RUGBY INTERNATIONAL MATCH: Barbarians 11 Austrailian 18AT THIS rate Australia will be applying to play all their matches in London. Victory may not have been quite as satisfying as last month's result at Twickenham but last night's gallant win over one of the stronger-looking Barbarian sides of modern times was no small achievement.
Tries from Lote Tuqiri and Lachie Turner, as well as a committed effort from George Smith, underpinned the Wallabies' success, although a ruptured achilles tendon for the prop Matt Dunning removed some of the gloss.
The Australian defence had to dig deep and there was also plenty to admire in the shape of their 18-year-old full-back James O'Connor.
Francois Steyn, in contrast, missed the opportunity to win the game by slicing a 73rd minute penalty wide from almost in front of the posts, paving the way for replacement winger Turner to settle things with a 77th minute breakaway effort.
Thus Australia who had opened a 13-0 lead during the first-half with a try from Lote Tuqiri, ensured their six-match tour ended on a victorious note.
Despite plunging temperatures, the 43,600-plus Wembley crowd had plenty to entertain them.
The Barbarians may have been at Wembley to represent Britain, but the starting XV had a strong South African flavour with seven World Cup-winning side, including captain John Smit and winger Bryan Habana plus All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw
The presence of McCaw, Schalk Burger and Smith on the same field was a collector's item, as was the no-holds-barred scuffle between the Wallaby fly-half Quade Cooper and Federico Pucciarello which spilled over the hoardings.
Pucciarello was instantly replaced, having broken the unwritten rule of the Baa-Baas: feel free to hit the bottle but never an opponent.
Habana created the first try-scoring opportunity of the evening, with a break through the middle and chip over advancing Australian full-back O'Connor.
Tuqiri, making his first appearance of the tour after recovering from a knee injury, covered well to keep out McCaw — and then finished a brilliant Ryan Cross break to score at the other end.
Cross attacked from deep in his own half, slicing through the Barbarians defence before chipping ahead for Tuqiri to mark his comeback from a knee injury with a try by the posts.
O'Connor, who became Australia's second youngest international in the Wallabies' win over Italy last month, converted the try and then stretched the lead to 13-0 with two penalties.
Percy Montgomery landed two penalties to put the Barbarians on the scoreboard before being replaced by the Welsh winger and world player of the year Shane Williams at the interval.
The second half began with Australian props Matt Dunning and Sekope Kepu both being replaced injured after the Barbarians demolished a Wallaby scrum.
Williams scored in Wales' 21-18 victory over Australia in Cardiff on Saturday and he brought the crowd to its feet every time he got the ball.
And when O'Connor scuffed a clearance from his own line, Williams was on hand to punish the Wallabies again.
The Welsh wizard burst down the left wing and attracted three covering defenders before he popped the inside pass for Collins to barrel over for the try.
Steyn missed the conversion and then a simple penalty with eight minutes remaining, which would have nudged the Barbarians ahead.
The Barbarians broke with tradition to wear black and yellow Cornwall socks while Collins had dyed his hair yellow for the occasion
And the Wallabies sealed the Cornwall Cup, which was lifted by captain and man of the match George Smith, when Turner scored a breakaway try two minutes from time.
AUSTRALIA:O'Connor (W Force; Mitchell, W Force 64); Tuqiri (Waratahs), Cross (W Force; Turner, Waratahs, 57), Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies), Ioane (Reds); Cooper (Reds), Sheehan (Waratahs; Burgess, Waratahs, 50); Kepu (Waratahs; Freier, Waratahs, 46), Polota-Nau (Waratahs), Dunning (Waratahs; Alexander, Brumbies, 46); Chisholm (Brumbies), McMeniman (Reds); Mumm (Waratahs), Smith (Brumbies), Brown (W Force; Pocock, W Force, 46).
BARBARIANS:Montgomery (S Africa; Williams, Wales, h-t); Rokocoko (N Zealand), Gear (N Zealand, Smith, England, 50), De Villiers (S Africa), Habana (S Africa); Steyn (S Africa), Du Preez (S Africa; Gregan, Australia, 59); Pucciariello (Italy; Blake, Australia, 32; Regan, England, 59), Smit (S Africa), Johnston (Samoa; Koster, S Africa, 51); Botha (S Africa), Muller (S Africa; Jack, N Zealand, 50); Collins (N Zealand), McCaw (N Zealand), Burger (S Africa).
Referee: C White(RFU).
• Guardian Service
