The New Zealand Ironblacks claimed the seventh berth at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship with a 12-7 win against Australia in Canberra on Jan. 24.
Two touchdown runs by diminutive New Zealand running back and game MVP Dan Tavaga, who ran for 141 yards on 12 carries, and some stout defense inside the red zone helped the Ironblacks overcome three first-half turnovers and a 7-6 deficit to earn a trip to Canton, Ohio, in June.
"We've been building up for this since August, so the guys have done a lot of work for it, and they were ready mentally as well," New Zealand head coach Michael Mau'u said.
"We knew we were going to be up against it, and Australia came out like we expected - big and fast, played smart football - and in the end it was just execution that won it for us on offense and some special runners."
Seven countries - Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, and the U.S. - have now qualified for the summer tournament, which will kick off at Fawcett Stadium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on June 27 and play through July 5. The eighth and final spot will be filled by the Bahamas, Panama or Mexico.
Tavaga opened the scoring for New Zealand on the fourth play of the game when he followed right guard Behlow Matia pulling around left end, broke tackles by the pursuing Australian defenders and then sprinted away from the secondary to complete a 59-yard touchdown play. The extra point attempt by Hiroyuki Tanaka was blocked.
Mau'u successfully scripted plays for the opening Ironblacks drive and explained: "We set it up with our wing formation, then we went to trips and we thought that would set up the Aussies to bite hard on the pass. We knew that Dan had the speed, so once he got to the outside and got those big linemen coming through, that was it."
On New Zealand's next possession, the Australian defense presented its offense with an excellent opportunity to score. Junior Outbacks defensive tackle Jesse Williams sliced through the line and disrupted a handoff to fullback Matthew Gandy, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Jacob Townrow.
A sack of Australian quarterback Mark Rusby by New Zealand inside linebacker Christian Hellesoe forced the Outbacks to attempt a 35-yard field goal, which was pushed wide by kicker Jean Prill.
Tavaga immediately ripped off a 33-yard run by cutting back behind a pulling Matia, but the drive ended early in the second quarter when Ironblacks quarterback Marenata Pasa-Sioka was intercepted by Townrow inside the red zone.
The Australian drive stalled, but a booming punt by Jordan Berry backed the New Zealanders up to their own 33. Two plays later, Australian cornerback Justin Rourke jumped a short-out pattern to intercept a pass by Pasa-Sioka. A facemask penalty against the Ironblacks on the return meant the Outbacks took possession at the New Zealand 20-yard line, but Australia's best chance of the second quarter ended when a fourth down swing pass from Rusby to slot back Jereme Russell was dropped well short of the first down.
Australia started the third quarter with a good drive that used strong runs by slot back Dean Borghuis and Alexander Monea to set up first and 10 at the New Zealand 15-yard line. The Ironblacks dug in, dropping slot back Chris Pappas for a loss on third down. An illegal substitution penalty forced the Outbacks to attempt a 42-yard field goal, but Prill's kick was blocked by New Zealand defensive tackle Tia Ratu.
On the ensuing possession, Australian captain and linebacker James McFadzean caught Tavaga in the backfield and punched the ball loose, where it was recovered by the Outbacks on the New Zealand 24.
The hosts capitalized on the turnover when Borghuis motioned into the backfield from the left slot, took a pitch around the right end, cut upfield and hurdled two defenders before reaching the nose of the ball across the goal line for a 13-yard touchdown. Prill's extra point gave the home team a 7-6 lead.
Tavaga returned the following kickoff 62 yards up the middle to the Australian 28, but the promising drive ended when the Ironblacks turned the ball over on downs.
The next Ironblacks drive proved to be the game-winner. Receiver Josiah O'Connell had to leap to catch a 29-yard heave from Pasa-Sioka, but held on despite the attention of safety Scott Rogers to set up the Ironblacks at the Australian 17.
On the next play, Tavaga darted through the middle of the line, eluded McFadzean while drifting to the right sideline, then beat the pursuit to dive into the end zone untouched. Tanaka's extra point was wide left, but New Zealand had a 12-7 lead.
Australian Head Coach John Ludvigson believed O'Connell's reception, on a drive that the Australians thought they had stopped, was the play that turned the game.
"I think the catch was what broke it," he said. "Great yardage, great field position to set them up for the touchdown and I think the guys kind of dropped a bit after it."
Australia drove inside the New Zealand half with less than a minute left, but New Zealand countered the Outbacks' spread offensive set by shifting their defensive linemen into the interior gaps, then blitzing linebackers through the large offensive line splits. Inside linebackers Hellesoe and Telea Bragovits sealed the result by blitzing up the middle and sacking substitute quarterback Prills on fourth down.
New Zealand coach Mau'u thought the late defensive adjustment was the key in successfully disrupting the Australian offense through the final stages of the game.
"As the game went on, the offensive splits got wider and wider and we kept moving out lining head up, which is exactly how they're trained, position-wise," he said.
"Once we started tightening up the spaces, it was a case of two-on-one each time they (the New Zealand defensive line) came through, and it was only the guard that was taking them, so he had to choose, and that's why our line came through so quickly.
Ludvigson was somber after the game, saying his close-knit side was starting to comprehend just how close it had come to qualifying for the Junior World Championship.
"I'm disappointed, but not in the boys," he said. "They boys gave everything that was asked of them. They played their hearts out, and New Zealand played a fantastic game.
"Going into the game, and until the last minutes, I thought we were probably going to win the game. I thought we'd tire them out by then and our spread option was starting to work, but they hung on and played tough."
Tavaga was the standout for New Zealand, with guard Digger Penetito also having a strong game. Hellesoe recorded 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks to lead the defense, while Bragovits chipped in with eight tackles and half a sack.
The softly-spoken Tavaga said he was surprised by the intensity of the clash, especially the response of the Australian defense to his first touchdown run.
"It was pretty hard," he said. "I never thought it was going to be that hard. Thank God we won. After that first touchdown, I thought it was going to be pretty easy, but they came back pretty hard."
For Australia, Borghuis rushed for 58 yards on seven carries and also caught a 24-yard pass. McFadzean paced the defense with eight tackles, while Jesse Williams was a destructive presence at defensive tackle, recording seven tackles and forcing one turnover.
During the next few weeks, the New Zealand staff will start to focus on the IFAF Junior World Championship to be held in Canton, Ohio, in June and July.
"The realistic goal for the trip is to get our players seen," Mau'u said. "We want to make sure that we aren't the easy-beats of the World Cup. We'll bring a lot of passion and gain a lot of fans as we go. It might be a simple brand of football, but we have to get what works for us, not try something that's over the top."
BOX SCORE
Scoring
1st quarter
New Zealand - Tavaga 59-yard run (kick blocked)
2nd quarter
No Score
3rd quarter
Australia - Borghuis 13-yard run (Prills kick)
4th quarter
New Zealand - Tavaga 17-yard run (kick failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
NZ: Tavaga 12-141 (2 TD), Gandy 12-40, Pasa-Sioka 5-16.
AUS: Borghuis 7-58 (1 TD), Monea 10-17, Tumata 3-11, Russell 5-5, Pappas 4--6, Rusby 15--8.
Passing
NZ: Pasa Sioka 1-6-29-2, MacAskill 0-1-0-0.
AUS: Rusby 5-9-27-0, Prill 0-1-0-0.
Receiving
NZ: O'Connell 1-29.
AUS: Russell 3-2, Borghuis 1-24, Beyer 1-1.
Interceptions
NZ: None
AUS: Townrow, Rourke.
Tackles
NZ: Hellesoe 12, Bragovits 8.
AUS: McFadzean 8, Williams 7.