Rugby Union: Australia rise to the occasion: Ian Borthwick reports from Sydney on the first Test to be played under rugby union's controversial new rules

AS A tension-filled game of international rugby, the first Test of the New Zealand tour of Australia in Sydney on Saturday was a success. The lead changed hands five times, and for the last 10 minutes the Wallabies kept 39,870 spectators on the edge of their seats as they hung on to a one-point margin to 16-15.

However, it was less successful as an advertisement for the International Rugby Board's sweeping rule changes: a total of 19 new laws plus a handful of 'experimental variations'. The first full international to be played using the new rules was a stop-start affair, although both sides produced a number of passages of spectacular play.

One would be hard pressed to find better examples of precise, controlled forward drives followed by uncannily fast delivery to the scrum-half as when the New Zealanders produced their first try with Va'aiga Tuigamala after six minutes, or when Tim Horan scored the critical try for the Australians in the second half.

But these were more than offset by long periods of unproductive play dominated by tactical (sic) kicking from both sides. Designed to reduce kicking and encourage the running game, the new rules seem to have produced the opposite effect. Every time the Australians dropped out from their 22 in the second half they kicked long. And every time the New Zealanders simply kicked the ball back to the Australian line, to be followed by one, two or three more kicks until someone found touch.

Kicking also now appears to be the dominant strategy of stand-offs unless they are in the opposition territory. In the entire game on Saturday, Michael Lynagh and Grant Fox each only passed the ball twice in their own half. In Fox's case, the first was to Walter Little, who kicked, the second was in the dying minute when the All Blacks attacked from behind their own line.

'Teams are now too worried about playing with the ball in hand in their own half,' Nick Farr-Jones said. 'They're too scared to give away a scrum feed so they're playing a kick-for-territory game.' The Australian captain noted that his first game under the new rules involved far less running than before. 'Usually I can hardly walk at the end of a game. But today I could easily have played another half.'

Both teams and the Scottish referee Jim Fleming had difficulty interpreting the new rules. The New Zealanders made a number of benign but costly mistakes, twice getting caught by the new offside law following kicks through. Fleming repeatedly lectured the forwards at line-out time, insisting on the one- metre gap. But both teams, as soon as the ball left the thrower's hand, took one step sideways resulting in the same old confusion.

'It's going to take some time for players and referees to come to terms with the new laws and the changes in the culture of the game,' Bob Dwyer, the Australian coach, said. 'We have to develop a whole new understanding.'

Dwyer has been especially critical of the new ruling giving the scrum feed to the defending team when the ball becomes unavailable in a maul. Both sides were caught out, notably New Zealand when, after a 35-metre rolling maul, they lost possession when Fleming whistled just as the ball was being freed. 'This is a massive change in the philosophy of rugby,' Dwyer said. 'I am absolutely opposed to this rule as it works against any team which tries to keep the ball in hand.'

Whether Australia can now add the coveted Bledisloe Cup to their list of trophies remains to be seen. But they must now start as favourites for the second Test in Brisbane in two weeks' time.

Australia: Tries Campese, Horan; Penalties Lynagh 2. New Zealand: Tries Tuigamala, Bunce; Penalty Fox; Conversion Fox.

AUSTRALIA: T Kelaher; P Carozza, J Little, T Horan, D Campese; M Lynagh, N Farr-Jones (capt); T Daly, P Kearns, E McKenzie, R McCall, J Eales, T Coker, D Wilson, S Scott- Young. Replacement: G Morgan for Scott- Young, 77.

NEW ZEALAND: J Timu; J Kirwan, F Bunce, W Little, V Tuigamala; G Fox, A Strachan; R Loe, S Fitzpatrick (capt); O Brown, I Jones, R Brooke, M Brewer, M Jones, A Pene. Replacement: J Joseph for Brewer, 65.

Referee: J Fleming (Scotland).