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 PACIFIC RUGBY NEWS
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Saturday, 17 July, 2004
Boks too good for Islanders
By Jeremy Duxbury
The Pacific Islanders ended their inaugural tour on Saturday night with a disappointing result against a well-oiled South Africa team, who triumphed 38-24 after earlier running away to a 33-0 lead.
Four tries to the Islanders in the last 25 minutes helped give the scoreline a little more respectability, but the Springboks had squeezed the life out of them in first half by starving them of possession and dominating the set plays.
The line-outs proved a particularly problematic area for the Island team, who lost four of their first five throws, making it all the more puzzling why Nadi’s Joeli Lotawa wasn’t given more time on the field.
Lotawa eventually replaced the injured Aleki Lutui eight minutes from time for his first run on in any of the three Tests.
Seremaia Bai, still suffering from a bout of the flu, stayed on the bench except for a seven-minute blood bin, while Brian Lima was used for the last 10 minutes as Seru Rabeni moved back to fullback.
But the Islanders injuries began early. Skipper Inoke Afeaki, who has struggled throughout the tour, exited after 29 minutes after falling awkwardly. And No.8 Sisa Koyamaibole took a knock just before half-time and was replaced by Cook Islander Tu Tamarua.
By this time, Jake White’s team had kept play almost continuously in the Islanders’ half of the field as fullback Percy Montgomery clipped over three penalty goals and converted the tries by Jacques Cronjé and Breyton Paulse for a handy 23-0 advantage.
The first kick through the sticks was from 48 metres out after Alifereti Doviverata was pinged for using a hand in the ruck. On 22 minutes, Cronjé broke from the back of a scrum near the Islanders line, and touched down with ease as Sivivatu chose to avoid a front-on tackle and tried instead to swing him around.
Five minutes later Cronjé repeated the move, but a superb try-saving tackle came in from Doviverata and the ball spilled loose on the line.
Half an hour passed before the Islanders finally got some room to manoeuvre as Moses Rauluni linked up with Tanner Vili and Sivivatu to take play into the Springbok 22 for the first time.
Vili had a shot at goal from 35 metres out, but his weak kick landed short. And just before the half-time whistle, halfback Bolla Conradie put through a delightful chip that bounced up nicely for Paulse to run in under the posts for the first of his two tries.
Soon into the second period, Paulse had his second. A simple move from a line-out saw Conradie move the ball quickly to de Villiers, who put Paulse through on the angle and South Africa led 30-0.
After the pre-match hype from the Islanders management that they would finish the tour with a win, this wasn’t turning out as planned.
Under new coach White, South Africa have now won four from four. They earlier defeated Ireland twice and Wales once, and go into the Tri-Nations as far more of a threat than many pundits had believed.
As the Springboks began to relax somewhat, the Chiefs’ combination of Sivivatu and Lauaki started clocking up some points for the Islanders, just as they had last week against New Zealand.
First, Lauaki created some space in his usual physical manner and offloaded perfectly to Sivivatu, who skipped past the last man to the line. Vili’s conversion attempt landed short again.
Not long afterwards, Vili teamed up with Seleila Mapusua in the Islanders’ half before the Highlanders centre gave it wide to Sivivatu. The All Black hopeful scored in the same manner as the first time to give him four tries in two matches.
Rabeni took over conversion duties, but his effort floated just to the left.
At 33-10 with 18 minutes to play, maybe the best the Islanders could hope for was some respect.
Montgomery set up de Villiers with a clever chip over the defence to make it 38-10.
Ten minutes from full-time, Lauaki was bundled over the line with the help of his team-mates for the third Islanders try; and with the last play of the day, a turnover in the Islanders’ 22 saw Vili snatch possession and set Bobo free on the right for an 80-metre sprint to the line.
Bobo had so nearly scored five minutes earlier when one of the Islanders’ best moves saw him with 40 metres left to the line. He reached the corner in time but close attention from Montgomery meant Bobo’s elbow touched the deadball line as he grounded the ball a little lazily.
So, at four tries apiece, the Islanders could hold their heads high. But they will be desperately disappointed with their first half performance.
Saturday, 17 July, 2004
Pacific Islanders 24 South Africa 38
Express Advocate Stadium, Gosford, New South Wales
Half-time: 0-23
Referee: Scott Young (Australia)
Touch Judges: Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Brett Bowden (Australia)
Assessor: Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)
TV match official: Matt Goddard (Australia)
Crowd: 15,732
Pacific Islanders: 15 Norman Ligairi (Brian Lima 69), 14 Sireli Bobo, 13 Seilala Mapusua, 12 Seru Rabeni (Seremaia Bai 27-34), 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Tanner Vili, 9 Mosese Rauluni (Steven So'oialo 78), 8 Sisa Koyamaibole (Tu Tamarua 40), 7 Alifereti Doviverata, 6 Sione Lauaki, 5 Ifereimi Rawaqa, 4 Inoke Afeaki (capt) (Filipo Levi 29), 3 Tevita Taumoepeau (Taufa’ao Filise), 2 Aleki Lutui (Joeli Lotawa 72), 1 Soane Tonga'uiha
Coach: John Boe
Tries: Sivivatu (2), Lauaki, Bobo; Conversions: Rabeni (2).
South Africa: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Breyton Paulse, 13 Marius Joubert, 12 De Wet Barry, 11 Jean de Villiers, 10 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 9 Bolla Conradie, 8 Jacques Cronjé, 7 AJ Venter, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Gerrie Britz, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Eddie Andrews (CJ van der Linde 54), 2 John Smit, 1 Os du Randt
Not used: 16 Danie Coetzee, 18 Quinton Davids, 19 Pedrie Wannenberg, 20 Fourie du Preez, 21 Brent Russell, 22 Gaffie du Toit.
Coach: Jake White
Tries: Paulse (2), Cronjé, de Villiers; Conversions: Montgomery (3); Penalty goals: Montgomery (4)
Scoring sequence (Islanders score first)
14min PENALTY GOAL S AFRICA, Montgomery – 0-3
22min TRY S AFRICA, Cronjé, conversion Montgomery – 0-10
25min PENALTY GOAL S AFRICA, Montgomery – 0-13
32min PENALTY GOAL S AFRICA, Montgomery – 0-16
39min TRY S AFRICA, Paulse, conversion Montgomery – 0-23
Half-time
47min TRY S AFRICA, Paulse, conversion Montgomery – 0-30
53min PENALTY GOAL S AFRICA, Montgomery – 0-33
56min TRY ISLANDERS, Sivivatu – 5-33
62min TRY ISLANDERS, Sivivatu – 10-33
65min TRY S AFRICA, de Villiers – 10-38
70min TRY ISLANDERS, Lauaki, conversion Rabeni – 17-38
79min TRY ISLANDERS, Bobo, conversion Rabeni – 24-38
Full-time
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