| 2010 (2010) Anzac Test | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Date | 7 May 2010 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | AAMI Park | ||||||||||||
| Location | Melbourne, Australia | ||||||||||||
Sam Thaiday | |||||||||||||
| Referee | Richard Silverwood | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 29442 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
The2010ANZAC Test was arugby leaguetest match played betweenAustralia andNew Zealand on 7 May 2010. The match coincided with the official opening ofAAMI Park inMelbourne. The match was won by Australia with a score of 12–8.
The squads for each side were announced on 2 May 2010.[1][2] The selectors for the Australian team made only five changes to the squad that won the final of the2009 Four Nations. Three of those changes were due to injuries.[3] Notable among the selections was the omission ofBrisbane BroncoscentreIsrael Folau. There had been rumours that Folau was considering moving to theAustralian Football League orrugby union; however, the selectors insisted he had been dropped for form reasons. Manly centreJamie Lyon was called up in Folau's place, and to act asgoal-kicker due to Johnathan Thurston's injury-enforced absence.[4] Thurston, the incumbent Australianhalf back, missed the match with a shoulder injury. He was replaced in the position byCooper Cronk.[5]Michael Weyman, aprop forward from theSt. George Illawarra Dragons was the only member of the squad representing Australia for the first time.[6]
The New Zealand team included two debutants:Aaron Heremaia andZeb Taia.Alex Glenn was named in the 18-man squad but was left out of the 17-man team.[7][8] One of the notable selections was 19-year-oldKieran Foran being named as half back for the first time:[7] Commentators predicted he would be the long-term incumbent in the position, with former Australian halfbackAndrew Johns suggesting he could become the best player in the world.[9][10]
The match was the first event to be held at Melbourne'sAAMI Park, a rectangular stadium built for rugby league, rugby union andsoccer in a city known for its preference forAustralian rules football.[11] Despite having been officially sold out[12] wet conditions on the night meant an attendance of 29,442, which nearly satisfied the stadium's 30,050 capacity.[13][14] The opening ceremony featured the NRL's all-time highest point-scorer,Hazem El Masri kicking a goal.[15]
TheNational anthem of New Zealand was performed byElizabeth Marvelly and theNational anthem of Australia was performed byKatie Noonan.
The first half of the match was low-scoring, as wet conditions caused numerous ball-handling errors.[16] Australia took a 6–0 lead at half-time, afterBrett Morris scored a try to add to an earlier penalty goal fromJamie Lyon. Morris' try was scored in the 39th minute of the first half and was the result of agrubber kick fromDarren Lockyer.[16] Morris scored a second try shortly into the second half to make the score 12–0.Sam Thaiday set up the try with a flick pass as he was being pushed out of the field of play by New Zealand defenders.[16][17] New Zealand pulled back two unconverted tries throughJason Nightingale andJunior Sa'u; however, they were not able to make up the 12-point deficit, and Australia won the match 12–8.[17] The match was affected by wet conditions that forced more conservative play. After the match, New Zealand captainBenji Marshall claimed that his side was at least as good as the Australian team, citing that the difference in the scoreline was caused only by Australia's better goalkicking.[18] Australia'sSam Thaiday was named Man of the Match.[16]
Cameron Smith andZeb Taia were both injured in the course of the match in tackles involving club teammatesAdam Blair andKurt Gidley respectively.[19]
7 May 2010, 8:00pm
| 12 | Australia |
|---|---|
| Tries | 2 Morris (39', 48') |
| Goals | 2/3 Lyon (32', 49') |
| Field Goals | |
| 8 |  New Zealand |
| Tries | 1 Nightingale (68') 1 Sa'u (78') |
| Goals | 0/2 Luke |
| Field Goals |
Half Time: Australia 6 – 0
Man of the Match:Sam Thaiday
Referee:Richard Silverwood
Attendance: 29,442
32nd – Australia 2–0 (Lyon penalty goal)
39th – Australia 6–0 (Morris try)
48th – Australia 12–0 (Morris try; Lyon goal)
68th – Australia 12–4 (Nightingale try)
78th – Australia 12–8 (Sa'u try)
