Australian Kangaroos hold off New Zealand Kiwis to win lacklustre Test in Newcastle

IT wasn’t pretty by any stretch, but the Kangaroos managed to outlast the undermanned Kiwis to win the trans-Tasman Test in Newcastle.

Adam Blair of the Kiwis looks dejected after a Kangaroos try.

AUSTRALIA’S reign under new coach Mal Meninga got off to a positive start with the Kangaroos ending a three match losing streak to shut out the Kiwis in Newcastle.

But if the game was about putting Test football back on a pedestal to rival State of Origin, it fell well short of the mark.

The Kangaroos won a dour battle 16-0 in a match devoid of any real highlights unless you like resolute defence.

The match lacked any real fire with the spectacle not helped by referee Gerard Sutton’s refusal for most of the contest to keep the two sides apart.

Australia's Blake Ferguson goes up for a bomb. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Paul Gallen wrapped up by the Kiwi defence. Picture: Gregg Porteous

While he lamented some missed opportunities, Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga was full of praise for his team’s professionalism and defence, which kept the Kiwis scoreless for the first time since 2007.

“Obviously we missed a few chances but I’d give all credit to the Kiwis’ defence. I thought they scrambled well. You could tell that they wanted to play in that black and white jersey,” he said. “They denied us with some really good decisions defensively but I’m very pleased with the players’ attitude and the way they went about their performance.

“I’m not quite sure when the last time we held a Kiwis side to zero but I’m very proud of that effort as well.”

Kiwis counterpart Stephen Kearney was similarly encouraged by his side’s effort in defence, despite a lack of star power.

“I think it’s a term that’s often used (but), I really didn’t think the scoreline reflected the effort we put in defence,” he said.

“I was really pleased with how they defended, the courage that they showed. We just weren’t as effective as we would’ve liked to have been with the football.”

Blake Ferguson drops the ball as he attempts to score a try. Picture: Gregg Porteous

With the Kiwis missing several big name stars, the Australians were heavily favoured to run away with the game.

But it was 12-0 right up until the final minute when debutant Blake Ferguson crossed in the corner.

Australian centre Greg Inglis came into the game under heavy criticism for his form at club level but scored a try and was a constant threat while crowd favourite Semi Radradra was also prominent.

Prop Paul Gallen took his club form for Cronulla into the game to be close to the best forward on the field.

But whether the win answers any questions about Australia’s Test line-up going forward remains to be seen.

While the 10-0 halftime scoreline didn’t reflect it, the Kangaroos set up the win with a dominant opening 40 minutes.

Greg Inglis celebrates his try in the 32nd minute of the game.

They lost debutant winger Radradra for a 10 minute stint in the sin bin after just seven minutes when he interfered with Kiwi backrower Kevin Proctor in the in-goal as he tried to ground a Shaun Johnson kick.

But even a player down, some resolute defence on their own line kept the Kiwis at bay with Inglis rag-dolling Johnson into touch on the last play of the set.

The giant Fijian winger, who more than made up for his absence with several strong surges and off-loads when he returned, was still cooling his heels in the grandstand when the Kangaroos opened the scoring after 14 minutes.

The Aussies threatened down the right edge through Cooper Cronk a couple of times with winger Blake Ferguson losing control of the ball as he attempted to ground it in the corner during one raid.

But soon after, fullback Darius Boyd did it all himself, squeezing through a couple of defenders to plant the ball barely on the tryline.

Johnathan Thurston’s conversion was wide but a penalty goal midway through the half made it 6-0.

The Kiwis had another close call when replacement Kangaroos prop James Tamou was held up over the line but the respite didn’t last long.

The loss of Shaun Kenny-Dowall to injury before the game forced Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney to push Tohu Harris out wider to mark Inglis in the centres.

And the Storm backrower was found wanting when Inglis easily pushed past him to score out wide eight minutes from the break.

Thurston again missed for a 10-0 scoreline.

The Kangaroos stretched their lead to 12-0 just minutes into the second half with skipper Cameron Smith kicking a penalty goal after Thurston had been hit late in back play.

Originally published as Australian Kangaroos hold off New Zealand Kiwis to win lacklustre Test in Newcastle