p17 2_Layout 1 11/15/14 10:16 PM Page 1

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2014 SPORTS NZ snap Australian supremacy WELLINGTON: New Zealand shattered captain Cameron Smith rated his side’s per- Australia’s supremacy with an formance as “brave but unfortunately we historic 22-18 victory in the Four Nations came up against a better side.” tournament final at Westpac stadium here In a feisty opening, it was Australia who yesterday. dominated. They were twice denied points The defending champion Kangaroos when first Josh Mansour spilled the ball were left mesmerised by the Shaun over the line and then Corey Parker was Johnson-led running game as the Kiwis held up. pulled off back-to-back wins over Australia But it was only a matter of time before for the first time in 61 years. they would be rewarded and the break Johnson, the stand-out performer when came from a Cooper Cronk kick in the 10th New Zealand shocked Australia 30-12 in minute which New Zealand fumbled and the opening game of the tournament four Michael Jennings snapped up the loose weeks ago, was again the architect of their ball for the try. victory and was again named man-of-the- It was a signal for New Zealand to go to match. His elusive running set up Manu the interchange early and the injection of Vatuvei for his first try to give New Zealand and turned an eight-point buffer at 14-6 at half-time, the game dramatically. and when Australia closed within two Captain was no points in the second half Johnson stunned longer battling on his own as the reshaped the Kangaroo defence with a brilliant solo Kiwi forward pack began to rampage up try. the middle. The result was sweet revenge for New Taupau put Shaun Kenny-Dowall Zealand who were humbled 34-2 when through a gap to spark a 60-metre move they last met Australia in a decider-the that resulted in a try in the right corner to World Cup final last year. . But this time there was no sign of the Deft footwork by Johnson, when he opt- New Zealanders being underdogs as they ed to run on a fifth tackle, saw him beat five recovered from giving Australia an early try defenders before a wide pass to Vatuvei by taking the lead midway through the first put the giant wing over in the left corner. half and were never headed from there. With Johnson also landing three goals, Coach Stephen Kearney said his side had New Zealand went to the break leading 14- set themselves a standard they would have 6. Australia again started strongly after the to live up to. “We’ve got a great young team break, closing within two points at 14-12 and the future’s bright,” he said. “Australia when Daly Cherry-Evans put Sione are going to keep coming back at us and Mata’utia over wide out and Cameron the challenge is for us to keep improving.” Smith landed his second goal. While Kearney praised Johnson and his But Johnson reignited the Kiwis when partner in the halves , he said he squared up Greg Inglis in a solo jink it was the Kiwi forwards who set up the vic- through the Kangaroo defence and tory. Vatuvai snapped up his second try when LONDON: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic plays a return to Japan’s Kei Nishikori during their singles ATP World Tour Finals semifinal tennis match at the Without those guys doing the hard he ran over the 18-year-old Mata’utia for O2 Arena in London yesterday. —AP hards you’re not going to get the opportu- New Zealand to lead 22-12 with 20 min- nites that Shaun got and Kieran was pre- utes to play. Australia were rewarded with sented with. a late try to Ben Hunt to ensure a cliff- With the 10-times world champion hanger finish but were unable to cross the Djokovic downs Nishikori Kangaroos suffering a rare finals defeat, line again. —AFP to reach ATP Tour Finals

LONDON: Novak Djokovic survived his first seri- third time in four years-a fitting reward for he pressed home his advantage with another ous test of the ATP Tour Finals as the world num- another dominant year that saw the Serb win break to open the second set. But his concentra- ber one advanced to the final with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 Wimbledon, reach the French Open final and tion wavered and a double fault in the next victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori yesterday. claim five other ATP titles. game allowed Nishikori to break back. Djokovic had swept through the group stage Nishikori had also enjoyed an impressive That miscue brought a mighty cheer from the at London’s O2 Arena in imperious style, but he campaign and became the first Asian player to crowd, who sensed they might get a competitive was pushed harder by Nishikori, who became qualify for the Tour Finals after reaching the US match after all, prompting an angry response the first player to take a set off him since Open final in September, beating Djokovic in the from Djokovic, who clapped his racquet in sar- October, before a strong finish secured the semi-finals. The 24-year-old can leave London castic acknowledgement of the way the support Serb’s fourth appearance in the final of the pres- with his head held high after a solid week’s work, had swung against him. tigious season-ending event. The 27-year-old but he will be frustrated to have let Djokovic off Djokovic seemed surprisingly rattled by the has now won 31 successive indoor matches, the hook when he seemed to have turned the atmosphere and Nishikori began dictating the including 14 at the Tour Finals, and his final tide in his favour in the second set. points with more aggression. For the first time opponent will be either six-time champion all week, Djokovic was under pressure and Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka, who meet in an SUPERLATIVE STANDARDS Nishikori made him pay as he broke for a 5-3 all-Swiss semi-final late yesterday. Djokovic landed the first break in the fourth lead and took the set. Djokovic, who has lifted the Tour Finals tro- game of the match when a searing forehand Nishikori, who twice needed treatment on his phy three times, remains on course to become forced Nishikori to lunge for a volley that he wrist during the first two sets, held a remarkable the first man to win the event three years in a couldn’t control. 21-2 record in decisive sets this season. row since Ivan Lendl in the 1980s. Even by his superlative standards, this was a But he couldn’t convert two break points at “Kei was playing great and this has been the masterclass from Djokovic and he closed out the the start of the final set and Djokovic, reinvigo- best season of his life but he made some crucial first set in 23 minutes. Yet, with the prospect of rated by that escape, broke in the next game to double faults in the third set,” Djokovic said. “Of their afternoon’s entertainment ending much turn the tide. course I will watch the other semi-final. I’ll get soon than hoped, the 17,500 capacity crowd Nishikori finally crumbled after that and LONDON: ’s Bakkies Botha gathers the ball mid-air during the interna- some popcorn and enjoy it from my bed.” threw their support behind Nishikori in a bid to Djokovic emphatically closed out a win he cele- tional match between and South Africa at Twickenham sta- On Friday, Djokovic had guaranteed he will raise his game. brated with only a cursory wave to the crowd dium. —AP finish top of the year-end world rankings for the Djokovic seemed in a merciless mood when who had so irked him. —AFP Springboks outsmart England Double the excitement, LONDON: South Africa returned to win- Hougaard and fly-half Handre Pollard, their ning ways with a 31-28 victory over places taken by Cobus Reinach and Lambie England at a rainswept Twickenham yester- respectively. day. A scrappy opening saw the Springboks as dashing duos shine England, 20-6 down early in the second take the lead in the 10th minute. England half, capitalised on the sin-binning of Victor fly-half Owen Farrell, running from close to Matfield to score 14 points while the veter- his own line, gave a poor pass to Watson, LONDON: Billed as an aperitif before the main an lock was off the field as forwards David who was engulfed by a horde of green course served up by the likes of Roger Federer Wilson and Ben Morgan rumbled over for shirts. converted tries to tie the match at 20-20. South Africa worked the ball wide to and Novak Djokovic, the unsung doubles But South Africa, still a man down, wing Bryan Habana but knocked on. players have provided the real excitement at regained their composure to score a try However, Robshaw had infringed and this week’s ATP World Tour Finals. through man-of-the-match Schalk Burger, Lambie kicked the routine penalty. South World number one Djokovic and Federer while impressive fly-half Pat Lambie kicked Africa made it 10-0 when England scrum- have barely broken sweat to reach the semi- 16 points in total. half Danny Care took too long at the base finals of the year-ending tournament - the for- “Conditions were tricky to begin with, of a ruck and saw his pass intercepted by mer dropping nine games in three round- but at 20-6 up we felt we had the job 75 , the centre running in unop- robin matches and his great Swiss rival offer- percent done,” Burger told Sky Sports. “We posed from 60 metres for a converted try ing up a mere 13. needed to keep composure then sadly we under the posts. Ten of the first 11 singles matches in the got a yellow card and we were on the back England spent plenty of time in the round-robin stage failed to go the distance, foot,” the openside flanker added. Springbok half but failed to make it count with all kinds of reasons being put forward for “But, we huddled together and said, in the 26th minute when lock Dave the one-sided nature of the match-ups, from ‘we’ve been here before’ and that’s what Attwood, having broken clear, delayed the slow court surface to fatigue. Yet the saw us through.” This was England’s second what should have been a try-scoring pass world’s eight best doubles teams have had agonising three-point loss in as many to Watson and the Springbok defence crowds on the edge of their seats with some weeks following their 24-21 defeat by recovered. Farrell kicked a penalty but fast and furious action. world champions New Zealand but they Lambie responded and South Africa were That was the case again on Friday when could have few complaints. 13-6 up at half-time. American world number one pairing Bob and England captain Chris Robshaw lament- Mike Bryan, true stars of the discipline after ed how his side were never in front, saying: ENGLAND CAUGHT COLD “We were a little bit reactive today. “We South Africa stunned England barely 38 claiming 16 grand slam titles together, allowed them to get ahead of us and then seconds into the second half when reached the semi-finals, celebrating a high- we were playing catch-up,” the flanker Lambie’s well-judged kick ahead was energy 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) victory over Alexander explained. Fresh from their shock tour- superbly caught by fullback , Peya and Bruno Soares with their trademark “chest bump”. “This is one of the best courts in opening 29-15 defeat by Ireland in Dublin, running at pace, and he fed Reinach, who LONDON: Bob Bryan (right) and Mike Bryan pose with the ATP World Tour No 1 Doubles Team the Springboks made it 12 games unbeat- ran in under the posts from 20 metres for the world and it’s where we want to play,” Bob told Reuters. “Going out there playing in front trophy presented to them during the ATP World Tour tennis finals in this file photo at the O2 en against England as more doubts were his first Test try. arena on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014. —AP raised about the ability of the 2015 World Then came Matfield’s sin-binning and of a packed house gets the adrenaline flow- Cup hosts to challenge for the Webb Ellis England made their advantage count with ing, gives us goose bumps every time.” ing in too. “The levels have improved so nitely attract the top singles players too. Trophy. two huge driving mauls that led to tries for Half of the doubles matches so far have much. If we played the same as we were in “In the Olympics, everyone plays for that Defeat was England’s fifth in a row- prop Wilson and replacement Morgan. gone to sudden death match tiebreaks (the 2003 when we were first world number ones gold medal and that’s the toughest doubles albeit four were against the All Blacks-and But South Africa hit back through first pair to 10 points) and Bob says they are we wouldn’t even make the top 20 now.” draw in tennis,” Mike said. “Indian Wells is tra- their worst run of results since they suf- Burger, who went in on the blindside fol- happy they are giving the London public val- While proud of their numerous achieve- ditionally good too, 23 of the top 30 (singles fered seven successive losses in 2006. lowing a close range line-out off a penalty. ue for money. “The singles matches have ments, Bob said the ATP could still do more to players) played doubles there. Everyone It also meant that in 13 matches under And just after the hour mark, England were been finished in like 50 minutes...that’s too maximise the potential of a game more famil- wants to see Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer coach Stuart Lancaster against the south- a man down when hooker Dylan Hartley quick for a hot ticket that’s expensive. The iar with club players around the world. playing another match. ern hemisphere giants of South Africa, New was sin-binned for stamping. doubles matches add to the show. “We’re “We have been lucky enough to have good “The doubles guys hold their own and it Zealand and Australia, England had won Lambie’s third penalty made it 28-20 to leaving it all out there and giving fans some turnouts at our matches over the last 10, 12 would be interesting to see more Olympic just two. the Springboks before England replace- drama.” England’s scrum and line-out again held ment fly-half George Ford’s penalty, virtu- years,” Bob said. “But the ATP could step it up. style events.” The Bryans, bidding for a first up well but they once more suffered from ally his first touch, cut the deficit to five They do a great job at this event and hopeful- year-end title since 2009, take on French poor decision-making, loose kicking and points. But Lambie put South Africa eight NUMEROUS ACHIEVEMENTS ly that carries over to other smaller events. duo Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger- needless knock-ons. points in front with just four minutes left Identical twin Mike said men’s doubles is “Every doubles player today is extremely Vasselin in late yesterday’s semi-finals. South Africa responded to their Dublin when his kick to touch set up a line-out experiencing a boom, especially with the best professional, everyone has a coach, no one Benneteau, ranked 26 in singles, said dou- debacle by making five changes with from which he landed a close-range drop- doubles players sharing the year-end tourna- parties, everyone hits the gym. Maybe 15, 20 bles should not be under-estimated. “It’s England making just one, injury-enforced, goal. England created a 79th-minute try ment spotlight with the singles since 2003. years ago it was journeymen enjoying the amazing to play here in doubles,” he said. switch as Anthony Watson replaced Bath for South Africa-born centre Brad Barritt “I think it’s as strong as its ever been, we lifestyle, now we are all here to win and only “Only in Davis Cup can we play with this team-mate Semesa Rokoduguni on the but Ford missed the conversion and it was have all the legends around, guys that have the best survive.” kind of atmosphere in doubles. “I think the wing. the Springboks who were denied a try won numerous slams like Daniel Nestor, Both are already looking forward to the ATP could do more and I know they are Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, signif- with the last play of the game by the Leander Paes, you’ve got the cream of the 2016 Rio Olympics when they will be aiming working on it and players are pushing them icantly, dropped both half-backs Francois replay official. —AFP crop and some of the best singles guys jump- to defend their title at an event that will defi- to work on it.” —Reuters