OTHER SPORT

'WE ONLY HAVE OURSELVES TO BLAME'

Australia beat Wales in injury time.

Tuesday May 29,2007

By Matt Lloyd in Brisbane

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MICHAEL OWEN has told his Wales team-mates to stop cursing their luck and get on with putting their game in order.

Wales are still scratching their heads following the agonising injury-time loss to Australia in Sydney.

Coach Gareth Jenkins has even delayed naming his team as Wales try to recover both physically and mentally.

But Grand Slam skipper Owen reckons the Dragons must accept the blame for throwing away a golden chance to end their 38-year misery Down Under.

“It was a sickener, but it was our fault,” said Owen. “We have to admit it wasn’t just bad luck, the win was there for us to close out, but we didn’t do it and threw it all away.

“We’re all very disappointed, but there’s no point going on about how unlucky we were. It was a game we should have won after putting ourselves in a winning position at 23-22 with seconds to go.

“We have to look at the reasons why we lost and put it right next week.”

Jenkins still does not know who he has available to face the Wallabies here this weekend after delaying his team announcement to Thursday and cancelling yesterday’s training in Queensland.

Centres Sonny Parker and Jamie Robinson are both nursing bruised hips and Brent Cockbain is also a doubt, but hooker Mefin Davies has joined the squad.

Meanwhile, red-faced Australian rugby chiefs have offered a 72-year-old female Wales fan free travel and match tickets to the second Test after she was thrown out of Saturday’s clash.

Sydney police frogmarched the elderly supporter out of the stadium after she crossed the barrier to celebrate James Hook’s late drop-goal with the Wallaby mascot. Police said she will not be prosecuted.