Barbarians 11 - 18 Australia: Wallabies end tour with victory

Published on Thursday 4 December 2008 00:31

AUSTRALIA celebrated the centenary of their 1908 Olympic gold medal with victory over the Barbarians at Wembley.

Australia won Olympic gold at the White City Stadium 100 years ago with a 32-3 victory over Great Britain, who were represented at the Games by county champions Cornwall.

Australia scored six tries that day. There were only two last night but it was enough for the Wallabies to mark the occasion with victory against a Barbarians side who broke with tradition to wear black and yellow Cornwall socks.

Former All Blacks flanker Jerry Collins provided his own tribute by dying his hair yellow and he profited from a dazzling Shane Williams run to score the Barbarians' second-half try that drew the scores back to 13-11 and set up a dramatic late finish.

The Barbarians could have snatched the win had fly-half Francois Steyn not missed the conversion and a simple late penalty. But Australia, who had opened a 13-0 lead during the first-half with a try from Lote Tuqiri only to see it eaten into by two Percy Montgomery penalties and Collins' try, ensured their six-match tour ended on a victorious note when replacement winger Lachlan Turner scored two minutes from time.

Scorers: Barbarians: Try: Collins; Pens: Montgomery 2. Australia: Tries: Tuqiri, Turner; Cons: O'Connor; Pens: O'Connor 2.

Barbarians: Montgomery; Rokocoko, Gear, De Villiers, Habana; Steyn, Du Preez; Pucciariello, Smit, Johnston, Botha, Muller, Burger, Collins, McCaw.

Australia: O'Connor; Tuqiri, Cross, Ashley-Cooper, Ioane; Cooper, Sheehan; Kepu, Polota-Nau, Dunning, Chisholm, McMeniman, Mumm, Brown, Smith.

Ref: C White (Eng). Att: 43,600