Australia’s women’s rugby team got their World Cup hopes back on track with a 73rd-minute try from Ashley Marsters, securing a thrilling comeback in their second game of the campaign against Scotland in Whangarei, New Zealand
After their heartbreaking implosion against New Zealand’s Black Ferns in the opening round, the Wallaroos were ahead all game against Scotland only to cross twice in the final 20 minutes of play to secure a crucial first win of the campaign Australians Eva Karpani, Grace Hamilton and Sharni Williams stood out in the triumph.
Wallaroos skipper Shannon Parry said it was “not pretty” but praised her players for the way they stayed in the fight. “It was nerve wracking. It was a really tough battle against Scotland, they really showed us how to play some football there today,” Parry told Stan Sport. “I’m immensely proud. We stuck it out until the end, an 80-minute performance, and to get this win is a very good reward.
“We didn’t play as well, as clinical as we wanted, but we will take the points. We’re still alive in this tournament, and that’s what matters.”
The Wallaroos’ win consigned the Scots to back-to-back defeats last time out. Taking part in their first Rugby World Cup in 12 years, Scotland had last week lost a heartbreaker in the opening round, kicked out of what could have been a famous comeback win in a narrow 85th-minute 18-15 defeat by a post by Keira Bevan. siren penalty.
The Highlanders showed they were after revenge when they started with gusto, shaking the Wallaroos by jumping into an early lead when veteran Scottish first Lana Skeldon charged in the ninth minute from the maul for the first shot in five, 11 years after making your test Scotland debut against the Netherlands.
Then, in the 18th minute, dominant Scottish flyer Rhona Lloyd drifted over for what looked a certain try. Somehow recovering from Iliseva Batibasaga’s bone-crushing to retrieve the lost ball behind her, Lloyd ducked under a group of golden defenders in yawning space, then flew to a gaping yawn with the line wide open.
But in desperate scenes, Wallaroos winger Maya Stewart and then fullback Lori Cramer fired left and right to beat Lloyd from either side and she spilled the ball just before crossing. It was a massive save and proved crucial to the final result.
Especially when the Scots extended their lead in the 27th minute with a penalty try, after their forward kick on the line was brought down by Adiana Talakai who compounded the gift of seven with a yellow card in the bin. He took Scotland’s lead to 12-0 at half-time and left Australia’s World Cup hanging in the balance.
In their first group game at Eden Park, the Wallaroos had defended strongly and capitalized on their opportunities in attack and counter-attack, to capitalize on New Zealand’s mistakes and lead 17-0 at the break. But in front of more than 40,000 Kiwi fans, the Wallaroos had let that lead slip away, conceding 41 unanswered points to the Black Ferns in the second stanza.
Against Scotland at half-time, they found themselves bewildered in the same way, but for very different reasons. Australia had made 239 meters to Scotland’s 142 with 110 passes to Scotland’s 32 as 19-year-old Bienne Terita, in just her third Test, wreaked havoc and veteran Sharni Williams tore through the midfield in her fourth World Cup.
However, despite 63% possession in the first half, the Wallaroos had conceded 65% possession to the Scots in the first forty minutes. The other notable statistic was that the Australians had made just 22 out of 28 innings, while their opponents had made 81 out of 97 innings. Despite running the whole race, the Wallaroos were still behind.
Twenty minutes into the second stanza, Australia still hadn’t troubled the scorers. But with the strong Whangarei wind now at their backs they were finishing fast. Arabella McKenzie was stopped just before the line, then Eva Karpani was stopped as Australia hit beyond 10 phases with a penalty lead. The blue wall finally cracked as Scotland ran out of numbers and a McKenzie cut ball found Bienne Terita for a simple finish to make it 12-7 with the conversion.
In the 71st minute, Australia knocked Scotland off the ball to win another penalty and were denied three points for a 30-metre attacking scrum. A fantastic scrum win from Terita brought 22 before Scotland were fouled in front of the posts. Australia opted for another scrum and went left, eventually finding Marsters charging into a slanting run at first receiver to split the line and crash over.
Lori Cramer added the extras to put Australia 14-12 ahead with eight minutes to play. But when Marsters was red-carded for head-on contact with Sarah Law in the 76th minute, the game took another turn as Australia were asked to hang on for 14.
There was another red card in the closing stages as Talakai’s tackle took his yellow into the red zone and saw Australia down to 13. But even as the Scots unleashed fresh waves of attack, the golden line held firm until the end to secure a brave Wallaroos victory. .
While those late red cards to the two prostitutes leave Australia vulnerable going forward, they now prepare to face Wales at the Northland Events Center in Whangarei next Saturday knowing a win should secure progression to the quarters of end Scotland’s task gets tougher as they face New Zealand in their final group match.