Miller plays but can't prevent Kiwi win
Last updated 12:22, Monday, 23 June 2008
Cumbrian Rob Miller got 19 minutes of a World Championship final last night – but could do nothing about England’s heavy defeat by New Zealand.
England’s bid for the Junior World Championship title was brought down at the final hurdle by a slick and sharp New Zealand side in Swansea who won comfortably 38-3.
Nigel Redman’s Under-20s had outperformed every previous junior England team by reaching a first Junior World Championship final, winning all nine games this season and completing a Six Nations Grand Slam in the process.
But the number one seeds weathered the early pressure, then kept the scoreboard ticking over with penalties before their increasingly dangerous runners
struck with Kade Poki, Jackson Willison, Andre Taylor and Ryan Crotty all scoring tries.
England replied with Alex Goode’s solitary first half penalty and despite some bright spells – Miles Benjamin and Jordan Turner-Hall both threatening – they couldn’t put any more points on the board, particularly after flanker Calum Clark was sent-off for striking an opponent.
Miller, the former Keswick School and Aspatria fly-half now with Newcastle Falcons, got his chance after 61 minutes replacing Bristol centre Luke Eves.
The Under-19 champions scored first, a Renata penalty in the fifth minute, but England shaded the opening 15 minutes of a tense kicking battle, earning penalty chances in the eighth and 11th minutes that Goode could not put away.
The dominance ended there, though, as New Zealand’s efficient lineout gave them the platform to offload and unleash their dangerous runners, with Crusaders wing Poki coming inside to score the opening try in the 17th minute with Renata converting.
England worked their way downfield for Goode to get them on the board in the 25th minute but the remainder of the half was an increasingly tough defensive operation as the Junior All Blacks chipped through the blitz defence, aimed cross-kicks wide and offloaded out of the tackle.
However, they added only a solitary Daniel Kirkpatrick penalty moments before Peter Fitzgibbon’s half-time, giving England time to reorganise during the break.
There was more urgency about their attacking work from deep, but Renata added two more penalties early in the second half before Redman made changes with Ben Youngs, Billy Moss and Scott Hobson all given time to make an impact.
Willison ended their chances of finding a way back into the game, though, when he squeezed over on the left past Eves after two midfield rucks.
England managed to apply some pressure going into the final 10 minutes though, Turner-Hall’s break forcing Aaron Smith to kill the ball and earn a yellow card.
The advantage evaporated almost instantly when Clark was dismissed for striking as his side caught and drove to within a couple of metres of the line.
His team-mates kept on moving forward, only to be punished down the right as Andre Taylor was judged to have grounded the ball after re-gathering his own kick ahead, Kirkpatrick converting.
The embarrassment was increased when Ryan Crotty got away down the left – after a promising England attack broke down – to add a fourth try with Kirkpatrick again successful from out wide.
