Champions labelled 'best ever'

Sailor shrugs off New Zealand challenges

World Cup winners Australia were labelled the best side the game has seen after their 40-12 victory over New Zealand at Old Trafford.

Coach Chris Anderson, who was part of the 1982 'Invincibles' which came to England and left undefeated, said his team had earned the right to be compared with their illustrious predecessors .

"This is a super side," said Anderson. "Without doubt they are one of the best ever to have left Australian shores.

"They have played some great rugby along the way to winning this competition and today they proved they can be tough as well as entertaining.

Took control

"This side has more options than the other sides which have come over here and once the forwards got on top the half-backs took control.

"All you can do is beat the opposition, so I don't know how much improvement there is.

This side has more options than the other sides which have come over here and once the forwards got on top the half-backs took control

  Chris Anderson

"But for an hour today, New Zealand really asked us some questions. They had a momentum and for a while I was sweating."

Against a New Zealand side many were tipping to overturn the odds, the Kangaroos produced a display which bordered on perfection.

They snuffed out early Kiwi pressure to impose themselves on the game and maintained their stranglehold for almost the entire 80 minutes.

Only once did New Zealand look capable of causing an upset but having closed to 18-12, they blew two decent try-scoring chances.

"The whole team had been built up as red-hot favourites from the start of the competition," said skipper Brad Fittler, one of six second half try-scorers after Matt Gidley had scored the only touchdown of the opening period.

Stick the boot in

"The Kiwis had so much to play for and we know they are going to stick the boot into someone one day.

"We just had to make sure it wasn't us and that is what we did.

"To score 40 points against them was magnificent because no-one else would have done it.

The Kiwis had so much to play for and we know they are going to stick the boot into someone one day

  Brad Fittler

"But we have a great bunch of blokes and obviously we are delighted to win."

Anderson also paid tribute to Wendell Sailor, the scorer of two fabulous tries.

"We did well to hold out in the first half and we were under a lot of pressure early in the second half when they had us on our heels.

"But we just battled it out and Wendell came up with some tremendous tries for us.

"I am very proud of the players. There was tremendous expectation on them. The boys were tremendous. Everyone put their hand up today and stood up strong."