Tranquez puts the boot in as Brazil power their way past Hong Kong in first Autumn Test
Brazil full back Lucas Tranquez kicks 18 points as South Americans’ physicality proves too much for home side to handle
Andrew Douglas had said knowing how Brazil were going to play on Saturday and stopping them were two different things, and he was right, but he can’t have expected Hong Kong to make things so easy for their opponents.
So while the physicality the South Americans brought to their 23-10 win had been factored into Hong Kong’s preparations, poor game management and a set piece that never got going certainly weren’t part of the plan.
Brazil full back Lucas Tranquez will have few calmer days than this, and the 18 points he contributed with the boot were no less important than the booming kicks he sent back whenever Hong Kong kicked away possession, which was more often than not on a day when the home side were second best in all areas.
“We lost the kick battle, lost the collision and I think today we got what we deserved in terms of that performance,” Hong Kong head coach Douglas said.
Hong Kong briefly led, twice. Scoring the first points of the game through a Nathan de Thierry penalty, and then regaining the lead with little more than 30 minutes gone when Matthew Worley took a pass inside from scrum half Jamie Lauder and scampered in under the posts from 10 yards out.
But Tranquez kicked three penalties in the interim as Brazil’s physical presence forced Hong Kong to infringe at the breakdown, including one from the halfway line, added another moments after Worley’s score, and his clearance from deep soon after, ultimately led to hooker Henrique Ferreira burrowing over from close range after a break down the right from lock Gabriel Oliveira.
