NSW Country Rugby Union

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos have registered a hard fought 31 – 23 victory over the Victoria Axemen in the annual fixture at Melbourne on Saturday.

In a very keenly contested match the Cockatoos had to overcome a very physical Axemen team which had been bolstered with the inclusion of seven players from the Melbourne Rising, the Melbourne Rebels second team.

Conditions were very cold, with the field very slippery and heavy under foot following a week of rain, with the state of the field deteriorating during the match when several rain showers passed over the ground.

The early exchanges set the tone for the match as both teams were keen to gain the ascendancy with hard running and solid defence being the order of the day.  

After withstanding the initial attacks which saw the Cockatoos miss a penalty goal attempt, the Axemen worked play into the Cockatoos half and after nine minutes they caught the Cockatoo defence napping when they took a quick tap and scored a converted try to take a 7 nil lead.

The intensity of the defence by both teams didn’t let up, but it was the Cockatoos who scored next when five eight Ben Damen broke the line and put through a well weighted kick which was pounced on by fullback David Kennedy who scored a try.  Kennedy’s sideline conversion saw the score-line locked up at 7 all after fifteen minutes of play.

The Axemen went on the attack from the restart and on the back of several penalties at the break down they kicked penalty goals in the eighteenth and twenty first minutes to take a handy 13 – 7 lead.

The conditions under foot weren’t improved when a steady rain shower swept the ground and both teams were finding it hard to gain momentum on the slippery field and it was developing into an arm wrestle.

The Cockatoos finally broke the deadlock when winger Tim Walton fielded a clearing kick and made an incisive run before off loading to centre Sam Stewart who in turn put No 8 Mike Te Moana on a charging run to the line.  Te Moana was dragged down five metres short and from the quick recycle fullback David Kennedy grubber kicked into the in-goal for five eight Ben Damen to score a converted try for the Cockatoos to take the lead 14 – 13 at the thirty minute mark.

The Cockatoos were on a roll and dominated the next ten minutes of the half, but the Axemen’s defence scrambled and the only scoring reward was a David Kennedy penalty goal to take them to the half time break leading 17 – 13.

The second half saw the Axemen go on the attack from the restart, and after putting the Cockatoos defence under pressure they pounced on a poor clearing kick and crossed for a converted try to lead 20 – 17 in the forty fourth minute.

The Axemen had the ascendancy and continued to attack the Cockatoos who were finding it hard to make headway in the slippery conditions, and a lack of discipline at the break down enabled the Axemen to maintain the pressure.  One of these break down penalties was converted into points in the fifty fourth minute and the Axemen had increased their lead to 23 – 17.

The Axemen were on a roll and continued to put the Cockatoos under pressure, and it was only through scrambling and at times last ditch defence that the Axemen didn’t increase their lead.

The Cockatoos hung on and after soaking up an enormous amount of pressure David Kennedy broke clear down the blind side from a ruck and ran seventy five metres to be finally pulled down a metre short of the line.  With the Axemen’s defence in tatters the ball was swung wide and winger Tim Walton crossed for a converted try which saw the Cockatoos hit the lead 24 – 23 with thirteen minutes left on the clock.

Both sides increased the tempo of their attacks, but the defence of both sides was equal to the task and with another rain shower crossing the ground the score-line looked destined to remain unchanged.

With five minutes left on the clock centre Sam Stewart made a crunching ball and all tackle on his opposite centre, which saw him strip the ball and race fifty metres to score a converted try to wrap up the match 31 – 23.

In a match which was highlighted by strong defence, players to stand out were Lock Lachlan Brown, Flankers Ben Colley and Jeff Wilson, Five Eight Ben Damen, Centre Sam Stewart and goal kicking Fullback David Kennedy.

The GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos next match will be against NSW Suburban on Saturday, 21 May 2011 as the curtain raiser to the HSBC Waratahs v Lions SupeRugby match at the Sydney Football Stadium.


GrainCorp NSW Country Cockatoos: 31 (Ben Damen, David Kennedy, Sam Stewart & Tim Walton Tries, David Kennedy 4 Conversions & Penalty Goal)

Defeated

Melbourne Axemen: 23 (2 Tries, 2 Conversions & 3 Penalty Goals)