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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 2743000, member: 1899"] THIRD TEST AUSTRALIA 22; NEW ZEALAND 14 at Auckland Australia made it a series cleansweep at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium with a 22-14 win in a torrid third Test. Big Mal Meninga delivered the coup de grace eight minutes from fulltime with a brilliant round the body pass to player of the series Bradley Clyde who scored the match-clinching try under the posts. Meninga was a late selection as second-rower after Paul Sironen failed to pass a fitness test on an ankle he injured in the provincial game against Wellington four days earlier. Meninga, a reluctant forward, took the ball up 20 times and completed 21 tackles in a brilliant transition from the centres. The performance of Meninga, as well as Clyde, Steve Roach (again) and halfback Des Hasler were highlights of the match but the Test will be long remembered for something else. That something else was a thunderus tackle by Aussie captain Wally Lewis three minutes before halftime on fullback Darrell Williams. Williams powered onto the ball in typical fashion, but Lewis was ready for him. He sized him up and hit him with full fury chest to chest. Williams crashed head first to the turf. Amazingly, he slowly regained his feet and played the ball. Few expected him to return after halftime, but Williams, New Zealand’s best in the three Test series, came back and showed no ill-effects from one of the tackles of the decade. After the match coach Bob Fulton declared Australia would have scored six more tries during the course of the game had it not been for Williams’ defence. The win gave Australia first blood in the new World Cup campaign. It was Australia’s first Test series cleansweep of New Zealand in New Zealand. Australia Gary Belcher, Michael O’Connor, Dale Shearer, Tony Currie, Michael Hancock Wally Lewis, Des Hasler Sam Backo, Kerrod Walters, Steve Roach, Mal Meninga, Paul Vautin, Bradley Clyde Reserves: Bruce McGuire New Zealand Darrell Williams, Gary Mercer, Kevin Iro, Tony Kemp, Mark Elia Kelly Shelford, Gary Freeman Brent Todd, Duane Mann, James Goulding, Mark Horo, Sam Stewart, Hugh McGahan [FONT=&quot]Reserves: Brendon Tuuta, Kurt Sherlock[/FONT] [/QUOTE]

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