Magners League Official Website : Williams stars for Lions in huge tour win

Williams stars for Lions in huge tour win

28 June 2005, 5:20 pm

By Jonathan McConnell

The Ospreys' Shane Williams has done all he can to force his way into the test team for next Saturday with a five try display in the Lions 100-6 win over Manawatu in Palmerston North. The win was their biggest ever over a New Zealand provincial side with the Lions running in 16 unanswered tries.

Lions had fired from the start with and it was Williams who got them off to a flyer, displaying blistering pace in a tight defensive zone to touch down, although the score needed confirmation from video official Paddy O'Brien. Fly-half Charlie Hodgson drifted the touchline conversion wide, but Manawatu were already under pressure against a Lions side clearly hungry for points.

And they struck again in the 13th minute, gaining a reward for attacking adventure from deep inside their own half. Prop Andrew Sheridan had the vision to send Robinson away, and although Manawatu hauled him down, support runner Chris Cusiter gave Corry an inside pass and the England flanker powered over for a try which Hodgson converted.

It was 12-0 after 13 minutes, leaving Manawatu with a mountain to climb and the Lions chasing a landslide success against limited opponents. The Lions continued their territorial dominance through Shaw and Martyn Williams taking play close to Manawatu's line.

The Lions scored again after 26 minutes, when they sacrificed a kickable penalty and Shane Williams bobbed and weaved his way through the Manawatu defence to touch down for his second try. There was still almost an hour of the game remaining, but Williams had already given Woodward a nudge regarding Test selection.

Not to be outdone, Williams was followed over the Manawatu line three minutes later by Murphy, who displayed all his renowned running skills by cutting inside and beating two players after receiving Robinson's pass.

Hodgson added the extra points, and Manawatu then compounded their problems by having skipper Nathan Kemp sin-binned for a high tackle on the Lions fly-half, and the tourists immediately made their temporary one-man advantage count.

Liverwire Cusiter again featured prominently during some excellent approach work, and Robinson got in on the scoring act with try number five as the Lions raced along at a point a minute, leading 31-0.

Manawatu scrum-half Jonathan Hargreaves kicked a penalty six minutes before the break, but normal service was quickly resumed as Cusiter again exploited space superbly and Williams sprinted over to complete his hat-trick.

Hodgson's conversion extended the Lions' lead to 38-3 before Hargreaves slotted a second penalty on the stroke of half-time.

With the game won, and perhaps one eye on next Saturday's Test, Woodward made three interval substitutions after Andy Titterrell took over from Bulloch just before the break.

Cusiter made way for Gareth Cooper, while Cockbain was handed a Lions debut instead of Donncha O'Callaghan and Neil Back took over from Martyn Williams.

The reshuffle did not disrupt the Lions' flow though, and they claimed two further tries within five minutes of the restart. Hodgson sniped over the first, then Shane Williams sprinted through the Manawatu defence, finding Cockbain, who popped up a pass for centre Ollie Smith to finish things.

Hodgson's conversion made it 52-6, and at the Lions' rate of scoring, there seemed every chance they could threaten a century. Williams switched wings to register a fourth try, and before Manawatu could catch their breath, a bullocking run by Shaw caused havoc and Back dived over for a score which Hodgson improved.

Leading 64-6, and with Hodgson having contributed 19 points, the Lions sent on Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara for the final 30 minutes. There was still no let-up from the Lions, and when Gordon D'Arcy claimed try number 11 it gave the tourists their highest ever points tally in New Zealand, surpassing the 64 they racked up against a combined Marlborough/Nelson side in 1959.

Back then sent O'Gara along the touchline for another score, and Manawatu just could not compete in any area of the game as the Lions posted 36 unanswered points in just 18 minutes.

Prop Matt Stevens became the seventh and final Lions substitute when he replaced John Hayes 20 minutes from time and it was nothing more than a training exercise for the tourists as they edged ever closer to 100 points.

Wing Mark Cueto skipped over for try number 13, handing O'Gara an easy conversion in the process, and with the Lions running at Manawatu from all angles, and then O'Gara improved his own try, making it 88-6. O'Gara's score meant the Lions scored 50 points in 26 second-half minutes, illustrating how Manawatu had been completely over-run.

Cooper rounded off a crisp move nine minutes from time, taking the Lions one try away from a century, but they then lost Stevens to the sin bin when he blatantly halted Manawatu possession from an offside position. Manawatu battled bravely for a consolation score, but it was not to be and Williams fittingly brought up the century with his fifth try that O'Gara converted.

It was the second successive tour for the Lions to score 100 points, after they racked up 116 against Western Australia in Perth four years ago, then Cueto completed the rout and O'Gara converted.