By Chris Lord
November 8 2005

Great Britian lose all hope of progressing to the final of the Tri-Nations following this defeat by the Aussie at Wigan.

 

Tri-Nations RL

Great Britain 6-20 Australia GB Tries: Morley GB Goals: Sinfield Australia Tries: Cooper (2), Minichiello Australia Goals: Fitzgibbon (3), Lockyer Referee: Tim Mander (Australia) Attendance: 25,004

Australia grabbed two late tries to almost certainly shatter Great Britain’s Gillette Tri-Nations hopes at the JJB Stadium with a 20-6 win.

The Lions trailed by just two points with five minutes remaining but Anthony Minichiello and Matt Cooper crossed to put the Aussies within sight of the final.

Cooper had also scored in the first half but Britain kept themselves in the game with an Adrian Morley try.

Australia soon settled and twice caught the hosts with early attacks.

A penalty for offside allowed Craig Fitzgibbon to score the first two points of the match and the Kangaroos then had a try disallowed when Brent Tate knocked the ball forward for Luke O’Donnell.

Britain responded to force the Aussies to drop out and had a spell close to the Kangaroo line but could not break through.

But hooker Keiron Cunningham paid a heavy price for a wayward pass after 18 minutes as centre Matt Cooper intercepted and sprinted 85 metres for the opening try. Fitzgibbon converted to give Australia an 8-0 lead.

Britain were struggling to impose themselves but as the first half wore on they at least ensured Australia were not having everything their own way.

Carney proved an eager runner and Harris attempted to open the Aussie defence with a long pass but the Green and Golds held firm.

Mist and drizzle made for less than ideal handling conditions and the penalty count on either side was high.

Britain finished the first half strongly and Stuart Fielden was feet away from touching down.

Australia forced Britain onto the back foot from the restart when Paul Wellens dropped the kick-off but the home side survived.

Despite their occasional errors Britain were giving as good as they got and had certainly tightened their defence since their Kiwi beating.

They continued to punch their weight in a tight, physical battle and their perseverance paid off as Adrian Morley forced his way over from a Cunningham pass after a Jason Ryles error on 48 minutes.

Sinfield added the extras to bring the Lions right back into the game at 8-6 with 20 minutes remaining, although it took a fine Wellens tackle to stop Mark Gasnier in full flow.

Britain continued to bash away at the Aussies in the last quarter but could not find a way through as the game became even more intense.

An opportunity opened up after Darren Lockyer flung the ball into touch but Paul Deacon kicked into a solid defensive wall.

Britain needed to hold firm at the other end and had a let-off when Fitzgibbon struck a 73rd-minute penalty shot wide.

But the hosts could keep them out no longer and full-back Anthony Minichiello killed the game when he crossed five minutes from time.

Cooper then went over for a second in the last minute to give the Aussies a flattering 20-6 win with Fitzgibbon converting both late tries.