Australia’s Rugby World Cup campaign off to a winning start
The Rugby World Cup’s opening weekend hands Australia a bonus point while the opening game between France and New Zealand brings the All Blacks their first ever World Cup pool loss
READING LEVEL: GREEN
It has taken just over 300 days, but the Wallabies are back.
Ending a five-game losing streak since Eddie Jones returned as head coach of the national rugby union side, Australia kicked off their Rugby World Cup campaign* with a comfortable 35-15 win over Georgia in France on Sunday morning.
“When you’ve got a young team, haven’t been doing well and getting criticised, you can go into your shell a little bit,” Jones said.
“But I thought they came out in the first half and put a conclusive* performance together.”
Playing to a safe game plan, the Wallabies saw off their Eastern European rivals* without giving away their secrets for the bigger games ahead.
To win the World Cup, the Wallabies know they will have to play a lot better against much stronger opposition*, so this first match was about getting the win and limiting the damage.
The Wallabies ticked a lot of boxes – and Jones’ selection of Ben Donaldson as the team’s new fullback and goal kicker already looks like a smart move.
But the Wallabies are almost certain to be without halfback Tate McDermott for their next game against Fiji.
The Australian vice-captain, McDermott left the field before half time after copping a knee to the head; under HIA rules, he’s likely to be given a mandatory* 12-day stand-down*.
The Wallabies also picked up a bonus point for scoring four tries – two in each half.
“Eddie asked us at the start of the week to have a fast start,” said newly appointed Wallabies captain Will Skelton. “We prepared really well for this game and I’m happy with the result.
“It’s very different. I’m growing into the role. Having the backing of Eddie and the staff to lead this young group of men is really special. Hopefully this is just the start and we can roll on and get some momentum*.”
The Wallabies have struggled for years to find a permanent replacement for Israel Folau but 24-year-old Donaldson was given his chance, partly because the Wallabies needed a reliable goal kicker.
Donaldson booted three penalties, three conversions* and crossed the line for two tries, racking up a personal tally of 25 points.
“We had a game plan,” Donaldson said. “We’ve been building for a long time now and the boys executed* really well for the full 80 minutes. In the end it made me look half-decent so I put that on all the boys.
“Kicking was part of our plan. For me, it was just providing a loud voice and a big boot at the back there. I think we pinned them down at the end and came away with some points.”
The Australians were solid defensively but gave away two tries in the second half when they began to tire.
The Wallabies pack more than held their own against the big Georgian forwards, dominating the scrums and lineouts in sweltering* conditions at a packed Stade de France, the host nation’s national stadium just north of Paris.
The starting front row of Angus Bell, Dave Poreck and Taniela Tupou all played well, with Tupou’s overhead pass to Donaldson leading to his first try.
Georgian skipper Merab Sharikadze praised the Wallabies after the game.
“Australia are one of the best teams in the world and will do great in this World Cup,” he said.
Australia’s neighbour New Zealand meanwhile had a frustrating start. Despite scoring a try in the first 90 seconds in the opener against the hosts, the All Blacks came away with an unwelcome first: their first ever pool defeat at a World Cup. But for the excited French home crowd, the 27-13 final score was a dream start to the competition.
Additional reporting by Kids News
POLL
GLOSSARY
- campaign: planned set of activities over a period of time in order to achieve something
- conclusive: ending any doubt or uncertainty about a situation
- rivals: competing with others for the same thing or in the same area
- opposition: the other side in a contest or competition
- mandatory: compulsory, must be done, required by a law or rule
- stand-down: stepping aside from your job, in this case for a set period of time
- momentum: forward motion with increasing force
- conversions: kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the two uprights after a try for the chance to add two extra points
- executed: carried out, accomplished, performed
- sweltering: extremely and uncomfortably hot
EXTRA READING
Golden chance for jobs in sport
Great photos of animals interrupting humans’ sports
QUICK QUIZ
- Who is the head coach of the Wallabies?
- Which country is hosting the Rugby World Cup 2023?
- How did Ben Donaldson rack up a personal tally of 25 points in the game against Georgia?
- Who is the newly appointed captain of the Australian side?
- Who will the Australians play in their next match?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.
Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science
2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Stretch your sentence
Find a “who” in the cartoon – a person or an animal. Write it down.
Add three adjectives to describe them better.
Now add a verb to your list. What are they doing?
Add an adverb about how they are doing the action.
Using all the words listed, create one descriptive sentence.