High-flying Boomers through to Asian Cup semi-finals
Unlike the much-talked about Thrilla in Manilla where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier went toe-to-toe for 14 rounds in the Philippines, the infamous 'Basketbrawl in Bocaue' in 2018 made headlines around the globe for all the wrong reasons.
Four Aussies were ejected as a result of the all-in brawl, while the Gilas were reduced to just three players before two of them fouled out to forfeit the game.
But there were no such incidents at the more serene King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Wednesday night, Australia instead comfortably sitting their opposition on the canvas without any controversy.
Adam Caporn's men, who beat South Korea, Lebanon and Qatar on their way to the quarter-finals, stuck to their task from the start and finished the first quarter 29-12 in front.
Jaylin Galloway and Jack McVeigh were deadly accurate in three-point shooting, but the Pilipinas began the second quarter in bold fashion to reduce the deficit to 12 points at 31-19, forcing a time out from the Australians.
Kevin Quiambao provided the ray of hope for the passionate and loud Gilas fans with his shooting from outside the arc, but the Australians maintained control to extend their lead to 20 points (48-28) at halftime.
The Boomers went up a notch after halftime, but so did the Gilas. They reduced the deficit to 19 points by edging the quarter 22-21, allowing themselves to dream.
Caporn's charges, however, were too big, too strong and too fast and saw out a 24-point win, the Boomers still the team to beat in the tournament.
Owen Foxwell led the scoring for Australia with 17 points while skipper Will Magnay was MVP.
Australia will next meet the winner of Iran and Taiwan for a place in the final, while in the other semi-final the winner of China-South Korea will meet the victor of New Zealand and Lebanon.
In the distant horizon lies the 2027 World Cup in Doha and the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, where the Boomers will list their most powerful line-up.
But for now the young Boomers brigade, with an average age of 24, have preserved Australia's unbeaten record since joining the competition in 2017 without much fuss nor bother.
Australia have coasted into the semi-finals of the Asian Cup with a 84-60 victory over the Philippines in an incident-free clash devoid of any drama after their spiteful encounter seven years ago.
Unlike the much-talked about Thrilla in Manilla where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier went toe-to-toe for 14 rounds in the Philippines, the infamous 'Basketbrawl in Bocaue' in 2018 made headlines around the globe for all the wrong reasons.
Four Aussies were ejected as a result of the all-in brawl, while the Gilas were reduced to just three players before two of them fouled out to forfeit the game.
But there were no such incidents at the more serene King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Wednesday night, Australia instead comfortably sitting their opposition on the canvas without any controversy.
Adam Caporn's men, who beat South Korea, Lebanon and Qatar on their way to the quarter-finals, stuck to their task from the start and finished the first quarter 29-12 in front.
Jaylin Galloway and Jack McVeigh were deadly accurate in three-point shooting, but the Pilipinas began the second quarter in bold fashion to reduce the deficit to 12 points at 31-19, forcing a time out from the Australians.
Kevin Quiambao provided the ray of hope for the passionate and loud Gilas fans with his shooting from outside the arc, but the Australians maintained control to extend their lead to 20 points (48-28) at halftime.
The Boomers went up a notch after halftime, but so did the Gilas. They reduced the deficit to 19 points by edging the quarter 22-21, allowing themselves to dream.
Caporn's charges, however, were too big, too strong and too fast and saw out a 24-point win, the Boomers still the team to beat in the tournament.
Owen Foxwell led the scoring for Australia with 17 points while skipper Will Magnay was MVP.
Australia will next meet the winner of Iran and Taiwan for a place in the final, while in the other semi-final the winner of China-South Korea will meet the victor of New Zealand and Lebanon.
In the distant horizon lies the 2027 World Cup in Doha and the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, where the Boomers will list their most powerful line-up.
But for now the young Boomers brigade, with an average age of 24, have preserved Australia's unbeaten record since joining the competition in 2017 without much fuss nor bother.
Australia have coasted into the semi-finals of the Asian Cup with a 84-60 victory over the Philippines in an incident-free clash devoid of any drama after their spiteful encounter seven years ago.
Unlike the much-talked about Thrilla in Manilla where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier went toe-to-toe for 14 rounds in the Philippines, the infamous 'Basketbrawl in Bocaue' in 2018 made headlines around the globe for all the wrong reasons.
Four Aussies were ejected as a result of the all-in brawl, while the Gilas were reduced to just three players before two of them fouled out to forfeit the game.
But there were no such incidents at the more serene King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Wednesday night, Australia instead comfortably sitting their opposition on the canvas without any controversy.
Adam Caporn's men, who beat South Korea, Lebanon and Qatar on their way to the quarter-finals, stuck to their task from the start and finished the first quarter 29-12 in front.
Jaylin Galloway and Jack McVeigh were deadly accurate in three-point shooting, but the Pilipinas began the second quarter in bold fashion to reduce the deficit to 12 points at 31-19, forcing a time out from the Australians.
Kevin Quiambao provided the ray of hope for the passionate and loud Gilas fans with his shooting from outside the arc, but the Australians maintained control to extend their lead to 20 points (48-28) at halftime.
The Boomers went up a notch after halftime, but so did the Gilas. They reduced the deficit to 19 points by edging the quarter 22-21, allowing themselves to dream.
Caporn's charges, however, were too big, too strong and too fast and saw out a 24-point win, the Boomers still the team to beat in the tournament.
Owen Foxwell led the scoring for Australia with 17 points while skipper Will Magnay was MVP.
Australia will next meet the winner of Iran and Taiwan for a place in the final, while in the other semi-final the winner of China-South Korea will meet the victor of New Zealand and Lebanon.
In the distant horizon lies the 2027 World Cup in Doha and the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, where the Boomers will list their most powerful line-up.
But for now the young Boomers brigade, with an average age of 24, have preserved Australia's unbeaten record since joining the competition in 2017 without much fuss nor bother.
Australia have coasted into the semi-finals of the Asian Cup with a 84-60 victory over the Philippines in an incident-free clash devoid of any drama after their spiteful encounter seven years ago.
Unlike the much-talked about Thrilla in Manilla where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier went toe-to-toe for 14 rounds in the Philippines, the infamous 'Basketbrawl in Bocaue' in 2018 made headlines around the globe for all the wrong reasons.
Four Aussies were ejected as a result of the all-in brawl, while the Gilas were reduced to just three players before two of them fouled out to forfeit the game.
But there were no such incidents at the more serene King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Wednesday night, Australia instead comfortably sitting their opposition on the canvas without any controversy.
Adam Caporn's men, who beat South Korea, Lebanon and Qatar on their way to the quarter-finals, stuck to their task from the start and finished the first quarter 29-12 in front.
Jaylin Galloway and Jack McVeigh were deadly accurate in three-point shooting, but the Pilipinas began the second quarter in bold fashion to reduce the deficit to 12 points at 31-19, forcing a time out from the Australians.
Kevin Quiambao provided the ray of hope for the passionate and loud Gilas fans with his shooting from outside the arc, but the Australians maintained control to extend their lead to 20 points (48-28) at halftime.
The Boomers went up a notch after halftime, but so did the Gilas. They reduced the deficit to 19 points by edging the quarter 22-21, allowing themselves to dream.
Caporn's charges, however, were too big, too strong and too fast and saw out a 24-point win, the Boomers still the team to beat in the tournament.
Owen Foxwell led the scoring for Australia with 17 points while skipper Will Magnay was MVP.
Australia will next meet the winner of Iran and Taiwan for a place in the final, while in the other semi-final the winner of China-South Korea will meet the victor of New Zealand and Lebanon.
In the distant horizon lies the 2027 World Cup in Doha and the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, where the Boomers will list their most powerful line-up.
But for now the young Boomers brigade, with an average age of 24, have preserved Australia's unbeaten record since joining the competition in 2017 without much fuss nor bother.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
36 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Wallabies end 62-year drought with miraculous comeback win over Springboks
The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this wasn't the Wallabies' greatest ever victory, it was certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fellow back-rower Fraser McReight, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with Wilson escorted off with a possible ACL knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies are otherwise savouring a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to their 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Schmidt described the Wallabies' start as 'horrendous' and said relief was his over-riding emotion in the immediate aftermath to a pulsating encounter. 'I'm just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game,' he said. 'Because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes, it would be easy to fall out of the game. 'I know how much it means to them. They're incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they're forming between themselves.' In a lightning start, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged South Africa's opening try after just 94 seconds. Initially unable to cope with the home team's awesome skill and firepower, the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Kolisi palmed off McReight at the back of a ruck to continue the better-than-a-point-a-minute scoring blitz with South Africa's third try before the Wallabies finally found their second wind. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging No.8. His side trailing 22-5 at the break, Schmidt felt the Wallabies could still win. 'We talked mostly about the second 20 (minutes),' he told Stan Sport. 'We won the second 5-0, and we said, 'Well, if we can win the second 5-0, we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game. 'And once we got into the game, I just felt that we grew in confidence.' Needing something special, Angus Bell delivered first for the Wallabies, the replacement prop's deft short putting Wilson over two minutes into the second half. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to suddenly pull the score back to 22-19. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and a record-breaking 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans silently shell-shocked. Schmidt said it was important for the Wallabies to celebrate the remarkable win before shifting focus to next week's second Rugby Championship clash with the Boks in Cape Town. The coach was unsure how serious the injuries to Wilson and Pietsch were. 'Pietsch, obviously he did hurt his jaw. We're not sure to what degree at the moment,' Schmidt said. 'I'd love to think it's just bruising but we're going to have to get a little bit of a look at that in time. 'And with Harry as well, he got a bit of a wobble on it but he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now. 'So we live in hope.'
ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Wallabies beat South Africa 38-22 at Johannesburg in game one of Rugby Championship
The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this was not the Wallabies' greatest ever victory it was certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fellow back-rower Fraser McReight, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with Wilson escorted off with a possible ACL knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies are otherwise savouring a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to a 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Schmidt described the Wallabies' start as "horrendous" and said relief was his over-riding emotion in the immediate aftermath to a pulsating encounter. "I'm just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game," he said. "Because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes it would be easy to fall out of the game. "I know how much it means to them. They're incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they're forming between themselves." In a lightning start, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged South Africa's opening try after just 94 seconds. Initially unable to cope with the home team's skill and firepower the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Kolisi palmed off McReight at the back of a ruck to continue the better-than-a-point-a-minute scoring blitz with South Africa's third try before the Wallabies finally found their second wind. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging number eight. His side trailing 22-5 at the break, Schmidt felt the Wallabies could still win. "We talked mostly about the second 20 [minutes]," he told Stan Sport. "We won the second 5-0 and we said 'well, if we can win the second 5-0 we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game'. Needing something special, Angus Bell delivered first for the Wallabies, the replacement prop's deft short putting Wilson over two minutes into the second half. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to pull the score back to 22-19. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and a record-breaking 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans shell-shocked and silent. Schmidt said it was important for the Wallabies to celebrate the remarkable win before shifting focus to next week's second Rugby Championship clash with the Boks in Cape Town. The coach was yet unsure how serious the injuries to Wilson and Pietsch were. "Pietsch, obviously he did hurt his jaw. We're not sure to what degree at the moment," Schmidt said. "I'd love to think it's just bruising but we're going to have to get a little bit of a look at that in time. "And with Harry as well, he got a bit of a wobble on it but he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now. "So we live in hope." AAP
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins champions kids' literacy
No stranger to breaking records, Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins weighed in on the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee this week after the national spelling challenge broke all previous records for student, teacher and school registrations. With over 73,500 students now registered by over 3000 teachers at nearly 1400 schools, Cummins credited his teacher mum with instilling his own lifelong belief in the power of childhood literacy skills. When he and wife Becky welcomed their first child, son Albie in 2021, Cummins became a UNICEF Australia Ambassador because being a father 'changed everything'. 'Now as our family grows (with the birth of daughter Edith in February), so does my sense of responsibility to make sure we are building the right foundations for both of our children,' he said. The legendary fast bowler said challenges like the PM's Spelling Bee 'make learning exciting by turning it into a fun and fast-paced game'. 'The best part is that kids don't even realise how much they're taking in while they play,' he said. 'So, they're getting something good for them, which is spelling and literacy, but in a way they can enjoy.' With Albie nearly four and Edith already six months' old, Cummins said children's early years were 'when their little minds are taking in the world around them and shaping the rest of their lives'. 'It's in these years where education begins, with every bedtime story we read to them, every curious question and every proud recital of the alphabet,' Cummins said. Education was such a strong force in the Cummins family thanks to his mum's vocation, so the cricketer 'grew up understanding how powerful it can be.' Through his adult education came the knowledge that many children were not given that same chances in life. Travels through famously cricket-mad India have evolved from Cummins simply enjoying being a superstar of the game to visiting UNICEF programs for children. 'I've seen the barriers that still stand in the way of learning – such as poverty, or just the fact of being a girl,' he said. 'In Hyderabad, I visited schools where initiatives are underway to help keep girls in education, giving them the skills but also the confidence to set up their futures. Because the reality for these girls in India is that over half will have left school before Year 10. 'I saw these young minds diving into creative problem-solving, STEM, even 3D printing – their imagination alive, and their enthusiasm contagious.' But mastery of such complex subjects, he said, would be impossible without foundation literacy. 'Reading opens the doors to knowledge – letting children understand new ideas, be able to express them and find ways to make sense of a range of topics,' he said. 'It's the basis for a lifetime of learning and without it, can leave other forms of education out of reach.' The Hyderabad experience really brought home to him how important foundation literacy was for all Australian kids. 'Without it, they aren't given the chance to discover their full potential,' Cummins said. 'It's something we can't afford to ignore.' With his Howzat Pat children's book series out now, Cummins said he grew up loving adventures in books just as much as he loved playing backyard cricket with his brothers. 'Working on (Howzat Pat) … I want to encourage Albie and Edi, like my parents encouraged me, to have that same love of sport, curiosity and reading all at once – and I hope the books encourage the same thing for all kids across the country.' With the PM's Spelling Bee 'making the learning part of the everyday fun', Cummins said combining education with play was 'a huge win – no matter what the result is'. 'As a parent myself, I know how powerful this kind of learning can be,' he said. 'You can see their curiosity, they're building their confidence, and it also gives them a real sense of achievement.' UNICEF Australia head of policy and advocacy Katie Maskiell said it went further than reading and writing being the building blocks of education – they're every child's right. 'If a child can learn to read and write, they are allowed curiosity, confidence and a voice,' she said. 'Every minute spent learning brings a child closer to a brighter future, and every child deserves that chance, no matter what.' UNICEF currently works in 190 countries creating access to education in circumstances unimaginable to most children here in the Lucky Country. Elsewhere, millions of kids are living in poverty and war zones, amid floods and earthquakes, or in places where simply being a girl means no classroom access. 'UNICEF knows education is a beacon of hope for these children,' Ms Maskiell said. Run by free classroom literacy resource Kids News, registrations and the school round of the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee close at 5pm AEST on Friday 22 August. Visit ABOUT THE BEE â—� The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is a free, online competition for students in Years 3-8. â—� Students compete at their school in three levels: Green level for Years 3-4, Orange level for Years 5-6 and Red level for Years 7-8. â—� They get 30 randomly selected words from their competition level and have 25 seconds to type each answer. The students with the most correct words in the fastest time progress to finals. â—� Teachers can register their students until August 22, when the school round ends. â—� State and territory finals will be held September 1-5 and the national finals on September 10-11. â—� The national champion in each age group wins a trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, an iPad, HarperCollins book pack and a $1000 voucher for their school.
