Australia beat New Zealand in rugby league international match

Jonathan Thurston: impressive display for the Kangaroos

Aussies Rule: Australia celebrate winning try

A late converted try from Darius Boyd helped Australia to an 18-10 victory over New Zealand in their international match in Townsville.

North Queensland prop Matthew Scott put together a man-of-the-match performance in front of a sell-out crowd of 26,500.

Fellow veterans Cameron Smith, Paul Gallen and Jonathan Thurston were also instrumental in the win, while 23-year-old New Zealand-born prop James Tamou was at his explosive best producing two sensational line breaks.

Reigning World Cup champions New Zealand looked the more lethal early, with hooker Issac Luke's eighth-minute try putting them ahead as they dominated the opening 20 minutes.

The Kangaroos rallied though, and Smith weaved his way in for a try on 23 minutes, before James Tamou broke through multiple Kiwi defenders in the 34th minute to score his first Test try and put his side up 10-6.

But New Zealand struck back in the 39th minute when a Benji Marshall bomb led to a Gerard Beale try to tie the scores at 10-10 going into half-time.

There was still the same intensity in the second half but neither side could muster a score for 23 minutes until Thurston kicked a penalty to edge the hosts ahead.

It took 32 minutes of the period for a try, but Australian winger Boyd finally broke the drought after providing an explosive inside run for second-rower Paul Gallen, and with Thurston converting the score was 18-10.

The Aussies held on in the final stages to claim a second win in a row after another eight-point win in New Zealand on April 20.

Sky Bet Odds: