Aussies run riot over French
Glenn Jackson at Stade Charlety, Paris | November 8, 2009 - 4:50AM
A FOUR Nations final against England beckons for the Australians, who have disposed of the French with largely predictable comfort, but who plays at Elland Road next weekend remains about as clear as the drizzling Leeds rain which may await them on the night.
England joined Australia in the tournament final after outmuscling world champions New Zealand 20-12 at Huddersfield.
The make-up of the Australian side for next Saturday's match, however, is far from predictable.
Michael Jennings scored a hat-trick on debut, and must come into calculations with incumbent right centre Justin Hodges failing to set the world alight so far.
Others followed Jennings’ lead against the French while others failed to impress. Cooper Cronk showed some good touches when he came on at halfback and might have done enough to secure a bench position.
There were few elsewhere who lit up Stade Charlety, although the Morris twins were superb, scoring four tries between them. The Kangaroos produced a big finish but early on they were rather sluggish.
In the opening minutes the French came close to producing the first try. However, Australian centre Josh Morris was clearly looking to make an impact on debut, and he did so, clattering into the advertising hording after flying through on a Johnathan Thurston kick after just two minutes, ending up in lane one of the athletics track.
The French lifted as the brass band belted out The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and it was the Australians who were snoozing slightly. Five-eighth Thomas Bosc, clearly one of the French danger men, caused problems when he kicked in the Australian quarter but the Kangaroos held firm, even if they looked slightly lethargic with the ball in hand.
Dropped balls and penalties were dominating in a way that the Australians could not.
It was the cool head and the slick hands of skipper Darren Lockyer who finally gave the Kangaroos the first try. The five-eighth sent the ball to right centre Jennings, who has blown the Australian players away with his pace at training and did the same to the French, scoring close to the right corner. Although the fact the video referee took four minutes to decide whether it should be awarded, when even French supporters at their first rugby league encounter could have hit the green button after two replays, halted the momentum of the game somewhat.
The Australians weren’t bothered, and five minutes later the same two players who combined for the first try partnered up for the second; Lockyer sending Jennings over for two tries in just 25 minutes of Test rugby league.
But the avalanche failed to eventuate in the first half, and the French held out the Australians well in the final stages of the first half to be trailing by just eight points at the break.
Sheens must have been pardoning his own French during his halftime speech.
The Kangaroos did score less than two minutes after halftime, although it was more a case of the French defence slumbering than the Australian attack clicking, with Luke Lewis brushing off some poor attempted tackles to give the Kangaroos some breathing space.
But Cronk did start to crank up the Australians. His 40/20 kick during the next set gave the Kangaroos as many tries in the first five minutes of the second half as they managed in 40 minutes of the first; off the scrum win, fortune favoured Lockyer slightly as his ball hit second-rower Ryan Hoffman’s head and bounced straight to Brett Morris, who did well to grasp a slippery ball to score his third try in as many Tests.
Soon after, he had his fourth. Again, Lockyer pulled the strings, putting a clever grubber through for Morris and the winger again showed good hands and neat footwork to make the conversion easier for Kurt Gidley.Morris almost had a hat-trick of tries within the space of six minutes, flying through from Robbie Farah’s kick bravely.
The French were so keen to get things underway that they restarted play without the referee Leon Williamson, but the Australians continued to motor away from them.
Morris might have failed to snare his third but Jennings did not, showing clean hands and a clean pair of heels to pick up a loose ball, after Jarryd Hayne’s hit on French fullback Clint Greenshields dislodged it, before running 60 metres to score.
The French tried hard, and their only try of the contest, which led to the biggest roar of the contest, came through the most likely route; Bosc kicked for their captain Olivier Elima, who did well to wrestle the ball to the ground.
But the Kangaroos reasserted their dominance, Josh Morris equalling his brother’s feat during the game of two tries in a short space of time, after assists from his brother and the man of the match Jennings.
AUSTRALIA 42 (M Jennings 3 B Morris 2 J Morris 2 L Lewis tries J Thurston 3 K Gidley 2 goals) bt FRANCE 4 (O Elima try) at Charlety Stadium. Referee: Leon Williamson.
