www.news.com.au
Kiwis the team to beat: Simmons
By Dan Koch and Stuart Honeysett
November 29, 2005
FORMER Test hooker and Wests Tigers assistant coach Royce Simmons has warned New Zealand's upset win in the Tri-Nations final may only be the beginning, suggesting the Kiwis are set to become the team to beat in international football.
Sunday morning's (AEDT) demoralising 24-0 defeat was Australia's first series loss since 1978 and the first series loss to the Kiwis since 1953, ending one of the most dominant eras for any team in international sport.
Simmons said the burgeoning depth of New Zealand's talent pool was evidence rugby league's sleeping giant was now wide awake and the loss may be more than just a hiccup for the all-powerful Kangaroos
"They (New Zealand) didn't do anything special on the weekend," said Simmons, Tim Sheens' right-hand man in the Tigers NRL premiership win this season.
"They just dominated the middle of the park, played field position and came out pretty comfortable winners.
"They did what Australia has been doing to them for years and Australia buckled.
"We just couldn't get on the front foot early and then started making a few errors and the discipline you usually associate with Australian teams got lost.
"The scary thing is New Zealand did it without a lot of very, very good players."
Much has been made of the absence of key Australia playmakers Darren Lockyer and Andrew Johns however Simmons pointed out the Kiwis also had injury problems.
Australia-based Kiwis Jamaal Lolesi, Matt Utai, Benji Marshall, Sonny-Bill Williams and Dene Halatau were among those missing from the New Zealand line-up on Sunday, as was giant England-based winger Lesley Vainikolo.
"In the next three to five years I am expecting New Zealand to develop into a pretty awesome outfit and Australia will need to be on top of their game at every level to match it with them," Simmons said. "I still think we are capable of putting together an Australian side that will be very hard to beat but I think the days of Australia totally dominating the international game are over."
Former Test halfback Brett Kimmorley believes the shock loss may prove to be a blessing in disguise for future national squads, who will no longer live in fear of being the team which lost Australia's unbeaten run.
Kimmorley said he believed the loss may strengthen the resolve of Australia's teams in years to come.
"It was an incredible record and one which every Australian player I played with was tremendously proud of and determined to protect," said Kimmorley, who was overlooked for this year's tour in favour of Johns, Scott Prince and Craig Gower after an injury-plagued year at the Sharks.
"But in recent years, with New Zealand and Great Britain really improving, there was definitely a fear among the players of being part of the team which eventually did get beaten because we all knew it was going to happen one day. That weight and pressure is gone now."
Simmons and Kimmorley both defended national coach Wayne Bennett and his touring party, saying all had proven themselves at the highest level and labelled calls from past players for a cleanout as "ridiculous".
"We certainly dropped a lot of ball on Sunday but a lot of credit should go to New Zealand," the Cronulla skipper said.
"Their defence was awesome and they just dictated the tempo of the game from start to finish."
Former Test centre and Cronulla general manager Steve Rogers, who was part of the squad that lost the 1978 series to France, questioned if the mix of the 23-man squad was right.
Some of Bennett's selections were questioned before the first game against the Kiwis in Sydney, including Bulldogs prop Willie Mason who had missed most of the season with a foot injury.
"There seemed to be an excess of players picked on past performances but Australian selectors have a history of doing that and I have benefited from it myself," Rogers said.
"In hindsight there were a few players who possibly should not have been there."
The Australian
Kiwis now the team to beat
Moderator: GH Moderators