The Australian Barbarians have taken a clean sweep in their tour of New Zealand with a 40-24 win over the Heartland XV.
Cook Gardens, Wanganui set the scene for the second and last match of the Barbarians Tour of New Zealand and they got off to a bang, with three converted tries inside the first 21 minutes.
The Barbarians once again started well, with Sam Figg sensationally turning the ball over inside his own half, when after 5 phases a break from UC Vikings’ Rodney Iona made a clean break with a beautiful grubber ball through for Jed Gillespie to finish for the first points of the game. Isaac Thompson had no trouble with the conversion giving the ‘Baa Baas’ the early 7-0 lead.
Not a minute later, some great Barbarians rush up defence lead to a kick being placed through the Heartland line to which Jarome Mackenzie sprinted and doted down. Thompson once again took the extras and the Barbarians extended the lead to 14-0.
After a strong set of phases up over half way the Australians struck again after some beautiful hands down the left wing from Iona, Figg and Pennington led to Dewet Roos streaking away and dotting it down. Thompson had his kicking boots on and made it three from three pushing the score out to 21-0.
Heartland were then awarded a penalty for hands in the ruck, they pointed for the posts and took the three points with Stephen Perofeta bring the deficit back to 3-21.
The men from New Zealand rolled with the momentum and broke the Barbarians line until blindside flanker Hayden Anderson crashed over for their first try of the match. Perofeta converted and brought the score back to 10-21.
A dominant scrumaging performance from the Barbarians led to the team’s fourth try, as Dewet Roos went in again as he eluded several defenders to dive over under the posts. Thompson converted and pushed the score out to 28-10.
It looked as if that score line would take us to half time, but the Barbarians had other ideas, after a lineout just inside Heartland half the ‘Baa Baas’ went wide and Jack Pennington made a clean break and headed for the line, he was brought down just short where Isaac Thompson was given a short ball and crashed through for the try. Thompson couldn’t convert and the Australian NRC Barbarians went into the sheds at half time with a 10-33 lead.
It took 11 minutes before the Barbarians penetrated the Heartland XV defensive line and Isaac Thompson sliced through for his double after some strong phases. He converted from directly in front and extended the lead to 40-10.
It then took 17 minutes for the Heartland to reply, through speedy flyhalf Stephen Perofeta who cut through and scored his second try of the series. He converted and pinned back the score to 17-40.
The Heartland XV struck again not long after through winger Lance Easton with Perofeta adding the extras to bring th score to 24-40.
The Barbarians then played out the final minute ball in hand, with Isaac Thompson sending the ball out giving the ‘Baa Baas’ the win and the clean sweep of the series.
