Classic Wallabies v British and Irish Legends top three moments as Shane Williams ‘rolls back the years’ and Leigh Halfpenny gets ‘melted’

Jack Tunney
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Classic Wallabies vs British and Irish Legends top three moments as Shane Williams 'rolls back the years' and Halfpenny gets 'melted'

Classic Wallabies vs British and Irish Legends top three moments as Shane Williams 'rolls back the years' and Halfpenny gets 'melted'

The Classic Wallabies held on against the enthusiastic British and Irish Legends in North Sydney on Thursday, in the second of two matches between the sides.

The tourists got off to a wonderful start, taking an early and comprehensive lead over their hosts as they piled on the pressure over their old rivals. Heading into half-time with a sizeable lead, it looked very likely that the visitors were going to walk away with a two-match victory over Matt Giteau and co.

Speaking on the touchline, the former Wallabies playmaker cut a frustrated figure, claiming that the B&I Legends had brought Test-level intensity to what was supposed to be a jovial exhibition-style event. Concluding that his side needed to up their own ferocity, the Aussies bucked up their ideas in the second half, coming back to win 31-26 – whitewashing their visitors in the second 40.

With many huge stars from yesteryear playing in this momentous game in front of 8,000 eager spectators, there was always going to be plenty of action.

Here are the top three moments from the match:

Taqele Naiyarovoro melts Leigh Halfpenny

Former Wales back three teammates, Alex Cuthbert, Shane Williams and Leigh Halfpenny all donned the British and Irish quarters on Thursday, and all three found a place in the top three moments, with Halfpenny wishing he hadn’t.

Tested by the boot of former Wallabies fly-half Stephen Larkham, Halfpenny was kept on full alert throughout. As one of the younger players on display, he bore most of the brunt in both attack and defence.

It was his rivalry with Taqele Naiyarovoro that really stood out, though. The scrum hat-wearing full-back found himself diving into the spokes of the giant winger on multiple occasions as he put his body on the line to halt the almost unstoppable force.

The notable moment between the two came when the former Welsh international collected the ball near the left-hand touch line, before being lined up by the former Wallabies unit and body slammed into the ground, creating shudders around Sydney.

This prompted multiple camera angles and a rather excited Australian commentary box. Although he recovered quickly, it wasn’t a moment that Halfpenny will remember with fondness.

Adam Ashley-Cooper gives up the ghost

The once electric World Cup wizard and try-scoring maestro, Adam Ashley-Cooper, found himself in a rather one-sided foot race against Cuthbert. The Welshman had pounced on a handling mistake by the outside centre and powered towards the try line. Once upon a time, the Aussie star may have given Cuthbert a run for his money, but at the age of 41, the former Wallaby looked well behind the pace.

The replays paint a disastrous picture, as Ashley-Cooper checked ahead of him to see who he was chasing and decided against it, leaving the 35-year-old to run through scott free. He won’t like to watch that on the replays.

Shane Williams rolls back the years

One of Wales ‘ greatest ever players, Williams, was back with a rugby ball in his hands. A late dropout in the previous fixture, Williams achieved only a handful of minutes in the second clash, but he didn’t need much to make an impact.

Although he’s now in his late 40s, the whippet winger still had the pace to burn beneath his ankle-breaking footwork. It was his centre field break, stepping the tackles of three players, that showed, even with increasing age, class is permanent. Even his kicking was impeccable, notching a 50:22 with what appeared to be his first kick.

Australia