But Aussies have sting in tail

looked to ease through the New Zealand defence every time they got within 10 metres of the tryline.

Missing 43 tackles, 18 more than the Australians, and committing more errors didn’t help the home side’s cause.

The Kiwis took a brief lead midway through the first half but they never looked convincingly on top of the match.

The second half was telling, when North Queensland Cowboys up-andcomer Enari Tuala went over in the corner five minutes after the break.

Stamping their authority on the scoreboard, the visitors refused to slam the door on their hosts.

A number of handling errors inside their own half invited pressure from the Junior Kiwis.

Winger Steven Marsters made them pay with an initial one-armed take after a deft bomb from fiveeighth Dean Blore fell into his hands for New Zealand’s fifth try.

Down by 10 with the time on the clock in single figures, the Junior Kiwis couldn’t mount a charge.

Instead, Tuala slammed the door shut in the 78th minute, crossing the stripe for his side’s seventh try of the afternoon to seal an Australian victory. late gamewinning

Junior Kangaroos 40 (T. Fa’asuamaleaui 2, E. Tuala 2, L. Geraghty, T. Flegler, C. Allan tries; Z. Lomax 6 cons) Junior Kiwis 24 (S. Mullany, I. Papali’i, J. Ferris, J. Vuna, S. Marsters tries; C. Harris-Tavita 2 cons). Halftime: 24-16.