) and Hodges (72nd) merely underlined the point.

"I can assure you that's not easy," said Smith when asked if it had become effortless for the Australian side to take control whenever they wanted to.

Despite New Zealand's first-half display, and their justifiable claims of injustice at the hands of the video refs, Australia's performance sends an ominous message -even this far out - for the World Cup at the end of the year.

The next time the Australians play will be against England in Cardiff in October.

"Most of them have one leg on the plane," Sheens said.

AUSTRALIA 32 (D Boyd C Cronk J Hodges G Inglis L Lewis B Morris tries C Smith 4 goals) bt NEW ZEALAND 12 (J Hoffman F Pritchard tries S Johnson 2 goals) at Canberra Stadium. Referee: Ashley Klein

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