Wallabies crowned Tri-Nations champs

Australia have won the Tri-Nations after a ten-year wait thanks to a 25-20 win over New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

This is what Test rugby is all about!

The Wallabies outscored their visitors by three tries to two in what was a delicious hors d'oeuvre before the start of the Rugby World Cup.

A first-half blitz from the hosts saw Robbie Deans' troops send the shell-shocked All Blacks into the half-time sheds 17 points behind (20-3).

However, just like clockwork, New Zealand bounced back after the break to level the scores and set up a thrilling finish to a pulsating Tri-Nations decider.

But just as it seemed the visitors were going to seize the game by the scruff of the neck, a piece of brilliance by Australia's scrum-half Will Genia created the decisive try for Kurtley Beale.

It was a fast and furious start to the match that saw the Wallabies in fifth gear straight from the kick-off, only for the hosts to slam on the brakes after two mistimed passes from halfback partners Genia and Quade Cooper denied wing Digby Ioane ten points in the bank.

Instead, the hosts had to settle for a three-point lead following a straight-forward penalty from Cooper that put his team in front after four minutes played.

The Wallabies' lead was nearly stretched soon afterwards when centre Adam Ashley-Cooper weaved his way over the All Blacks' tryline, but was held up thanks to some sterling defensive work from scrum-half Piri Weepu and full-back Mils Muliaina.

The pace and physicallity of the game took its toll on the All Blacks' loose trio, who all required some attention before number eight Kieran Read called it a day and limped off the pitch as Adam Thomson recieved some heavy strapping to his left elbow.

The Wallabies then rubbed salt into the visitors' early wounds with the game's opening try after Genia sliced his way through a gap and dived over beside the posts.  Cooper added the extras and Australia had a handy 10-0 lead after 15 minutes played.

All Blacks pivot Dan Carter finally got the visitors on the board with his trusty boot mid-way through the half after the Wallabies defence was caught offside, but the Australians were still in control and Cooper replied with his second successful penalty of the match.

From the restart, two of Australia's veterans in the form of Dan Vickerman and number eight Radike Samo worked together to lift the capacity crowd off their feet.

Vickerman took his big frame into contact before putting Samo through a gap that the 35-year-old exploited to perfection -- first handing off Thomson, then racing 50 metres to the tryline for a sensational try with two All Blacks hanging on his back.

Cooper slammed over the conversion from bang in front and Australia went into half-time with their tails up, leading 20-3.  But any happy thoughts that Wallaby fans had of a runaway win by their team, were cast into doubt by this year's World Cup hosts in the second half.

Dominating possession from the restart, Ii was clear that New Zealand had set out their stall during the interval to extinguish the Wallaby flare that had burned so brightly in the opening 40 minutes.

First Carter added three more points with a penalty on 47 minutes, before the All Black magician drew the home side's defence and unleashed centre Conrad Smith for their opening try.

Carter's conversion took the scores to 20-11, but they weren't done there and seven minutes later the All Blacks went in for their second after Ma'a Nonu ran in to put his team right back in the frame.

With Carter's second conversion added to the mix, it was game on at 20-20!

However, Australia hit back in the best way possible.

Just like he did for the Reds in this year's Super Rugby final against the Crusaders at the same ground, Genia wrong-footed the opposition again and made good ground before delivering the offload to Ioane.

The Wallaby wing drew in the defence and then unselfishly fed Beale who ran in unopposed for the try to put the hosts back in front, but Cooper missed the conversion, leaving the scores on 25-20.

Six minutes from full-time Cooper missed what looked like a simple chance to give his side an eight-point advantage when he sent a penalty wide of the uprights.

But Australia held on through a nail-biting finish to claim the Tri-Nations crown for the first time in a decade.

Man of the match:  Tough one! We could go for a Wallabies team award, but it was decided that Radike Samo, the oldest Wallaby player at 35, deserves it the most after showing everyone who witnessed his try that there's still plenty of life left in those old legs.

Moment of the match:  Beale's match-winning try in the left corner to retrieve Australia's lead.  It had class written all over it.

Villain of the match:  Hmmm ... maybe see our comments section below.  We're pretty sure you'll find a few candidates in there somewhere!

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Genia, Samo, Beale
Cons:  Cooper 2
Pens:  Cooper 2

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Smith, Nonu
Cons:  Carter 2
Pens:  Carter 2

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Anthony Fainga'a, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill (c), 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements:  16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Salesi Ma'afu, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Rob Horne.

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Andrew Hore, 17 John Afoa, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Isaia Toeava.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)

Boks bag first win of the year

Morné Steyn kicked all of South Africa's points as they beat New Zealand 18-5 in Saturday's Tri-Nations clash in Port Elizabeth.

The All Blacks scored the only try of the game, but were outmuscled up front by their hosts.  The whole Bok team tackled their hearts out and Steyn's strong tactical kicking, especially in the second half, allowed them to keep the visitors pinned back.

As has become the norm in clashes between these sides, the All Blacks looked the more dangerous side with ball in hand, but the Springboks can count themselves deserved winners and will take encouragement from their improvement in defence and at scrum time in their final game before the World Cup.

It was South Africa's best performance of the year -- by some margin -- but the Springbok management will continue to be concerned by their team's inability to cross the try line.  (Peter de Villiers' team have scored just three tries this year -- all by hookers John Smit and Chiliboy Ralepelle.)

By contrast, Graham Henry's task of picking his backs for the World Cup was made no easier by strong performances by Israel Dagg, Isaia Toeava and Hosea Gear.  However Adam Thomson's hopes of making the starting XV on September 9 took a step backwards as his overeagerness cost his side a number of penalties.

Just how much can be read into this result is debatable as it would be overly harsh to judge New Zealand on the performance of a make-shift side.

New Zealand did most of the playing in the first quarter but it was the hosts who held a 12-0 lead after half-an-hour as their charged-up pack forced the All Blacks to infringe at the rucks and at scrum time.

Steyn moved the Boks further ahead with a neat drop-goal but it was the men in black who would cross the whitewash for the game's only try, courtesy of Richard Kahui, who muscled his way past three defenders after Gear had cut through the Boks' defensive curtain with a searing run.

South Africa led 15-5 at half time with Steyn's fifth penalty the only points of the second period.

Man of the match:  The home side's cover defence saved their bacon on a number of occasions with Jaque Fourie coming to the rescue two or three times.  But we'll go for Morné Steyn who not only scored all the hosts' points, but generally controlled the game.

Moment of the match:  With the All Blacks trailing by ten points, Jimmy Cowan's disallowed try will be subject of debate for a long time to come.  Dagg's final pass was certainly forward ... and television match official Johann Meuwesen made sure referee George Clancy knew about it.

Villain of the match:  It wasn't tiddlywinks but no one deserves a mention.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Pens:  Steyn 5
Drop:  Steyn

For New Zealand:
Try:  Kahui

South Africa:  15 Pat Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements:  16 John Smit, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Butch James.

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Isaia Toeava, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Adam Thomson, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu (capt) 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Andrew Hore, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Piri Weepu, 22 Cory Jane.

Venue:  Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)

Wallabies rule in Durban

South Africa slumped to their third consecutive Tri-Nations defeat in 2011, going down 14-9 to Australia at Kings Park in Durban.

The Wallabies scored all their points in the second half as they came back from being 6-0 down at half-time, scoring the only try of the game through centre Pat McCabe.

For many South African fans the ''real'' Tri-Nations kicked off in Durban as the defending world champions brought back the bulk of the first-choice players and lined up the most experienced Springbok team in history.

But after a solid start, the hosts' big guns failed to fire in the second half and were outdone by an Australian side that coped better with the changing conditions.

The result means that South Africa can no longer win the Tri-Nations -- the 2011 crown will be decided when the All Blacks visit Brisbane at the end of the month.

The Springboks were worth their six-point lead at the break and looked to have the upper hand but failed to carry that momentum into the second period as they struggled to maintain possession as the drizzle at half time turned to steady rain.

The Wallabies will be pleased with how their set piece responded after the break, especially at scrum time.

As the scoreline suggests, it was far from Australia's prettiest victory but Robbie Deans will be happy with the grit his side showed as they fronted up to the typically physical Boks playing typically direct rugby.

Full-back Francois Steyn opened the scoring with a trademark long-range penalty in the second minute after Australia skipper Rocky Elsom was penalised for a dangerous tackle.

Butch James doubled the Boks' lead with a 16th-minute penalty in what started off as a fast-paced encounter.

South Africa centre Jacques Fourie was denied a try by the TMO, who judged he had knocked on as he battled with Quade Cooper to bring a high kick under control and the scorers would not be troubled again until half time as both James O'Connor and Steyn were also off-target with with further penalty and drop-goal attempts respectively.

Australia got on the scoreboard soon after the break when O'Connor landed his first penalty.

And the Kings Park crowd were silenced completely when McCabe rounded off a slick passing move to score the first and only try of the match and put Australia 8-6 in front.

A James penalty gave the lead back to the Springboks but an infringement by Tendai Mtawarira at a ruck allowed O'Connor to strike again after 65 minutes.

O'Connor stretched the lead to five points with a 74th-minute penalty and, despite desperate attempts by South Africa to find a match-levelling try, the Wallabies held on.

South Africa host New Zealand in Port Elizabeth next Saturday.

Man of the match:  The Wallaby pack stepped the intensity up a notch in the second half and hooker Stephen Moore was a tireless grafter all around the park.

Moment of the match:  There could only be one choice here.  With all the hard work done by the Wallaby forwards, the hosts were in trouble when Quade Cooper sent the ball out wide where there was a huge overlap.  There was little Heinrich Brüssow or the injured Frans Steyn could do to prevent Pat McCabe's try

Villain of the match:  No nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Pens:  F. Steyn, James 2

For Australia:
Try:  McCabe
Pens:  O'Connor 3

South Africa:  15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Danie Rossouw, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Gurthro Steenkamp, 18 Gerhard Mostert, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 Morne Steyn, 22 Gio Aplon.

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 James Horwill, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements:  16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Salesi Ma'afu, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Luke Burgess, 22 Anthony Faingaa.

Venue:  Kings Park, Durban
Referee:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  George Clancy (Ireland), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official:  Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

All Blacks too good for Wallabies

The All Blacks shut out the Wallabies in a first-half blitz to win their opening Bledisloe Cup encounter 30-14 at Eden Park on Saturday.

Any hopes Australia had of ending their 25-year Auckland drought were ripped to pieces by their dominant hosts, who charged to a 17-0 lead at the break and never looked like losing.

Due to a shortened version of the Tri-Nations (because of the World Cup), New Zealand's three-tries-to-two victory also sees them secure the Bledisloe Cup for another year.

It was a clinical display all round by the rampant All Blacks, who are now in pole position to claim yet another Tri-Nations title.

The Wallabies started and ended the match with plenty of promise, but it was the space in between that saw Robbie Deans' men capitulate to some ferocious defence from the home side.

The All Blacks knocked the stuffing out of their trans-Tasman rivals, often reversing the Wallabies' key strike runners and kept playmaker Quade Cooper quiet all night -- New Zealand's steady pressure and suffocating defence denied the Aussie pivot the chance to regularly set his backline in motion.

Australia's cause was further undermined by poor goal-kicking, with James O'Connor' missing three successive penalties.  But the same couldn't be said of Dan Carter, who was immaculate with the boot as the Wallabies were put to the sword.

Digby Ioane and Rocky Elsom did get on the board for the Wallabies in the second period, however they mere consolation tries and Australia never looked like threatening New Zealand's 23-match unbeaten streak at the Auckland venue.

The opening passage was played at a fast and furious pace, with both sides going at each other hammer and tongs.  However, All Blacks centre Conrad Smith then affected a turnover in midfield which led to the opening score of the match.

Instrumental scrum-half Piri Weepu raced down the touchline, before linking with wing Sitiveni Sivivatu who got the attacking team close to the line.  Flanker Jerome Kaino kept the ball alive and it was centre Ma'a Nonu who picked up the ball to drive through the legs to score.

Weepu's excellent work in keeping the ball in play was crucial in the All Blacks next try as loose forwards Kieran Read and Richie McCaw powered their way towards Australia's tryline.  Held inches short, hooker Keven Mealamu got low and had the strength to place the pigskin on the chalk dust for the try.

The home side took a seventeen-point lead into the break, and Carter extended the All Blacks lead just after the restart with a drop-goal which was only the third of his 82-Test career.

The Wallabies gave a vivid reminder of their threat from broken field when they turned over possession in their 22m and shifted the ball to Digby Ioane, who stood up full-back Mils Muliaina en route to goal.

With O'Connor relieved of the kicking duties, Cooper landed a touchline conversion which would have galavanised his side.

However, it would be shortlived as the All Blacks struck back with their third try straight from the restart after Australia failed to control the ball.

Read put the pressure on the Wallaby jumpers, and the ball -- which seemed to have been knocked on by the number eight -- bounced and landed in Conrad Smith's hands.  The centre set off down the sideline before passing inside to Sivivatu, who couldn't believe his luck.

Carter's conversion took New Zealand out to a 27-7 lead, which was soon stretched with another penalty goal before captain Elsom claimed a late consolation try for his beaten team.

Man of the match:  Take a bow Piri Weepu.  The nuggety number nine, who started a Test for the first time this season, did his World Cup chances little harm by making an emphatic statement to the All Blacks' selectors.  He cleared possession quickly and with accuracy from breakdowns, creating the initial space that was exploited by Carter and Nonu in midfield.

Moment of the match:  The 50th and 52nd minutes of the match.  Just when you thought the Wallabies were launching a late comeback with Ioane's try (50th minute), the All Blacks put them back in their place with Sivivatu's reply (52nd minute).

Villain of the match:  n/a

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Nonu, Mealamu, Sivivatu
Cons:  Carter 3
Pens:  Carter 2
Drop:  Carter

For Australia:
Tries:  Ioane, Elsom
Cons:  Cooper 2

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Wyatt Crockett.Replacements:  16 Andrew Hore, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Samuel Whitelock, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Sonny Bill Williams.

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements:  16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Pek Cowan, 18 Dan Vickerman, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Anthony Fainga'a, 22 Lachie Turner.

Referee:  Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Six-try All Blacks hammer Springboks

As expected, the All Blacks were convincing winners in Wellington on Saturday, running six tries past the Springboks in a 40-7 Tri-Nations victory.

No surprises then.  Few pundits gave the make-shift South African side much of a chance and they were comprehensively beaten.

Wingers Cory Jane and Zac Guildford both scored twice as the New Zealand led from start to finish, dominating every aspect of play to retain the Freedom Cup.

Over 20 missed tackled from the visitors didn't help their cause much, neither did their erratic line-out, usually their strongest weapon.  The South African's only reply came through a try from skipper John Smit.

Just how much can be read into this result is debatable but what is clear is that no more that two or three of these Boks can expect to make the first-choice side.

By contrast, they'll be no complaints from the Kiwi fans about their side's performance as the men in Black (with a new white collar) put on a master-class of clinical finishing to lead 18-7 at half-time before keeping a clean sheet in the second period.

With the game won, Graham Henry could even afford the luxury giving fly-half understudy Colin Slade some game time alongside maestro Dan Carter.

Carter's score-opening penalty in the third minute took him back to the top of Test rugby's all-time points-scorers list, moving ahead of Jonny Wilkinson.

Things didn't start well for South Africa as Morne Steyn missed his first attempt at goal soon afterwards -- his first miss in 39 Tri-Nations kicks.  It was omen for a very long night facing the tourists.

It wasn't long before the All Blacks took the game by the scruff of the neck as two tries in quick succession put the visitors behind the eight ball.  The result never realistically looked in doubt from then on.

With numbers on the outside and the Bok defence disorganised, Wyatt Crockett's first Test try wasn't difficult to score as he crossed in the corner after twelve minutes.

Just three minutes later the hosts struck again as they broke out from their own 22.  Guildford's pace finished it off -- it was also his first international try -- but all the credit must go to Carter, who got his side going forward with a clever chip and then split the Bok defence a phase later with a jink and a dummy.

South Africa hadn't looked like scoring in the first half-hour so it was brave call from Smit to opt for a line-out rather than take the points from rare a penalty.  The gamble paid off though as Smit himself received the ball as he wrapped around the line-out to barge over under the sticks.

That brief glimmer of hope was quickly extinguished however as two long passes set up a mismatch between Jane and Smit.  The Hurricane flyer easily stepped past the hooker before turning on the afterburners to give New Zealand an 11-point lead at the break.

It was much the same story in the second half.  Juan de Jongh did well to hold up Ma'a Nonu but from the ensuing scrum the hosts had another overlap out wide and Jane cruised in for his second try.

The home back line could do no wrong as Mils Muliaina stepped one way and popped a pass the other to Guilford, who could score untouched.

Guilford also had a hand in the final nail in the coffin as his inside pass found Slade, who cruised home.

Having each bagged a bonus point, next week's clash between New Zealand and Australia should be a thriller.

Man of the match:  Tough to pick out a single figure is such one-sided display but a mention must go to the entire All Black pack, who went forward at every scrum.  Jane and Guildford advanced their arguments for a berth in the World Cup 30 but we'll go for Dan Carter.  Despite missing a few conversion in difficult kicking conditions, The world-record holder made all the right decisions and played a significant role in two tries.

Moment of the match:  Not only was Guildford's first try was a gem, but it gave the hosts a 13-point lead.  The Boks were never going to back from there.

Villain of the match:  No nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Crockett, Guildford 2, Jane 2, Slade
Cons:  Carter 2
Pens:  Carter 2

For South Africa:
Try:  Smit
Con:  Steyn

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Adam Thomson, 7 Richie McCaw (C), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:16 Corey Flynn, 17 John Afoa, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Liam Messam, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Sonny Bill Williams.

South Africa:  15 Morne Steyn, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Danie Rossouw, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Gerhard Mostert, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Ryan Kankowski, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Wynand Olivier, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

Venue:  Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Referee:Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
Television match officials:Garratt Williamson (New Zealand)
Assessor:  Tappe Henning

Boks butchered in Sydney

Australia opened their 2011 Tri-Nations account with a comprehensive 39-20 victory over South Africa in Sydney on Saturday.

The clinical Wallabies completely destroyed the bumbling Boks with a five-tries-to-two victory that will leave the world champions plenty to ponder ahead of next week's clash with New Zealand.

Wet weather was the forecast but the weatherman got it wrong, which meant an expected tight forward tussle was cancelled out by open rugby that quite literally played into the Wallabies hands as the hosts ran the Springboks ragged.

South Africa struggled to match their opponents on attack -- they looked flat and devoid of ideas when in possession, and just lacked the same skill-set as the Wallabies with their ball-in-hand approach.

The woeful Springboks didn't fare any better on defence either as Australia penetrated the visitors' green and gold brick wall with ease in dry conditions that the South Africans simply failed to adapt to.

On the other end of the scale, the Wallabies were in a class of their own -- showcasing some brilliant running rugby that left the home crowd begging for more.  Everything they touched turned to gold, and if there was any way to respond to last week's shock loss to Samoa -- this was certainly it.

The writing was on the wall for South Africa straight from the kick-off at ANZ Stadium, where Australia wasted little time showing their intentions with ball in hand.  And after five minutes, one sensed it was going to be a long day at the office for the Springboks.

This was confirmed after the Wallabies struck with two quick-fire tries to Ben Alexander and Digby Ioane in the space of two minutes that left John Smit's troops rattled and forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the match.

It was Reds magician Quade Cooper -- fully recovered from Friday's fight with 'flu -- who launched the Wallabies' attack for their first score from inside his own 22, stepping inside a host of tacklers to break clear.

Australia's pivot found Kurtley Beale and James O'Connor in support on the right, before the ball was worked to the other end of the pitch where captain Rocky Elsom offloaded to Alexander on his outside for the opening try.

O'Connor, who had a near-flawless night with the boot, added the extras from out wide.

Immediately from the restart, the Boks were at sixes and sevens after scrum-half Will Genia burst clear before releasing Ioane who staved off a poor tackle from Gio Aplon to cross for an unconverted try.

South Africa fly-half Morne Steyn reduced the deficit with a 30th-minute penalty but O'Connor restored the 12-point advantage with a penalty of his own.

Australia's impressive handling was proving too much for the visitors to handle, and only a spilled pass by lock James Horwill prevented another try for Robbie Deans' side.

After the half-time hooter has sounded, Steyn added another penalty to leave the Springboks trailing 15-6 at the break.

With plenty of work to do in the second half, South Africa were back in a huddle under the posts as O'Connor converted his own try set up by Cooper three minutes after the resumption.

South Africa's midfielders Wynand Olivier and Juan de Jongh held off Cooper allowing the unpredictable Wallaby playmaker to spear through a gap and send out a low pass that O'Connor stooped to gather and score.

The game was then effectively killed off as a contest as Australia wrapped up their four-try bonus point after hooker Stephen Moore crossed over besides the posts.  The grounding was confirmed by the TMO and converted by O'Connor to make it 29-6.

O'Connor added his second penalty shortly before more skilful offloading from Cooper created the fifth try as his flip pass sent centre Adam Ashley-Cooper into space, with Steyn missing a tackle to let the centre flop over the line.

O'Connor was once again on target with the extras.

The visitors briefly rallied with replacement hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle being bundled over from an effective maul, and then captain Smit burrowed over in the final minute for another consolation score.  Both tries were converted by replacement back Patrick Lambie.

The result means Australia keep the Mandela Plate they won last year with their fourth win in five Tests against the Springboks.

Man of the match:  To single out just one individual following this dazzling performance by the Wallabies isjust too hard.  So we're opting for a team award instead.

Moment of the match:  Phew, out of the five Wallabies' tries ... take your pick!

Villain of the match:  No punch-ups or any cards to speak of.  But maybe another team award should go to South Africa, who were their own worst enemy on attack and defence.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Alexander, Ioane, O'Connor, Moore, Ashley-Cooper
Cons:  O'Connor 4
Pens:  O'Connor 2

For South Africa:
Tries:  Ralepelle, Smit
Cons:  Lambie 2
Pens:  Steyn 2

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements:  16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Pekahou Cowan, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.

South Africa:  15 Gio Aplon, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Danie Rossouw, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Dean Greyling
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Ryan Kankowski, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 Patrick Lambie.

Referee:  Chris Pollock (New Zealand)