2009 end-of-year rugby union internationals
The 2009 end of year rugby internationals, also known as the Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, tour the northern hemisphere.
The headline event of the series was an attempted Grand Slam tour of the Home Nations by Australia. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Wallabies' only previous Grand Slam tour, which saw the Wallabies sweep all four matches and saw David Campese, Mark Ella, Nick Farr-Jones, and Michael Lynagh achieve international prominence. Also, for the second consecutive year, a Bledisloe Cup match was contested by New Zealand and Australia outside of either country, this time in Tokyo. The final event of the series, the Barbarians' traditional Final Challenge, involved New Zealand, with the Barbarians winning over a mostly second-string All Blacks side.
For the first time since the inception of the IRB World Rankings in 2003, all of the top 20 teams in the rankings played matches in the November window. The only top-20 teams not playing in the November tours were Uruguay and the USA, which played a two-legged 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying tie during November.[1]
This year's series was also marked by more non-Test matches pitting Test teams with top-level clubs team than in recent years. Matches of this type are often called "midweek matches" because they are traditionally played at midweek, most often on Wednesday, although they can also be scheduled on a weekend when the touring team has no Test scheduled. Australia and South Africa both scheduled two such matches; the Wallabies won both of their matches comfortably, while the Springboks lost both of theirs.
Matches
Week 1
Australia | 19 – 32 | New Zealand |
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Try: Hynes 34' c Con: Giteau (1/1) Pen: Giteau (4/5) 5', 11', 28', 71' |
Report | Tries: Sivivatu 20' c Smith 45' c Con: Carter (2/2) Pen: Carter (6/6) 14', 31', 61', 68', 72', 77' |
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Assistant referees:
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Week 2
Gloucester | 5 – 36 | Australia |
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Try: Burns 25' m Con: Spencer (0/1) |
Report | Tries: Cross 14' c T. Smith 30' c Mitchell (2) 65' c, 75' c Cooper 78' m Con: Cooper (4/5) Pen: Cooper 3' |
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Leicester Tigers | 22 – 17 | South Africa |
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Try: González Amorosino 26' c Con: Youngs (1/1) Pen: Youngs (5) 9', 32', 39', 45', 58' |
Report | Try: Nokwe 7' m Con: R. Pienaar (0/1) Pen: R. Pienaar (4) 5', 40', 65', 76' |
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England | 9 – 18 | Australia |
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Pen: Wilkinson (2/3) 8', 25' Drop: Wilkinson (1/2) 3' |
Report | Try: Genia 21' m Ashley-Cooper 72' c Con: Giteau (1/2) Pen: Giteau (2/2) 45', 60' |
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Wales | 12 – 19 | New Zealand |
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Pen: S. Jones (4) 17', 34', 66', 74' | Report | Try: Hore 56' c Con: Carter Pen: Carter (4) 11', 20', 42', 64' |
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Touch judges:
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Week 3
Italy A | 33 – 6 | Romania |
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Tries: Buso 6' Derbyshire 49' Sepe 67' Quartaroli 80' Con: Bocchino (2/4) Pen: Bocchino 15' 19' 47' |
Report | Pen: Vlaicu 3' 25' |
Wales | 17 – 13 | Samoa |
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Try: Halfpenny 6' m Pen: Biggar (3) Halfpenny |
Report | Try: Mapusua 62' c Con: Fili Pen: Fili (2) |
France | 20 – 13 | South Africa |
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Try: Clerc 31' m Con: Dupuy (0/1) Pen: Dupuy (4/7) 5', 40', 49', 61' Parra (1/1) 78' Drop: Dupuy (0/1) |
Report | Try: Smit 29' c Con: Steyn (1/1) Pen: Steyn (1/2) 19' Drop: Steyn (1/1) 24' |
- Ras Dumisani's controversial rendition of the South African national anthem before the game caused a minor diplomatic incident afterwards.[2]
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- Namibia's first ever win on Tunisian soil[3]
Italy | 6 – 20 | New Zealand |
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Pen: Craig Gower (2/3) 5', 66' | (Report) | Try: Corey Flynn 30' Con: Luke McAlister (0/1) Pen: Luke McAlister (5/8) 8', 15', 43', 50', 80' |
England | 16 – 9 | Argentina |
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Try: Banahan 71' c Con: Wilkinson (1/1) Pen: Wilkinson (2/5) 20', 39' Drop: Wilkinson (1/1) 6' |
(Report) | Pen: Rodríguez (3/6) 13', 25', 37' Drop: Fernández (0/2) |
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Scotland | 23 – 10 | Fiji |
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Tries: Beattie 21' c Morrison 51' c Con: Godman (2/2) Pen: Godman (3/4) 14', 28', 34' Paterson (0/1) |
Report | Try: Goneva 38' c Con: Little (1/1) Pen: Little (1/2) 63' |
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Japan | 46 – 8 | Canada |
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Tries: Leitch 9' m Kikutani 37' c Aruga 39' c Tupuailei 48' c Onozawa 51' c Horie 75' c Con: Webb (4/5) Arlidge (1/1) Pen: Webb (2/3) 20', 23' |
Tries: Hirayama 79' m Con: Monro (0/1) Pen: Pritchard (1/2) 17' |
- Japan's victory sees them achieve their highest ever spot on the IRB World Rankings
Ireland [4] | 20 – 20 | Australia |
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Tries: Bowe 57' c O'Driscoll 79' c Con: O'Gara (2/2) Pen: O'Gara (2/2) 5', 21' |
Report | Tries: Mitchell 2' c Elsom 62' c Con: Giteau (2/2) Pen: Giteau (2/4) 24', 54' Drop: Giteau (0/1) |
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- Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll became the 11th player in history to make his 100th Test appearance.
Week 4
Saracens | 24 – 23 | South Africa |
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Tries: Joubert, Barritt Con: Hougaard Pen: Hougaard (3) Drop: Hougaard |
Report | Tries: de Jongh, Nokwe (2) Con: Pienaar Pen: Pienaar (2) |
- As a halftime promotion, Saracens selected three fans to try to hit the crossbar with a kick from 30 metres out. One of them, 24-year-old Stuart Tinner, was successful, winning £250,000.[6]
Mascot = Harry Letts
Japan | 27 – 6 | Canada |
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Tries: Aruga 9' m Hatakeyama 20' c Leitch 48' c Goromaru 72' m Con: Nicholas (1/3) Webb (1/1) Pen: Webb (1/2) 21' |
Report | Pen: Pritchard (1/1) 23' Monro (1/1) 46' |
Italy | 10 – 32 | South Africa |
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Try: Garcia 31' c Con: Gower Pen: Gower 59' |
Report | Try: Habana 5' m Fourie 13' c du Preez 52' c Olivier 72' c Con: Steyn (2) Pienaar Pen: Steyn (2) 46', 64' |
England | 6 – 19 | New Zealand |
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Pen: Wilkinson (2/2) 15', 25' Drop: Wilkinson (0/1) |
Report | Try: Cowan 56' c Con: Carter (1/1) Pen: Carter (4/6) 23', 29', 46', 67' |
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- Dan Carter became the all-time leading Test point scorer for the All Blacks, surpassing Andrew Mehrtens.
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Assistant referees:
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Ireland | 41 – 6 | Fiji |
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Pen: Sexton (2/2) 9', 40' Con: Sexton (5/5) Tries: Earls 18' c, 62' c O'Driscoll 45' c Kearney 67' c Horgan 76' c |
Report | Pen: Little (2/3) 27', 43' |
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Scotland | 9 – 8 | Australia |
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Pen: Godman (2/3) 27', 56' Drop: Godman (0/1) Paterson (1/1) 75' |
Report | Try: Cross 80' m Con: Giteau (0/1) Pen: Giteau (1/3) 4' Drop: Giteau (0/1) |
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Week 5
Italy | 24 – 6 | Samoa |
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Tries: McLean 7' penalty try 77' c Con: Mi.Bergamasco 1/2 c Pen: Mi.Bergamasco (2/2) 7', 21' Gower 37' c Drop: Tebaldi 50' |
Report | Pen: Esau (2/4) 12' 40' |
- Italy break a 13-game losing streak[7]
Ireland | 15 – 10 | South Africa |
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Pen: Sexton (5/7) 10', 30', 48', 52', 68' Drop: O'Driscoll (0/1) |
Report | Try: Burger 16' c Con: Steyn (1/1) Pen: Steyn (0/3) Pienaar (0/1) Drop: Steyn (1/2) 24' |
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Wales | 12 – 33 | Australia |
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Pen: S. Jones (3/4) 21' 30' 40' Halfpenny (1/1) 17' Hook (0/1) |
Report | Try: Ioane 7' m Horwill 19' m Pocock 24' c Polota-Nau 62' c Con: Giteau (2/4) Pen: Giteau (3/3) 2' 31' 57' |
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- Namibia qualifies for the 2011 Rugby World Cup as Africa 1.
France | 12 – 39 | New Zealand |
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Pen: Dupuy (3/5) 3', 16', 20' Drop: Trinh-Duc (1/1) 36' |
Report | Tries: Sivivatu 7' c Muliaina 23' m Kaino 34' c Jane 65' c Smith 77' c Con: Carter (4/5) 8', 35', 65', 79' Pen: Carter (2/2) 30', 54' Drop: Carter (0/1) |
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Week 6
Barbarians | 25 – 18 | New Zealand |
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Tries: Habana (3) 10' c, 40' c, 68' m Con: Giteau (2/3) 10', 40' Pen: Giteau M. Steyn |
Report | Tries: B. Smith 23' c Boric 67' m Con: Donald (1/2) 23' Pen: Donald Delany |
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Touch judges:
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- This was the first loss for the All Blacks in 2 years in a northern hemisphere ground as well as the first time in 2 years a team has managed to score tries against them in the northern hemisphere.
See also
Notes and references
- ↑ "Exciting fixture schedule for targeted Unions" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 21 October 2009. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
- ↑ Independent Newspapers Online (2009-11-14). "Anthem butcher says 'it was beautiful' - IOL Sport". IOL.co.za. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ↑ "All Blacks regain number one spot in rankings". Irb.com. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ↑ "Kick-Off Times Confirmed For GUINNESS Series 2009 Matches". Irish Rugby Football Union. 15 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 September 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- ↑ "Mon, Nov 16, 2009 - O'Driscoll salvages patchy performance". The Irish Times. 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ↑ "Sarries fan kicks £250,000 prize". BBC Sport. 2009-11-17. Archived from the original on 20 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ↑ "Losing run finally over for Italy". Planet Rugby. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
Rugby union schedule for 2009 | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
H. Cup | Six Nations Championship | Heineken Cup | Mid-Year Tests | H. Cup | End of year Int'ls | H. Cup | ||||||
British & Irish Lions Tour | ||||||||||||
English Premiership | English Premiership | |||||||||||
Celtic League | Celtic League | |||||||||||
Top 14 | Top 14 | |||||||||||
Top League | Top League | |||||||||||
Shute Shield | ||||||||||||
Currie Cup | ||||||||||||
Sevens | Sevens | |||||||||||
World Cup Sevens | Pacific Rugby Cup | Churchill Cup | Air New Zealand Cup | |||||||||
Super 14 | Pacific Nations Cup | Tri Nations |