‘Unbelievable’ best sums up Kiwis
The reaction from two locals wandering out of Derwent Stadium summed up a surreal night of rugby league.
They were on their way home after witnessing — along with almost a quarter of Workington’s modest population — an unheralded Scotland side draw 18-18 with the Kiwis.
“You know, lad,” said one. “I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning and I still won’t believe what I saw here. It was just unbelievable, like.”
Those sentiments will no doubt be echoed across the New Zealand league community after witnessing the Kiwis come close to an embarrassing defeat.
They were seven minutes away from going out of the tournament before two late Gerard Beale tries gave them an 18-12 lead. But still there was another lapse, with Scotland scoring a converted try in the 79th minute to level the scores.
It was far too close for comfort the entire match, as the Kiwis struggled to establish any dominance. They lacked energy and accuracy against a fired-up Scottish side, who were given a leg up by referee Ben Cummins and the match officials.
The result means New Zealand will make the final if England lose to Australia on Monday (NZT) but an English win or draw will see the Kiwis out of the tournament.
The match was played in testing conditions. It’s fine bringing a game to the heartland in Cumbria, but playing at a venue that is predominantly used as a speedway track was questionable. Workington had their glory days in the 1950s and the ground felt like it hadn’t been improved since. The local club play
in the third tier of British league, so bringing such an important match here was a strange call.
The Kiwis started poorly and got worse. They had the benefit of a strong wind but couldn’t get any momentum. Cummins set the tone for an erratic performance early and the Kiwis didn’t receive a penalty until the 31st minute as Scotland dominated possession and territory. It felt like the Australian referee was more lenient with the underdogs and the best example was a hit on Thomas Leuluai — which broke his jaw — going unpunished.
“I think the final [penalty] count was 10-5,” said Kiwis coach David Kidwell. “I didn’t think we were that bad, to be honest, and it’s something we will have a look at.”
But New Zealand were their own worst enemies. They struggled with ball control and didn’t use the strong wind to their advantage in the first half. When they made inroads, they tried to go wide too early when long passing was almost impossible in the blustery conditions. There was also a lack of support for the forwards, which made them easy targets for the eager Scottish defence.
And mistakes — this was a game littered with them. There was Adam Blair trying an ambitious offload 30m from his own line early in the set, David Fusitu’a allowing himself to be pushed over the sideline and Shaun Johnson inexplicably kicking out on the full. Scotland were good, particu-
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larly on defence. They produced numerous try-saving tackles and captain Danny Brough, who had two injections in his ankle to play, was the best player on the park.
“I’m as proud as anything,” said Scotland coach Steve McCormack. “Not only that never-say-die attitude from our lads but just the manner in which we got that result. We were pretty busted after the England game. You can’t underestimate what these players have done.”