Melbourne crash Phoenix’s party At a glance
At Sky Stadium, Wellington: Melbourne City 4 (Bryleeh Henry 48’, Maria Jose Rojas 50’, Rhianna Pollicina 65’, 69’) Wellington Phoenix 1 (Kaitlyn Torpey own goal 81’). HT: 0-0
Melbourne City crashed Wellington Phoenix’s homecoming party with a comprehensive 4-1 win in the first A-League Women match to be played on New Zealand soil.
The first round match was played before a record of 5213 fans – the largest attendance for a standalone regular season game.
But the home side was unable to rise to the occasion against one of the strongest teams in the league, soundly beaten after shipping four second-half goals thanks to a masterclass from City striker Maria Jose Rojas.
The Phoenix pulled one back when Ava Pritchard, the scorer of their first A-League Women goal last season, forced an own goal in the 81st minute.
Pritchard rifled the ball through a crowd of bodies after pouncing on the loose ball at a corner-kick, and the final touch came off City’s Kaitlin Torpey.
But the damage was already done by then.
After a goalless first half, City took full control of the match when they struck twice inside the first five minutes of the second half.
City broke the deadlock in the 48th minute when Rojas teed up Bryleeh Henry at the back post after dribbling around Phoenix captain Kate Taylor.
The late injury replacement for
Football Ferns striker Hannah Wilkinson scored the second herself two minutes later, cutting inside and tucking the ball in at the near post after again getting the better of Taylor in a one-on-one situation.
City’s third came from the penalty spot in the 65th minute. Captain Rhianna Pollicina converted the spot-kick after Rojas was bundled over by Zoe McMeeken in the area.
Brianna Edwards guessed the right way and got a glove to it but could not keep the ball out.
Pollicina put the game beyond doubt when she slotted her second and City’s fourth four minutes later, curling a wonderful shot past an outstretched Edwards.
The Phoenix’s late goal gave the crowd something to smile about, but Natalie Lawrence’s side was well beaten.
The All Blacks have finished the year with a record of eight wins, four losses and a draw after a 25-25 thriller against England.
A disappointing finish undid much of their good work earlier in the test – and showed how deep you need to dig to beat a side like England, who thrive on momentum.
Here are the big talking points after the Twickenham test.
World rugby is a traffic jam at the top, but the All Blacks are inching forwards
There is no chance of any team bursting clear of the five-strong pack at the top of the rankings and establishing themselves as clear favourites for the Rugby World Cup. France occupy that position in many people’s minds, but they needed a slice of fortune to beat the Wallabies and South Africa in recent weeks. Ireland, missing the injured Johnny Sexton, struggled to break down the Wallabies in Dublin after the All Blacks-England test. Standards have risen across the board, and All Blacks fans must accept they have no preordained right to sit above the crowd – and that there can still be positives from a draw at Twickenham. And there was a clear one: the All Blacks’ starting tight five is now capable of being successful in France. That’s a big shift from recent years.
Bench rethink required
The progress outlined above shouldn’t stop the All Blacks from taking a critical look at how they set up their bench. Fletcher Newell’s energy was conspicuous by its absence at Twickenham as England replacement prop Will Stuart was helping himself to two tries. The All Blacks have shown plenty of faith in Nepo Laulala, but there is a question mark about whether it has been rewarded. Similarly, Hoskins Sotutu and David Havili were named on the bench but only used lightly – eight minutes and one minute, respectively. What were their roles before the test started? England had been picking up a head of steam even before Beauden Barrett’s costly yellow card. A punchy prop, loose forward and midfielder or winger are needed next year.
Papalii is the form No 7
The All Blacks could get too cute with Dalton Papalii next year – designate him that role of impact loose forward to make way for Sam Cane at No 7. But, that would be hard on the Blues man, who has been excellent in the black jersey for the past two years. Papalii and Ardie Savea are a nightmare for opponents – the breakdown threat they posed changed the way Eddie Jones selected his England team – and