The southern hemisphere comfortably defeated the northern hemisphere 54-19 in the International Rugby Board (IRB) Rugby Aid tsunami fundraiser here at Twickenham on Saturday. The south outscored their opponents eight tries to three with New Zealand fly-half Andrew Mehrtens landing all six of his conversion attempts and man of the match Wallaby full-back Chris Latham, who scored two tries, one other.
Latham was delighted to have been able to contribute something towards the victims and their families from the devastating December 26 tsunami which swept through Asian coastlines and left at least 300 000 people either dead or missing.
”It was definitely great to be able to do something. The devastation was unbelievable. You sit at home and think about what you can do. As for the game that is the best rugby match I have played in for a while.”
Latham was also happy to have played alongside several players, who are normally opponents in Super 12. ”Usually they’re knocking seven bells out of me! It’s been a
phenomenal week for me meeting up with the guys and playing with them. It’s been awesome. The aim was to have fun first and foremost …and win.”
Mehrtens said that their advantage had been to be together for longer, the north team having only met up on Friday.
”We had more time together so I guess we knew each other better. ”But it was good to contribute to the relief fund. Our job was to play footy and the boys had big smiles on their faces,” said Mehrtens, who will have done his chances of playing in the Lions tests for the All Blacks this summer no harm.
The North’s captain Lawrence Dallaglio said it would have been nicer to have made it a closer run thing. ”We were very loose in the first-half and they made us pay. ”They scored a lot of their tries from turnovers, they had pace and power. The score was irrelevant but it would have been nice to have got closer.”
With the northern hemisphere being coached by England World Cup-winner Clive Woodward, the man who will lead the British and Lions in New Zealand later this year, the game had been billed as a ‘trial’ match for that tour.
But how much he gleaned from a fixture where, in the early stages of the second-half many spectators in a half-full stadium — which included Prince Harry and Prince William — amused themselves with the questionable gesture of a ‘Mexican Wave’ was debatable.
Both scratch teams treated the match like a Barbarians game, running and kicking to touch penalties they would otherwise have tried to strike between the posts had the game been a full international.
The south took the lead in the 13th minute when veteran Samoa wing Brian Lima linked well with All Blacks captain and centre Tana Umaga, who crossed for a try. However, the north, in front of only a half-full Twickenham crowd, hit back to level the scores seven minutes later.
Uncapped Worcester prop Chris Horsman burst forward and found Dallaglio in support. The veteran back-row almost crossed the line himself but he was hauled down a yard short by Latham. However, Dallaglio’s pop-up pass found England reserve hooker Andy Titterrell.
His try was converted by Ireland fly-half David Humphreys. But five minutes later the South, who put in by far the more crunching tackles throughout, went ahead when Lima sprinted clean through down the blindside. The North though responded minutes later when Humphreys’ towering cross-kick was palmed back short of the line by Italy right-wing Mirco Bergamasco and former England back-row Pat Sanderson pounced for the try.
Humphreys, however, missed the conversion and the South were 14-12 ahead. Two more converted tries then saw the south extend their lead to 28-12 at the break. First Latham, following a pass from Samoa lock Opeta Palepoi sprinted clear for a try under the posts. And just before half-time Springbok flanker Schalk Burger, the IRB’s world player of the year, burst through off the back of a ruck with the north defence again flat-footed.
After some uninspired play at the start of the second period, the South went further ahead when replacement forward and Samoa skipper Semo Sititi was on the end of an overlap out on the left created by Fiji wing Sireli Bobo and Latham. Mehrtens converted and at 35-12 the South, coached by 1999 Australian World Cup-winning chief Rod Macqueen, had ended the match as a contest.
As space opened up, Bergamasco restored some northern pride with a try on the hour mark which Wales’s Ceri Sweeney, the replacement fly-half converted. But the south were far from finished and after Mehrtens’s high kick landed over the goal-line, Latham touched down for his second try. Springbok centre Jaque Fourie and Sititi again both added further tries before the finish.
The IRB hoped the match, which followed similar charity cricket and soccer matches in Melbourne and Barcelona respectively, would raise at least $1,9-million dollars. IRB chief executive Mike Miller paid tribute to all those that had made contributions and given up their time. ”Thanks to clubs and unions and public for their generosity. We have raised over a million pounds and money will be reaching the places it needs to go in the next week or two.” – Sapa-AFP