R.I.P. Jonah Lomu

JONAH LOMU

All Black #941

The sporting world is in mourning today following the passing of Jonah Lomu – one of rugby union’s finest and most fearsome players.

Lomu made his international debut in 1994 as the youngest ever All Black, at the age of just 19 years and 45 days. He went on to play 63 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 37 tries, including a record 15 in World Cups from just 11 matches across the 1995 and 1999 tournaments.

His effort against England in the 1995 World Cup when he ran over the top of English fullback Mike Catt has been voted as the best in World Cup history, and will live long in the memories of many.

Lomu vs Catt – a memorable non-contest

The former All Blacks winger had just returned from the UK where he had watched the recent Rugby World Cup. He had suffered from a rare kidney condition (nephrotic syndrome) from early on in his career, which resulted in him taking time off from the sport in 1997, and eventually forced his retirement in 2002, however the exact cause of his death remains unclear at this stage.

Lomu will be remembered as one of the legends of the sport, a true gentleman whose brilliance helped raise the profile of the game across the globe.

Rest In Peace, Jonah Lomu.

The Week to October 6

RUGBY LEAGUE

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have been crowned 2014 NRL Premiers after thrashing the Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6 in front of more than 83,000 fans at ANZ Stadium on Sunday evening. The win marks the Rabbitohs’ first premiership victory since 1971, and is their 21st overall since elite rugby league competition began in Australia back in 1908.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs – 2014 NRL Premiers

The match began in brutal fashion, with Rabbitoh Sam Burgess and Bulldogs co-captain James Graham clashing heads in the very first tackle, resulting in a fractured cheekbone for Burgess. Despite the injury, the Englishman played on in what will surely go down as one of the most courageous performances in Grand Final history. The Rabbitohs dominated the early exchanges, playing the majority of the opening minutes in Bulldog territory, but the Bulldogs’ defence was equal to the task. Veteran Lote Tuqiri thought he had crossed for the opening try in the 6th minute, but with replays showing Adam Reynolds hitting Bulldogs fullback Sam Perrett with a swinging arm in the lead-up, the try was disallowed. It wasn’t until the 20th minute that Souths hit the front, thanks to teenage try-scoring whiz Alex Johnston, who crossed for his 21st try in just his 18th game in his rookie season. Five minutes later, Dale Finucane was lucky not to get sent to the sin bin for a professional foul, as he gave away a penalty in front of the uprights to allow Adam Reynolds to kick Souths to a 6-0 lead. Both sides had opportunities to score in the closing stages of the first stanza, but neither team could convert, and the scoreline remained at 6-0 as the combatants headed off for a well-earned break.

Alex Johnston crosses for the opening try of the 2014 Grand Final

Bulldogs five-eighth Josh Reynolds dropped the ball from the second half kickoff to put his side on the back foot immediately, but again they withstood the early pressure and ten minutes into the half, managed to level the scores when Tony Williams latched on to a Reynolds kick to touch down adjacent to the uprights. Their joy was short-lived, however, as George Burgess put the Rabbitohs back in the lead just five minutes later with a barnstorming 20-metre run that even had coach Michael Maguire on his feet. A 64th-minute penalty put Souths up 14-6, but a savage hit from Graham on Dave Tyrrell which saw the Rabbitohs prop stretchered off the field showed that the Bulldogs were not going to give up without a fight. A 73rd-minute play featuring two kicks and a lucky bounce saw Kirisome Auva’a extend the lead to 14 and virtually seal the match, and when Reynolds scored courtesy of another wicked bounce from a John Sutton kick, the gravity of what the Rabbitohs were about to achieve finally kicked in. Greg Inglis iced the win with a last-minute try that came from a forward pass, but the game was well and truly over by then, and emotion overcame many of the Souths players, who had been building up to this since 2012, when Maguire took over as head coach.

Sam Burgess was deservedly named Clive Churchill Medallist after putting in a superb performance in both attack and defence. The Grand Final was Burgess’ final match in rugby league, the outgoing Rabbitoh having signed a deal with English rugby union club Bath. He will be attempting to become a dual international and hoping to be a part of England’s World Cup campaign to be held in the UK in September-October next year.

Sam Burgess was named Clive Churchill Medallist in the Rabbitohs’ Grand Final victory against the Bulldogs

South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 (A Johnston, G Burgess, K Auva’a, A Reynolds, G Inglis tries; A Reynolds 5 goals) defeated Canterbury Bulldogs 6 (T Williams try; T Hodkinson goal)

RUGBY UNION

Argentina defeated Australia 21-17

The Wallabies have suffered yet another disappointing loss, this time going down to Argentina in the final match of the 2014 Rugby Championship. The match started well for the visiting Australians, crossing for two converted tries in the opening 15 minutes to take a 14-0 lead, but some poor execution and ill discipline kept their opponents in the game. The Pumas crossed for a try in the 35th minute, and a penalty goal late in the half closed the margin to 14-8 at the break. Nick Phipps was awarded a yellow card shortly after halftime, and following an exchange of penalty goals, Argentina crossed for a try to take an 18-17 lead with 25 minutes remaining. Bernard Foley twice had the chance to regain the lead for the Wallabies, but was unsuccessful on both occasions, hitting the post with his second attempt after a laser was pointed in his eye from the crowd. When Wallaby captain Michael Hooper was sin-binned in the 74th minute, Nicholas Sanchez kicked the penalty goal to put Argentina up 21-17, and the Pumas defended grimly for the rest of the match to seal their first victory in 18 attempts in three years in the Rugby Championship.

South Africa defeated New Zealand 27-25

In the other match of the round, South Africa ended New Zealand’s 22-match unbeaten run with a nailbiting victory in front of 62,000 fans at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The home side scored three tries to one in the first half, including a double to fly-half Handre Pollard and went to the break holding a 21-13 advantage. Pollard kicked a penalty goal early in the second half to extend the lead to 24-13, but then the inevitable All Blacks fightback came. With just 15 minutes remaining, Ben Smith touched down to put the visitors within touching distance, and when Dane Coles crossed less than five minutes later, New Zealand had snatched back the lead 25-24. A Kiwi infringement with less than two minutes remaining allowed Pat Lambie an opportunity to kick a penalty to win the match. The 55-metre strike sailed straight through the uprights to give South Africa a 27-25 win and end the Springboks three-year drought against the All Blacks.

Final standings – Round 6 of 6:

 

OTHER NEWS

FORMULA 1: Australian Daniel Ricciardo has finished in fourth spot in the Japanese Grand Prix to continue a stellar season in the Formula 1 World Championship. Lewis Hamilton, who started from second on the grid, won his third straight race and eighth of the year, finishing 9.1 seconds ahead of pole-sitter and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg. Sebastien Vettel claimed the final podium position, crossing the line 29.1 seconds behind Hamilton. The race was marred by a serious crash involving Jules Bianchi of the Marussia-Ferrari team. The Frenchman lost control of his car with nine laps remaining, and he was taken to hospital with severe head injuries.

In the Drivers’ Championship, Hamilton now sits on 266 points, ahead of Rosberg (256) and Ricciardo (193). Mercedes (522) leads the Constructors’ Championship over Red Bull (332) and Williams-Mercedes (201) with just four races remaining in 2014.

Next race: Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom, Krasnodar Krai, Russia (Sun, Oct 12 at 10:00pm)

*All times AEDST

The Week to September 29

RUGBY LEAGUE

This year’s NRL Grand Final will be contested by the third-placed South Sydney Rabbitohs and the seventh-placed Canterbury Bulldogs, after both teams posted victories in their preliminary finals over the weekend. The clash will be the first time the two teams have met in the decider since 1967, when the Rabbitohs won 12-10.

On Friday night, the Rabbitohs played the Roosters in a contest many thought would be the one determining the premiers for 2014. In front of more than 52,000 fans at ANZ Stadium, the Roosters got off to a flying start thanks to two tries in the opening 10 minutes – one following a scything 35m run by halfback Mitchell Pearce, and the other after a spectacular Anthony Minichiello catch off a Pearce bomb. The Rabbitohs dominated possession and field position for the next twenty minutes and managed to erase the 12-point deficit by the half-hour mark, but ill discipline prevented them from going in front before the break. Daniel Tupou crossed for the Roosters just over a minute before halftime, but the video referee picked up a slight knock-on in the lead-up, and the try was disallowed, leaving the score at 12-all after the first 40 minutes.

Four minutes after the break, a powerful run from Ben Te’o put Souths in the lead for the first time, and after a Greg Inglis double in the space of fifteen minutes and an Adam Reynolds penalty goal, the Rabbitohs had scored 32 unanswered points to lead 32-12 with seven minutes to play. The Roosters scored two very late consolation tries, including one to Minichiello, in a fitting end to a glittering, record-breaking 302-game career. The Rabbitohs’ 32-22 win means they will play in the Grand Final for the first time since 1971, and denies the Roosters a chance at being the first team to secure back-to-back premierships since the Brisbane Broncos achieved the feat in 1997-98.

Rabbitohs players celebrate after Greg Inglis scores a try in his side’s 32-22 victory over the Roosters

In the other preliminary final, the Bulldogs played the Panthers in a brutal encounter in front of 46,000 fans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night. Both sides producing some ferocious defence in the opening ten minutes which set the tone for the remainder of the match. The Bulldogs were first on the scoreboard fifteen minutes into the match, thanks to a barnstorming charge from James Graham, and when Josh Jackson crossed ten minutes later, they held a commanding 12-0 advantage. The Panthers slowly fought their way into the game, and when Matt Moylan scored with just over a minute left in the half, the Panthers found themselves down by just six points at the break.

Both sides had opportunities to add to their tallies early in the second stanza, but the scorers weren’t troubled until the 57th minute, when Dale Finucane touched down next to the posts to put the Bulldogs up 18-6. A 72nd-minute try to Dallin Watene-Zelezniak from a Jamie Soward bomb, not dissimilar to Minichiello’s first try in the Rabbitohs-Roosters clash, kept the Panthers alive, but the Bulldogs defence stayed strong, and the Panthers were unable to find the points to force extra-time. The Bulldogs 18-12 victory sees them advance to the Grand Final for the second time in three years, following their loss to the Melbourne Storm in 2012.

James Graham was instrumental in the Bulldogs’ 18-12 win over the Panthers

Next week will mark the Rabbitohs’ 34th Grand Final appearance, 20 of which have resulted in victories, whilst for the Bulldogs, it will be their 18th appearance, 8 of which they have won.

Upcoming fixture – Grand Final:

Rabbitohs (3rd) vs Bulldogs (7th) at ANZ Stadium, Sydney (Sun, Oct 5 at 7:20pm)

*All times AEDST

 

AFL

The Hawthorn Hawks have been crowned 2014 AFL Premiers after thumping the Sydney Swans by 63 points in the Grand Final over the weekend. In front of nearly 100,000 fans at the MCG, the Hawks claimed back-to-back premierships for the second time in the club’s 90-season history, following their win over Fremantle last year. The Swans kicked two of the first three goals of the match and led midway through the first term, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. The Hawks suffocated the Swans and forced them into uncharacteristic errors across the park, and by the end of the first quarter, they had built a handy 20-point advantage. The Swans kicked the first goal of the second term, but Hawthorn kicked six of the next eight goals to increase their advantage to 42 points at the major break. The Hawks did not let up after halftime, kicking five goals to three in both of the last two quarters to become just the third team in history to kick five goals in each quarter of a Grand Final (Geelong in 2007 and Richmond in a losing cause in 1972 were the other teams to achieve the feat.)

Hawthorn’s 21.11 (137) to 11.8 (74) was their third premiership in the last seven seasons, and their twelfth overall. Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge was best on ground, becoming just the third player in VFL/AFL history to win two Norm Smith Medals. The Grand Final was his 250th match, and the win was his third premiership, and second as captain. For the Hawks, Jarryd Roughead kicked five goals, whilst Buddy Franklin kicked four for the Swans.

The Hawthorn Hawks – 2014 AFL Premiers

 

RUGBY UNION

South Africa defeated Australia 28-10

New Zealand defeated Argentina 34-13

Current standings – Round 5 of 6:

Upcoming fixtures – The Rugby Championship – Round 6 of 6:

South Africa vs New Zealand at Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa (Sun, Oct 5 at 1:05am)

Argentina vs Australia at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, Argentina (Sun, Oct 5 at 8:40am)

*All times AEDST