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Centres Matt Giteau and Stirling Mortlock scored two tries each to help Australia beat Pacific Islanders 29-14 in their inaugural test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.
Hooker Brendan Cannon also scored as the Wallabies ran out comfortable winners in the end with five tries to two, but not before the Islanders had given them a torrid workout.
Pacific Islanders, a composite team of the best players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, defended strongly against waves of Australian attacks and repeatedly put the home defence under pressure with their hard running.
Down 10-0 at the interval, the Islanders trailed by just three points early in the second half when Tongan flanker Sione Lauaki scored under the posts.
They grabbed a second try late in the game through replacement winger Sireli Bobo, but the Australians were always in control.
The Wallabies, fresh from their 51-15 thrashing of England last weekend, dominated territory and possession but did not make their advantage count on the scoreboard until the final quarter.
A heavy downpour during the match made handling difficult and prevented the Islanders from playing their traditional running game, but it also hindered the Australians.
Mortlock opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he dived over in the left corner after Fijian scrumhalf Mosese Rauluni had tried to chip-kick inside his own quarter.
The Islanders held the Australians scoreless for the next 25 minutes but conceded a second try on the stroke of halftime when Giteau crossed in the left corner.
Lauaki's try just after the re-start seemed to give the Islanders hope of an upset but Australia replied immediately when Cannon scored off the back of a rolling maul.
Giteau put the result beyond doubt when he scored his second after diving on the loose ball when Wallaby wing Lote Tuqiri failed to catch a high kick from Stephen Larkham. Joe Roff converted.
The Islanders pulled back to within eight points when Bobo crossed eight minutes from the end and centre Seremaia Bai added his second conversion but Mortlock wriggled his way past two defenders to score his second a minute later.
Pacific Islanders, given permission by the International Rugby
Board to start playing tests this year to help raise revenue for
the region, play New Zealand next week and South Africa the
following week.
