Classic All Blacks 24

Classic Lions 0

NOVEMBER 16, 2009 - In the end the final of the World Rugby Classic was even more one-sided than many had predicted.

New Zealand ran in four tries in a comfortable win that looked on the cards from the moment Jackie Tarrant burst through a non-existent Lions defence to touch down with little more than two minutes gone.

From then on a vastly superior All Blacks team largely-controlled a game they never seemed in danger of losing, and tries from Pita Alatini, Charles Hore, who also kicked two conversions, and Alan Bunting, sealed the Kiwis' eighth Classic title.

And not even the attrocious conditions, with Saturday's torrential rain turning areas of the pitch into little more than a bog, could even things up.

That the All Blacks won a competition they used to dominate came as little surprise. However, the inability of the Classic Lions to pose any kind of threat going forward was.

Not that it should have been. The Lions have looked one-dimensional all week, and despite having the forward power of the likes of Colin Charvis, Mark Regan et al, they lacked any edge or creativity in the backs.

Out-rucked, out-run, and generally out-played, the Lions were unable to get any sort of quick ball from the breakdown, and when scrum-half Dave Scully did get a pass away, the Lions were invariably too flat to do anything with it.

Their impotence going forward, and the All Blacks' impressive defence, were highlighted by a five minute spell at the beginning of the second half. Trailing 14-0 by that stage, the Lions were awarded a series of scrums within 10-yards of the All Blacks try-line and seemed in a perfect position to get back into the game.

However, no matter how hard they tried, how much they pushed, they could not find a way through a Kiwi defence which more often than not resorted to nefarious means to keep the Lions out.

Even when Dustin Watts was sin-binned following another penalty the Lions couldn't make the extra man tell, and they were eventually penalised themselves for holding on and the threat was over.

It was as close as they came to scoring all game until they went in search of a consolation try in the dying seconds of the game. A good lineout move saw the Lions move the ball wide, and with a two man overlap it finally looked like they would score, and they should have done, but Rory Jenkins dropped Scully's pass inches from the line and the All Blacks cleared once more.

"We played for each other, that was the biggest thing," said Tarrant. "The win over the Springboks in the semi-final gave us the confidence to play the British Lions the same way. Our defence in that game was outstanding and it was a point of pride that we play the same way in the final.

"Our forwards, those boys, even if they are getting on a bit, they can still smash rucks, and it's great to play with them."

While the All Blacks ran away with the Classic final, defending champions Argentina had a much tougher time of things against Australia in the Plate match beforehand.

Josh Gamgee's try, and Matt Pini's conversion, gave the Aussies a 7-0 lead by half-time in a fractious match that threatened to boil over on several occasions.

The game turned minutes after the re-start when Ed Aholelei was harshly sin-binned for a tough tackle on Fernando Del Castillo that the referee deemed high.

Lisandro Arbizu kicked the resulting penalty, and Argentina made good use of the extra man, with Sebastian Crispo finishing off a set move from a scrum moments later.

At 8-7 ahead, Australia were still in with a chance, but they were penalised for holding on during a period of desperate defence and Arbizu kicked his side into an 11-7 lead that they kept till the end.

Overall there were four games played on Saturday, with two Bermuda sides playing touring opposition. In the first game of the day Bermuda Under-19s thrashed Don Mills Under-19s 41-0. Andre Landy led the way, scoring three tries, and there were also scores for Patrick Edwards, Shauntino Simons, and Nick Chilvers. Simons also kicked a penalty and four conversions.

Meanwhile, the Golden Onions overcame the wind, rain, and a healthy dose of mud to beat Wild Geese 17-5. Greg Garside grabbed two tries, and Pete Dunlop got another, while Rich Slater kicked a conversion in a game where all the points were scored in the second half. Luke Chennery got the only score for Wild Geese.