Jonty Fowler made his mark on the international rugby union stage yesterday as the Narrabri boy starred for Australia’s under-18s side in a 10-point win against the New Zealand Barbarians.
The two sides went head-to-head at St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton from 2pm local time and 11am AEST.
The lead changed several times but the Australians were able to convert a 38-21 half-time lead into a 57-47 victory.
Fowler started the match at fly-half in the number 10 jersey and kicked off just after the hosts had performed the Haka. He finished the game having slotted seven conversions from eight attempts, kicked a penalty goal, scored a phenomenal individual try and set up another with a classy cutout pass.
Less than two minutes had been played when New Zealand Barbarians opened the scoring with a try to go ahead 7-0, but the Aussies equalised in the fifth minute when prop Kingsley Uys charged over to score.
Australia then charged ahead 14-7 before the New Zealanders responded in style with two tries to lead 21-14 after 27 minutes.
The boys in green and gold equalised again when Fowler kicked his third successful conversion to lock the score up at 21-all on the half-hour mark.
The Narrabri boy then put his side in the lead with a piece of individual brilliance as he grubber kicked in behind the New Zealand defence and ran through before scooping the ball up and scoring in the corner.
He slotted the goal from the left sideline to make it 28-21 and kicked a 38th-minute penalty goal before setting up Australia’s fifth try with a wonder cut-out ball to winger Heamasi Makasini in the 39th minute. He converted that try as well with another sideline kick as the away side went into half-time leading 38-21.
The New Zealanders came out firing in the second half and reduced their deficit to just five points as they scored two tries in seven minutes.
The Aussies then hit back with their first try of the half as Tom Howarth scored in the 53rd minute and Fowler slotted a simple conversion from the centre of the field to put the visitors in front 45-33.
A 58th-minute Uys try saw Australia stretch their advantage to 17 points as Fowler’s first miss from the tee saw the score remain 50-33, and that became 57-33 in the 63rd minute when the Aussies scored their eighth try of the contest and Fowler added the extras with his seventh conversion.
The Barbarians struck back with two converted tries in the final 10 minutes of the game, but it was too little, too late as Fowler and his Aussie teammates
won the match 57-47.
Australia will be back in action this Sunday when they meet the New Zealand Schools side in the second game of their tour.
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