Australia enact revenge on New Zealand as Angus Crichton makes huge blunder in 22-10 victory

Australia have exacted revenge on New Zealand for last year’s heartbreaking Pacific Cup final with a 22-10 victory that propels the Kangaroos to the final of this year’s tournament.

It comes as returning Kangaroo Angus Crichton was mocked by some after he appeared to drop the ball while looking to place it for a try during the match.

Almost a year after the Kiwis handed Australia their biggest defeat, a Zac Lomax double try ended the chance of another defeat before a hostile Christchurch crowd on Sunday.

Still, the win over an admittedly weak New Zealand side helps justify a number of changes made to the Australian team following last year’s 30-0 debacle in Hamilton.

Australia will face the winner of New Zealand’s match against Tonga in the Pacific Cup final at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium on November 10.

Crichton had been criticized by many online and in the comment box, with Matt Thompson expressing disbelief at the moment.

Despite the best season of his career, Crichton came up with one of the most astonishing failed attempts in recent memory when he went close in the opening minutes.

Crichton had juggled Tom Dearden’s flat pass before planting the ball to silence the New Zealand crowd after just four minutes.

Replays revealed that the second rower had dropped the ball just a few inches off the grass without a defender on top.

“Don’t tell me he dropped the ball… oh, he did,” Thompson said.

‘Isn’t that what they teach you under 9 years old? Don’t leave it with one hand.

Andrew Johns even went so far as to tell the second row what their punishment should be.

‘Is that the one where he only has half a finger? Blame it on that.

“The punishment for that is that you have to fight the coach.”

Some online were much less forgiving of Crichton, who made his first international appearance since 2022 during the match.

‘We are talking about Angus Crichton’s last attempted massacre. #PacificChamps,” one wrote.

“Angus Crichton are you kidding me #NZLvAUS #PacificChamps,” another added.

The Kiwis were buoyed when injuries kept the likes of Jahrome Hughes, Moses Leota, Dylan Brown and Ronaldo Mulitalo out of Stacey Jones’ first game as head coach.

But the Kangaroos had success attacking their left side, where defensively weaker players Matt Timoko and Will Warbrick lined up alongside makeshift five-eighth Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.

Lomax had his two tries after forays along that edge, first earning a line break from Tom Trbojevic and then latching on to a quick pass from Harry Grant midway through the second half.

The Kiwis threatened to make it a game when Warbrick put one ahead of Lomax and reduced the deficit to six points as the final 15 minutes approached.

But on the same right side, fullback Dylan Edwards showed no signs of his troublesome knee injury as he crossed the line and passed to a flying Moisés, who sealed the result.

Lindsay Collins helped her Sydney Roosters teammate save face by scoring the first points.

The big prop spotted Keano Kini defending on the first line and ran through both the fullback and Phoenix Crossland in a 40 meter gallop to the line.

In his fairytale return from rugby league retirement, Kiwis fan favorite Shaun Johnson kicked magnificently all afternoon while rival halfback Moses endured a mixed game with the boot.

Johnson forced consecutive turnovers from the line with his onside kicking game to signal a period of Kiwi dominance early in the second half having featured in the hosts’ opener.

The running back sent the play to the right where Isaiah Papali’i and Kini made quick passes to help Jamayne Isaako pass.