All Blacks' fightback floors the Wallabies in Bledisloe Cup thriller in Dunedin

The All Blacks recovered from being 3-17 down at half-time to beat the Wallabies 23-20 in a thrilling Bledisloe Cup encounter at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday.

After winning the Bledisloe Cup for the 21st successive year in Melbourne last week, the All Blacks made wholesale changes to their starting line-up and it showed as their opponents were the better team during the opening half.

However, the home side took control of proceedings after the interval and held their nerve to clinch a thrilling win, with Richie Mo’unga slotting the match-winning penalty in the game’s dying moments.

The All Blacks’ other points came via tries from Shaun Stevenson and Samipeni Finau while Damian McKenzie added a conversion and a penalty and Mo’unga also slotted a conversion and another three-pointer off the kicking tee.

For the Wallabies, Marika Koroibete and Tom Hooper crossed the whitewash while Carter Gordon contributed seven points courtesy of a couple of conversions and a penalty and Quade Cooper also added a penalty.

The Wallabies made a terrific start and after taking the ball through several phases with their forwards they struck out wide with their backs as early as the third minute.  Koroibete did brilliantly when he ran onto a pass from Samu Kerevi before crossing for the opening try in the left-hand corner despite desperate tackles from Stevenson and Finlay Christie.

Shortly afterwards, it was a similar story when Angus Bell took the ball into contact inside New Zealand’s 22 with a powerful carry and the ball was recycled quickly.  Kerevi turned provider again when he offloaded to Hooper, who powered through tackles from McKenzie and Stevenson before crashing over for his team’s second try.

The All Blacks seemed shellshocked by the intensity of the Wallabies’ onslaught but they finally opened their account in the 14th minute when McKenzie slotted a penalty.

Despite that, the visitors continued to hold the upper-hand and 10 minutes later they came close to scoring their third try when Pone Fa’amausili went over under New Zealand’s posts but his effort was disallowed as Samisoni Taukei’aho held him up while crossing the whitewash.

However, the All Blacks had strayed offside in the build-up and Gordon was successful with the resulting penalty which gave the Wallabies a deserved 17-3 lead.

They had an opportunity to increase their lead on the half hour-mark when Tate McDermott made a dash for the try-line but he too was held up after a desperate tackle from Ardie Savea.

It was a different All Blacks side which came out for the second half as they were much more competitive after the break and immediately went on the front foot from the kick off as they were soon camped inside the Wallabies’ 22.

Dallas McLeod and Leicester Fainga’anuku caught the eye with powerful carries which sucked in the Wallabies’ defence before McKenzie found Stevenson with an excellent skip pass and the debutant did well to dive over for his first Test try.

🔥 Try on debut for Shaun Stevenson! The All Blacks are back in this one. #NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/U1sQybG1jP

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 5, 2023

That score saw the All Blacks upping the ante on attack and in the 55th minute Fainga’anuku broke through a couple of tackles before barging over under the posts, but television replays revealed that he had lost control of the ball while crossing the try-line and his score was ruled out.

Despite that setback, momentum had swung in New Zealand’s favour and in the 57th minute Mo’unga, who had come on to replace McKenzie, narrowed the gap to four points when he slotted a penalty.

On the hour-mark, Gordon had a chance to give his team its seven-point lead again but his penalty attempt struck an upright.  Five minutes later, they were made to pay for that blunder when another Test rookie, Finau, crossed for his five-pointer after the All Blacks’ forwards had put the Wallabies under pressure with some strong carries in the build-up.

That converted try gave the hosts a 20-17 lead but the Wallabies drew level in the 73rd minute when Cooper landed a long-range penalty.

Just before full-time, however, the visitors were penalised at a scrum and Mo’unga held his nerve from 45 metres out to slot the match-winning penalty for the All Blacks.

Impressive All Blacks once again claim Rugby Championship title

New Zealand retained both the Rugby Championship title and Bledisloe Cup after they after hammered Australia 38-7 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In truth, the scoreline didn’t really do justice to the visitors’ efforts, who fronted up for the majority of the match, but it simply showcased how much Ian Foster’s men have progressed over the past 12 months.

Following disappointing defeats to South Africa and Argentina, the Wallabies were better in Melbourne and after 30 minutes they held a 7-5 advantage through Rob Valetini’s try.

New Zealand had begun the half well as Shannon Frizell went over before they ended it on the front foot thanks to tries from Codie Taylor and Will Jordan.

The All Blacks then withstood long periods of pressure in the second half, which proved crucial as they cut loose, scoring three times in the final 22 minutes.

Caleb Clarke, Mark Telea and Rieko Ioane all touched down to complete the win and make sure their kept hold of the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship.

It was a mixed start from Aaron Smith, who threw the ball straight into touch in the opening exchanges, but he then produced a pinpoint box-kick which took play into the Australian 22.

From the resultant Wallabies lineout, the hosts took clean ball off the top, but Scott Barrett was waiting and sent Tate McDermott into next week with a huge hit.  The scrum-half duly lost possession and Frizell was on hand to touch down to hand the visitors the lead.

To McDermott’s credit, he responded well and dictated proceedings nicely from the base, while his half-back partner Carter Gordon – on his first Test start – mixed play up nicely.

With big runners Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete and Mark Nawaqanitawase picking lines in the midfield, the Wallabies were dangerous.

Nawaqanitawase was particularly effective and the wing made a significant incursion as he ran over the isolated Smith and surged into the New Zealand 22.

Eddie Jones’ men showed patience to go through the phases and eventually Valetini was awarded a try after consultation with the television match official.

The Australians were at that point matching the All Blacks physically but gradually Ian Foster’s charges got on top.

They were very direct and structured, something which attack guru Joe Schmidt has added to their armoury, and eventually the home side’s defence was breached.

After Koroibete had been sin-binned for being offside, the All Blacks took advantage of his absence when a powerful driving maul ended in Taylor crossing the whitewash.

Richie Mo’unga’s conversion then increased their buffer to five but all was not lost for the Wallabies, who were very much in the game.  However, a mistake from Gordon handed the visitors a final opportunity before the break and, in typical New Zealand fashion, they were clinical as Jordan scored.

2⃣3⃣ caps
2⃣3⃣ tries

🇳🇿 Will Jordan is a try machine. #RugbyChampionship #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/nHdXzkUkVa

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 29, 2023

The momentum had very much switched the All Blacks’ way but Australia did not give in and dominated the first 15 minutes of the second period.  However, there was no reward for their efforts as their opponents’ defence remained stubborn in the face of some big runners.

Taniela Tupou, making his return to the international arena, made several rampaging runs, but one such surge led to him picking up an injury.

Bizarrely, Jones decided to keep him on the field while he was clearly struggling and it proved costly as, with his last act, the tighthead was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle.

The head coach was reluctant to bring Tupou off due to the serious injury suffered by Allan Alaalatoa but, with the World Cup looming and James Slipper able to cover that position, it was a strange call by the Wallabies.

And with Australia down to 14 men once again, the All Blacks would make sure of the victory.  Firstly, Clarke crossed the whitewash before fellow wing Telea followed him to effectively secure the Rugby Championship title.

With the game in the bag New Zealand could enjoy themselves and they put together the try of the competition, which ended in Ioane going over.

It was a fitting final try as they showed the rugby world that they will be a significant threat come the Rugby World Cup.

All Blacks boost title hopes with win over Wallabies

The All Blacks took a giant step towards retaining their Rugby Championship title when they clinched a 40-14 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday.

New Zealand started the game level on points with South Africa in the overall standings, and with a 13-point advantage over the world champions, but with them sealing a bonus-point victory ― with a big winning margin ― it means the Springboks will have to beat Argentina by 40 points or more in Durban, if they are to overhaul Ian Foster’s men.

In the end, the All Blacks outscored the Wallabies by five tries to two with Will Jordan, Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor and Samisoni Taukei’aho crossing the whitewash and they were also awarded a penalty try, while Richie Mo’unga finished with a 13-point haul courtesy of three penalties and two conversions.

For Australia, Folau Fainga’a and Jordan Petaia scored tries and their other points came courtesy of conversions from Bernard Foley and Reece Hodge.

The match started at a frenetic pace with the Wallabies doing the early attacking but they were reduced to 14 men in the second minute when Jed Holloway was sent to the sin bin for taking Dalton Papali’i beyond the horizontal.

The All Blacks were soon on the attack deep inside their opponents’ 22 but the visitors kept them at bay with a solid defensive effort and there were no points scored during Holloway’s stint off the field.

The next 20 minutes was an arm wrestle as both sides battled to gain the ascendancy but the All Blacks eventually opened the scoring in the 22nd minute via a Mo’unga penalty.  And shortly afterwards they extended their lead when Jordan found himself in space just outside Australia’s 22 before gliding through a gap in their defence on his way over the try-line.

That try was a shot in the arm for the home side, who continued to build pressure inside Australia’s half and they were rewarded in the 27th minute when referee Andrew Brace awarded them a penalty try.  This, after the All Blacks launched a lineout drive close to the Wallabies’ try-line which was pulled down illegally by Dave Porecki, who was also sent to the sin bin for his indiscretion.

The Wallabies needed to respond and they thought they had reduced the deficit on the half-hour mark when Marika Koroibete dotted down in the left-hand corner but his effort was disallowed when television replays revealed that he had a foot in touch in the build-up.

The All Blacks continued to hold an edge and, although they couldn’t build on their lead, they had their tails up with the score 17-0 in their favour at half-time.

All Blacks dominance continues in second half

The hosts continued to dominate after the interval and extended their lead in the 43rd minute when Whitelock crossed for their third try, after barging over from close quarters under the posts.

Mo’unga added the extras, as well as a penalty in the 47th minute, before Taylor crossed off the back of a lineout drive to give his team a 32-0 lead.  On the hour mark, the Wallabies finally opened their account when Pete Samu made a break down the left-hand touchline before throwing an inside pass which was knocked backwards by Jordan and Fainga’a gathered before crossing the whitewash.

Despite that score, the All Blacks did not panic and struck back with Taukei’aho’s five-pointer ― scored in similar fashion to Taylor’s off a lineout drive out wide.  Mo’unga failed to convert but slotted a penalty in the 76th minute to put more daylight between his team and the Springboks on the Rugby Championship table.

The Wallabies finished stronger, however, and were rewarded with a consolation try from Petaia in the game’s closing stages ― a score which could be significant in the grander scheme of things as it made the Boks’ task a little easier in their upcoming clash against the Pumas.

All Blacks win Bledisloe Cup for 20th year in a row

New Zealand secured the Bledisloe Cup for the 20th successive year and consolidated their position at the top of the Rugby Championship table courtesy of a 39-37 triumph over Australia in Melbourne on Thursday.

In a drama-filled contest, in which the result was in the balance until the end, the Wallabies thought they had clinched a stunning comeback victory when Nic White landed a long range penalty in the 78th minute before the All Blacks struck late with the match-winning try from Jordie Barrett in the game’s dying moments.

The teams had momentum at various stages of a brutal encounter which proved costly for both sides.  The All Blacks lost the services of their captain, Sam Cane, and David Havili, who both failed HIAs while Quinn Tupaea also limped off with a knee injury.  Meanwhile, Wallabies skipper James Slipper and Rob Leota were forced off the field with calf injuries.

In the end, New Zealand outscored their hosts by five tries to four with Samisoni Taukei’aho leading the way with a brace while Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan and Barrett scored their other five-pointers.  Mo’unga also succeeded with four conversions and two penalties to finish with a 19-point haul.

For Australia, Andrew Kellaway (2), Rob Valetini and Pete Samu crossed the whitewash with Bernard Foley adding four conversions and two penalties and White also succeeded with a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

There was some pre-match drama when the Wallabies lined up in a boomerang shape before advancing on the All Blacks, while they were doing the Haka, but the home side were soon on the back foot as Jed Holloway failed to gather the ball from the kick off.  New Zealand went on the attack and set up a lineout drive from which Taukei’aho crossed for the opening try.

Mo’unga added the extras and extended his side’s lead to 10 points when he slotted a penalty before Foley reduced the deficit with a penalty of his own in the 18th minute.

With points on the board, the Wallabies’ confidence grew and midway through the half they thought they had their opening try when Kellaway crossed the whitewash.  However, it was ruled out after television replays revealed that Rieko Ioane did brilliantly to get his hands under the ball while the full-back tried to ground it.

Despite that setback, Australia did not panic and shortly afterwards they received a penalty and set up a lineout inside New Zealand’s 22.  They launched a maul which was stopped close to the try-line by Dalton Papali’i but the ball was recycled quickly and Valetini dotted down with two defenders on his back.

Papali’i received a yellow card after referee Mathieu Raynal ruled that he had stopped that maul illegally, while Foley slotted the conversion which meant the scores were level and the hosts had a spring in their step during the latter stages of the half.

There was plenty of drama during that period, though, as Tom Wright was yellow carded for a professional foul inside his 22 while Raynal also sent Darcy Swain to the sin bin for taking out Tupaea with a shoulder charge to his knee at a ruck which resulted in the All Blacks centre leaving the field for the rest of the match.

The visitors made a fine start to the second half when shortly after the restart Kellaway was caught in possession just inside his half.  The All Blacks won a turnover before shifting the ball to Taukei’aho close to the 22-metre line and he did brilliantly to shrug off three defenders on his way over.

Ten minutes later, the Wallabies received another yellow card after Jake Gordon too collapsed a maul illegally in his 22.  The All Blacks made full use of their one-man advantage soon after Gordon’s exit with Mo’unga waltzing through the Wallabies’ defence to score his five-pointer.  Beauden Barrett then delivered a perfectly weighted chip kick which Jordan gathered close to the halfway line before outpacing the cover defence to cross for his team’s fourth try in the 55th minute.

Wallabies fightback before crazy ending

With the score 31-13 in New Zealand’s favour, Australia needed a response and it came in the form of two tries in quick succession from Kellaway after excellent work from Foley on both occasions.

Another Mo’unga penalty gave his team a 34-27 lead before the Wallabies struck back with a brilliant try from Samu out wide with Foley’s superb conversion drawing his side level in the 72nd minute.

The match was far from done, though, as White slotted a 48-metre penalty to give his side an unlikely lead, but there would be a crazy ending when Raynal awarded a penalty to Australia in the 79th minute.  That happened close to their try-line but, when Foley took his time to kick for touch, the referee awarded a scrum to the All Blacks after ruling that Foley had wasted time.

From the resulting set-piece, New Zealand launched an attack and the ball was shifted out wide where Barrett crossed in the right-hand corner for the match-winning try.

All Blacks cruise past Wallabies despite red card

The All Blacks hammered home their dominance over the Wallabies when they beat their trans-Tasman rivals 38-21 in a highly entertaining and drama-filled Rugby Championship Test in Perth on Sunday.

Like the previous two Bledisloe Cup Tests, the All Blacks controlled proceedings for long periods and although they had to play with 14 men for 20 minutes, after Jordie Barrett was red carded for a dangerous flying kick to Marika Koroibete’s face ― while gathering a high ball ― late in the first half, they thoroughly deserved their victory.

In the end, New Zealand outscored their hosts six tries to three with David Havili leading the way with a brace of five-pointers while full-back Barrett, Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown and George Bridge also crossed the whitewash.  The All Blacks’ other points came courtesy of two penalties and a conversion from Beauden Barrett.

For the Wallabies, Folau Fainga’a, Nic White and Tom Banks scored tries while Noah Lolesio and Reece Hodge (2) succeeded with conversions.

The Wallabies enjoyed a superb start and in the third minute Samu Kerevi made an excellent line break which had the All Blacks’ defence at sixes and sevens.  He did well to offload to Koroibete, who shrugged off a couple of defenders on his way over the try-line, but his effort was disallowed when television replays revealed that Kerevi had launched the attack from an offside position at a ruck.

From the resulting penalty, the visitors were soon inside Australia’s half but despite an extended period camped close to the home side’s try-line, they could not score a try but eventually opened the scoring in the ninth minute courtesy of a Barrett penalty.

The All Blacks continued to hold the upper hand and in the 15th minute Barrett made it 6-0 when he slotted his second penalty after James Slipper was blown up for illegal play on defence.

Shortly afterwards, fly-half Barrett delivered a perfectly weighted grubber kick which Jordan gathered before passing to Brad Weber and he was in the clear inside Australia’s half.  Weber did well to draw in Noah Lolesio before offloading to the younger Barrett, who had an easy run-in next to the posts.

In the 28th minute, Australia had a chance to open their account when Nepo Laulala strayed offside on defence but Lolesio was off target with his shot at goal.

Despite that setback, the Wallabies received a shot in the arm shortly afterwards when full-back Barrett was sent off in controversial fashion.  This, while gathering a high ball in his half but as he descended to the ground his boot struck Koroibete’s face and after watching replays and consulting his TMO, referee Damon Murphy ruled that Barrett’s kick was dangerous and issued a red card.

🇦🇺🇳🇿 Was this a red card offence in the #BledisloeCup Test in Perth?pic.twitter.com/g7Jm1usZ6R

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 5, 2021

With an extra man on the field, Australia were soon on the attack in New Zealand’s half and in the 39th minute Koroibete dotted down after a lineout drive deep inside his opponents’ territory.  That score was ruled out, however, as a television replay showed that he had crawled on his way over the try-line.

That proved costly as on the stroke of half-time Havili went over for his first try, off the back of a maul, and the All Blacks had their tails up at the interval with the score 18-0 in their favour.

Just like the first half, Australia were fastest out of the blocks in the second period and in the 50th minute a superb line break from Tate McDermott set up a well-taken try for Fainga’a.

The Wallabies’ joy didn’t last long as five minutes later Akira Ioane beat three defenders before offloading to Jordan, who crossed for the visitors’ third try before Havili intercepted a wayward pass from Matt Philip and raced away for his second five-pointer on the hour-mark.

The final quarter was a frantic affair with both sides running the ball from all areas of the field.  Australia were rewarded when White scored his try in the 66th minute but New Zealand cancelled that effort out with further five-pointers from Lienert-Brown and Bridge before Banks scored a consolation try in the game’s closing stages.

All Blacks’ Bledisloe Cup dominance continues

New Zealand’s dominance over Australia continued when they sealed an emphatic 57-22 victory in their Rugby Championship encounter in Auckland on Saturday.

The result is a momentous one for the All Blacks as it is a record score against the Wallabies and it means they have retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 19th successive year with Australia last lifting the famous trophy in 2002.

In a fast-paced and entertaining Test, the All Blacks were deserving winners as they outscored the Wallabies eight tries to three with Codie Taylor (2), Rieko Ioane, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and David Havili crossing the whitewash.

Richie Mo’unga contributed 10 points courtesy of five conversions while Beauden Barrett also succeeded with a couple of two-pointers off the kicking tee and Damian McKenzie slotted a monster penalty.

For the Wallabies, Andrew Kellaway scored a brace of tries while Tate McDermott also dotted down and Noah Lolesio added a penalty and two conversions.

New Zealand had the better of the early exchanges and opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Ioane intercepted a pass from Matt To’omua on the edge of the home side’s 22 and the outside centre outpaced the cover defence before crossing for his try.

That score did not deter the visitors, who were soon on the attack inside the All Blacks’ 22 where Kellaway stepped past McKenzie on his way over the try-line.

The next 10 minutes saw plenty of attacking from both sides but a combination of handling errors and solid defence meant neither side would score points during that period.

New Zealand regained the initiative in the 23rd minute when Akira Ioane launched a stunning counter attack from deep inside his half.  He did well to beat a couple of defenders and was soon close to Australia’s 22 where he offloaded to McKenzie, who got a pass out to Retallick and the big second-row scored under the posts.

That try boosted the All Blacks as 10 minutes later they had the Wallabies on the back foot as their forwards set up several rucks inside the visitors’ 22 before Savea powered his way over the whitewash from close quarters.

The Wallabies needed a response and after Lolesio added a penalty in the 31st minute, Rob Valetini put them on the front foot when he made a break off the back off a scrum deep inside New Zealand’s 22 late in the half.  He still had work to do but did well to offload to McDermott, who crossed for a converted try which meant Australia were still in the game with the score 21-15 in New Zealand’s favour at the interval.

The #BledisloeCup stays in Aotearoa with highest score ever posted against Australia.  #NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/4YTyItfkcD

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 14, 2021

The Wallabies made a bright start to the second half and they received a shot in the arm soon after the restart when Savea was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul close to his try-line.

Despite that setback, the All Blacks were next to score when Aaron Smith tore the visitors’ defence to shreds with a sniping break close to the halfway line and he did well to throw an inside pass to Taylor, who crossed for his side’s fourth try.

In the 53rd minute, McKenzie left his stamp on this Test when he stepped up to land his long-range penalty from close to his 10-metre line.  That score seemed to knock the wind out of Australia’s sails as New Zealand hammered home their dominance with quickfire tries from Reece and Taylor which meant they held a comfortable 41-15 lead by the hour-mark.

They were far from done though as five minutes later Jordan found himself in the clear out wide before crossing in the right-hand corner and although the Wallabies struck back when Kellaway went over for his second try, the All Blacks clinched the result when Havili scored his five-pointer in the game’s dying moments.

All Blacks hold off Wallabies in Bledisloe Cup opener

New Zealand made a statement of intent in their opening Bledisloe Cup Test against Australia when they sealed a 33-25 victory at Eden Park on Saturday.

The All Blacks were full value for their win as they were the dominant side for most of this match, although they took their foot off the pedal during the game’s latter stages which allowed Australia to score three unanswered tries during that period.

Richie Mo’unga led the way with an 18-point haul for the All Blacks, courtesy of a try, three penalties and two conversions and their other points came via five-pointers from Sevu Reece, David Havili and Damian McKenzie.

For Australia, Tom Banks scored a brace of tries while Andrew Kellaway, Jordan Uelese also crossed the whitewash and Noah Lolesio added a penalty and a conversion.

The opening exchanges were scrappy with both teams making several unforced errors and we had to wait until the 18th minute before Mo’unga opened the scoring courtesy of a penalty.

Shortly afterwards, he added another three-pointer off the kicking tee, after the Wallabies were blown up for illegal scrummaging, which meant the home side were leading 6-0 midway through the half.

Another Mo’unga penalty followed on the half-hour mark but despite trailing on the scoreboard, the Wallabies did plenty of attacking.  There was little reward though but they eventually opened their account in the 32nd minute when Lolesio slotted a penalty, after an illegal tackle from Brodie Retallick on Tate McDermott.

That lifted their confidence levels and in the 36th minute the game came alive when Hunter Paisami gathered a long throw-in at the back of a Wallabies lineout, just inside New Zealand’s half.  He hit the line at pace and breached the home side’s defence before offloading to Kellaway, who crossed for the opening try.

Despite that score, the All Blacks did not panic and on the stroke of half-time, Reece crossed the whitewash from close quarters with Mo’unga adding the extras to give his side a 16-8 lead at half-time.

That second half was pure #BledisloeCup footy.#NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/ltbYPO9ZYr

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 7, 2021

The hosts’ dominance continued in the second half and soon after the restart they launched an attack from deep inside their 22.  The ball went through several pairs of hands before Reece rounded off behind Australia’s try-line but his effort was ruled out due to a forward pass from Aaron Smith to Retallick in the build-up.

That disallowed score gave the Wallabies a lifeline and they upped the ante on attack.  However, a promising attacking move went awry in the 51st minute when Mo’unga intercepted a pass from Paisami close to the All Blacks’ 22-metre line and he raced away to score his side’s second five-pointer.

It was all New Zealand during the next 15 minutes and they were rewarded with two further tries during that period.  First, Smith found Havili with a well-weighted long pass close to Australia’s try-line before the centre stepped past Lolesio on his way over.

The home side continued to dominate and in the 65th minute Smith turned provider again when he offloaded to McKenzie, who crossed for their fourth try.

Despite that score, the Wallabies finished stronger and in the 69th minute Banks rounded off out wide, after running onto a pass from Matt To’omua.  Five minutes later, the full-back benefited again after gathering a grubber kick from Lolesio before Uelese added some respectability to the final score when he dotted down off the back of a lineout drive in this Test’s dying moments.

Two see red as Wallabies edge out All Blacks in Brisbane

Australia bounced back from last week's humiliating defeat to New Zealand with a 24-22 triumph over their trans-Tasman rivals in Saturday's Tri-Nations Test in Brisbane.

Although this was an entertaining encounter, it was marred by ill discipline as both sides finished the match with 14 men after Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Lachie Swinton were red carded in the opening half.

Tu'ungafasi was sent off in the 23rd minute after making direct contact to the chin of Tom Wright, when tackling the Wallabies wing, and Swinton received his red card for a similar offence on Sam Whitelock five minutes before half-time.

After suffering a record 43-5 loss to the All Blacks in Sydney last Saturday, the Wallabies were under pressure but they delivered a better performance in this fixture and were competitive throughout.

Reece Hodge, who made only his second Test appearance at fly-half for Australia, finished with a 14-point haul after slotting four penalties and a conversion and their other points came via tries from Wright and Taniela Tupou.

For the All Blacks, Rieko Ioane, Codie Taylor and Tupou Vaa'i scored tries while Jordie Barrett succeeded with two conversions and a penalty.

The Wallabies were fastest out of the blocks and took the lead as early as the third minute courtesy of a try from Test debutant Wright.  This, after Hodge delivered a teasing chip kick deep inside New Zealand's half and Tom Banks did well to gather the ball before offloading to Wright, who dotted down.

It didn't take long for the All Blacks to respond and five minutes later a Ngani Laumape pass inside Australia's 22 was knocked backwards by Wright but Ioane was quickest to react and gathered the loose ball before crossing for his 26th try in his 32nd Test.

Midway through the half, Australia regained the lead when Hodge slotted a penalty after Sevu Reece infringed at a breakdown.  Shortly afterwards, New Zealand suffered that setback when Tu'ungafasi was red carded for his illegal hit on Wright.  With a numerical advantage, the Wallabies had the bulk of the possession and territory but, despite that, it was the All Blacks who scored next via a 33rd minute penalty from Barrett.

From the restart, Wallabies debutant Swinton committed his indiscretion and referee Nic Berry had little hesitation in giving him his marching orders after checking television replays.  Swinton's exit saw New Zealand regaining the initiative and they spent the closing stages of the half on the attack inside their opponents' 22.

🙌 What a win!! Thanks to all our fans here in Brisbane and around Australia for your support! #Wallabies #YourTeam #OurJourney #AUSvNZL #BledisloeCup #TriNations2020 pic.twitter.com/ZjiCTb9ncP

— Wallabies (@wallabies) November 7, 2020

Just before the interval, the Wallabies were reduced to 13 players when Marika Koroibete was yellow carded for playing the ball on the ground close to his try-line but, despite his departure, the Wallabies held on and the teams changed sides at half-time with the score deadlocked at 8-8.

Australia then made the brighter start to the second half courtesy of a penalty from Hodge in the 50th minute but New Zealand struck back two minutes later when Taylor scored their second try off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Wallabies territory.

That score did not deter the home side, who reduced the deficit to a point by the hour-mark, when Hodge added his third penalty.  In the 68th minute, it was the All Blacks' turn to play with 13 men when Scott Barrett was yellow carded after he slapped the ball from Nic White's hands when the Wallabies scrum-half tried to clear from a ruck and Hodge succeeded with the resulting penalty, which gave his side a 17-15 lead.

Australia continued to attack and were rewarded in the 75th minute when Tupou barged over from close quarters and, although the All Blacks struck back with a late try from Vaa'i, it wasn't enough as the Wallabies held on in the game's dying moments to secure their first Test win of 2020.

Check out the highlights from Australia’s 24-22 victory over New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with record win

New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year as they proved too strong for Australia, winning 43-5 in Sydney on Saturday.

Tries from Karl Tu'inukuafe, Richie Mo'unga (2), Dane Coles, Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett saw the All Blacks cruise to a record victory over their rivals.

Australia's only try came from Noah Lolesio as they were embarrassed by their visitors and must regroup ahead of facing them again next week in Brisbane.

It was a dream opening half for the All Blacks as they ran in four tries and it could have been more, which was hugely concerning for the Wallabies supporters.

Australia's cause was not helped early on when on three minutes Filipo Daugunu was sin-binned for taking out Caleb Clarke while the All Black was in the air.

With a man advantage the All Blacks duly sensed an opportunity to strike and on six minutes they were over as a huge overlap was created from second phase play, with Tu'inukuafe straightening before scrambling over for a 7-0 lead.  The loosehead prop would breathe a sigh of relief as numbers were waiting outside.

The game was then played at 14 apiece when Jordie Barrett followed Daugunu to the sideline after he led with the elbow in contact against Dane Haylett-Petty.  But that didn't impact on New Zealand's form as they almost scored again on 11 minutes, this time Coles denied for not grounding sufficiently over the chalk.

Another close call came two minutes later when Coles and Aaron Smith combined to send Clarke in, but he was denied by a sliding Marika Koroibete on the right.

Finally, New Zealand would be rewarded for their efforts though as there was no stopping Mo'unga on 21 minutes, his pace proving too much for hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, before he beat Lolesio to the right corner.  Mo'unga's missed conversion meant it was a 12-0 cushion, but one felt there was much more to come.

So it proved as Mo'unga added another crossing six minutes later, this time from long-range when he scorched over after collecting Beauden Barrett's smart chip.

New Zealand were now turning the screw and it was Coles crossing next, the hooker scoring at the back of a driving maul from five metres out for 26-0.  And it could've got worse for the Wallabies late in the half when a spillage from Daugunu saw Mo'unga almost cross again but for a slip to save the wing's blushes.

A great day at the office in Sydney.#AUSvNZL #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/5hh7SLnG7p

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 31, 2020

Australia were needing a miracle on the resumption and got the perfect start to the second half when centre Jordan Petaia's powerful carry got them into the 22 and on the front foot.  That allowed Lolesio to find a gap in the scrambling defence and he pierced it to get Australia on the board with an unconverted try.

The Wallabies knew they would also need the next score in the game to make a contest out of the clash but it wasn't forthcoming and it was New Zealand who put points on the board, Mo'unga sending over a penalty on the hour mark to make it 29-5.  Both head coaches were now starting to utilise their replacements.

The changes, coupled with New Zealand taking their foot off the gas, saw a dip in entertainment value thereafter, with plenty of stoppages disrupting the flow.  But on 71 minutes the visitors hit their straps again when Hoskins Sotutu went to the short side of the scrum where he found Ioane for the simplest of tries.

There was more to come too when a minute later Jordie Barrett sliced through on halfway before sprinting over to make it 43-5, adding the gloss on a record win as New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup yet again, with a late Shannon Frizell yellow card doing little to dampen the All Blacks spirits after this result.

Check out the highlights from New Zealand’s 43-5 record win over Australia at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

Dominant All Blacks prove too strong for Wallabies

New Zealand made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to beat Australia 27-7 in their Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, it was a very different story to a week ago when the sides drew 16-16 in Wellington with New Zealand dominating most facets of play especially during the second half when they produced a brilliant attacking display.

Tries from Aaron Smith, Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea and Sam Cane got the job done for the All Blacks and their other points came via the boot of Richie Mo'unga, who added a penalty and two conversions.

Marika Koroibete scored a try for the Wallabies which was converted by James O'Connor.

The result means New Zealand are still unbeaten at Eden Park since 1994 while Australia are yet to win there since 1986.

Australia made a blistering start but, despite spending a large part of the game's early stages inside New Zealand's half, they had nothing to show for their attacking endeavour.

The All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually opened the scoring in the 18th minute courtesy of a Mo'unga penalty after the Wallabies strayed offside on defence.

Five minutes later, they went further ahead when Smith crossed for the opening try from close quarters after Jack Goodhue laid the groundwork with a strong run in the build-up.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 29th minute when they took the ball through 12 phases inside the All Blacks' half with Ned Hanigan making a telling break which took play into the home side's 22.  The ball was recycled quickly and Koroibete went over for his five-pointer.

The rest of the half was tense with both teams continuing to run the ball from all areas of the field but neither side would score further points during that period and the match was evenly poised at half-time with New Zealand holding a 10-7 lead.

Boy, that feels good.#NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/mVkBP4l1FS

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 18, 2020

The All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks when the match restarted and were rewarded with two tries in quick succession inside the first five minutes of the half.

First, Mo'unga and Goodhue created space for Barrett, who score in the right hand corner, and shortly afterwards Caleb Clarke put the All Blacks on the front foot with a brilliant attacking run before Savea rounded off out wide.

Those scores boosted the All Blacks' confidence and they continued to attack at every opportunity.  And in the 54th minute Cane crossed for their fourth try after gathering a lobbed pass from Patrick Tuipulotu on the edge of the Wallabies' 22.

With the game in the bag, the All Blacks took their foot off the pedal and, although the Wallabies launched several attacks during the final quarter, they were not rewarded as the home side sealed a deserved win.

Check out the highlights from the All Blacks' 27-7 Bledisloe Cup triumph against the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland.

All Blacks and Wallabies share the spoils in Wellington

New Zealand and Australia could not be separated in Wellington on Sunday, with their Bledisloe Cup Test finishing in a hard-fought 16-16 draw.

In a drama-filled and exciting contest, both sides scored two tries apiece with Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith dotting down for the All Blacks while Marika Koroibete and Filipo Daugunu crossed for the Wallabies.

Barrett also added a couple of penalties for the home side and Australia's other points came courtesy of two three-pointers off the kicking tee from James O'Connor.

The hosts dominated early on but Australia improved as the match progressed and finished stronger.  The Wallabies had a chance to win the game in injury time when Reece Hodge lined up a goal-kick from 53 metres out but his effort struck an upright and the teams had to settle for the draw.

The opening exchanges were frantic with the Wallabies doing most of the attacking but the All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually took the lead with a well-taken try from Barrett in the ninth minute.  Rieko Ioane laid the groundwork with a strong run before the ball was recycled quickly and brilliant offloading from Damian McKenzie, Jack Goodhue and Shannon Frizell created space for Barrett out wide and he went over in the right-hand corner.

In the 27th minute, Barrett increased the All Blacks' lead when he slotted a penalty from close range before O'Connor opened the Wallabies' account with his first three-pointer midway through the half.

Just before half-time, Sam Cane pounced on a loose ball just outside his 22 and the All Blacks launched a counter-attack with McKenzie and Richie Mo'unga prominent.  The fly-half did well to draw in the final defender before offloading to Ioane, who had an easy run-in, but he lost the ball while crossing the whitewash which meant the teams changed sides at the interval with New Zealand leading 8-3.

Australia had an early opportunity to score points in the second half when shortly after the restart O'Connor lined up a shot at goal, after McKenzie was blown up for holding onto the ball on the ground, but his effort was wide of the mark.

That proved costly as shortly afterwards the home side launched an attack from a lineout close to the halfway line and Codie Taylor caught the Wallabies napping on defence when he threw an inside pass to George Bridge at the back of the set-piece.  Bridge hit the line at pace before getting a pass out to Smith, who got the better of Nic White before crashing over in the left-hand corner.

DEADLOCK. #NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/UlEZGb88rG

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 11, 2020

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 53rd minute when they launched an attack just outside New Zealand's 22.  O'Connor ran a good line before finding Koroibete with a long pass and he did well to score out wide despite a desperate cover tackle from McKenzie.

Ten minutes later, the Wallabies drew level when McKenzie did well to rip the ball from the grasp of Matt Philip at a ruck close to his try-line but none of his team-mates were there to gather the loose ball.  White was quickest to react and offloaded to Daugunu, who cantered in for an easy try.

O'Connor failed to convert which meant the sides were deadlocked at 13-13 and we were set for an exciting finish.  In the 71st minute, New Zealand were awarded a scrum penalty but with rain pouring down and a strong wind blowing, Barrett pushed his kick wide of the uprights.

Soon after, Karl Tu'inukuafe infringed at a breakdown close to his 22 and with the wind at his back O'Connor made no mistake off the tee to give his side the lead for the first time in the game.

Two minutes before full-time, Rob Simmons entered a ruck from the side and Barrett made up for his earlier miss by slotting the resulting penalty.  That meant the sides were level at 16-16 but that was not the end of the match.

There was plenty of drama after Hodge's long-range effort hit the post with both sides scrambling to win the game as the clock went into over-time.  The All Blacks came closest but conceded possession near to the Wallabies' try-line deep into injury time with O'Connor opting to kick the ball into touch and the teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.

The highlights from New Zealand and Australia’s thrilling 16-16 draw in their Bledisloe Cup encounter.

New Zealand hammer Australia to retain Bledisloe Cup

The All Blacks returned to the victory trail courtesy of an impressive 36-0 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.

The result was sweet revenge for the hosts, who suffered a humiliating defeat to the Wallabies in their corresponding fixture in Perth seven days ago, and they also retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 17th successive year.

As the scoreline suggests, the world champions were full value for this win as they dominated all facets of play and eventually outscored the Wallabies by five tries to none, with Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Sevu Reece and George Bridge all crossing the whitewash.  Mo'unga also slotted three conversions and a penalty, and Beauden Barrett also succeeded with a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

The All Blacks held the upper-hand from the outset and took an early lead courtesy of a Mo'unga penalty in the fourth minute after a scrum infringement from the Wallabies forwards.

New Zealand continued to dominate during the next 15 minutes but failed to convert that dominance into points.  The Wallabies were slowly getting into the game but poor goal-kicking from Christian Lealiifano proved costly as he was off target with two penalty attempts shortly after each other, midway through the half.

Despite those misses, the visitors launched several attacks but there was no reward as they were met with a solid defensive effort from the All Blacks.  In the 29th minute, an Australian attack went pear-shaped when Reece Hodge spilled a pass from Kurtley Beale on New Zealand's 10-metre line and Mo'unga gathered the loose ball before racing away to score the opening try.

He added the extras and with a 10-0 lead, the world champions were growing in confidence.  Three minutes later, George Bridge made a brilliant line break which tore the Wallabies' defence to shreds before throwing an inside pass to Smith, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Once again, Mo'unga was successful off the kicking tee but New Zealand were dealt a blow in the 37th minute when Dane Coles was yellow carded for a dangerous challenge on Nic White.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the All Blacks finished the half the stronger and led 17-0 at half-time, although it could have been a bigger lead had Mo'unga not missed another penalty just before the interval.

The All Blacks continued to dominate after the break and shortly after the restart Williams ran a great angle close to the Wallabies' try-line before crashing over for his side's third try.

That score knocked the wind out of the Wallabies' sails and, although they tried desperately to open their account, they battled to breach the All Blacks' defence.

And in the 67th minute Reece showed great composure when he booted the ball upfield, deep inside the Wallabies' half, before regathering to score his side's fourth try.

With the game in the bag, the hosts continued to attack and sealed the win in the 77th minute when Bridge rounded off out wide after Anton Lienert-Brown did well in the build-up.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Mo'unga, Smith, Williams, Reece, Bridge
Cons:  Mo'unga 3, B Barrett
Pen:  Mo'unga
Yellow Card:  Coles

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ardie Savea, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Ofa Tuungafasi, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Jackson Hemopo, 20 Matt Todd, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Ngani Laumape, 23 Jordie Barrett

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Liam Wright, 21 Will Genia, 22 Matt To’omua, 23 Adam Ashley-Cooper

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wonderful Wallabies thrash 14-man All Blacks

The Wallabies produced their best display, arguably since the last World Cup, to claim a rare Bledisloe Cup victory over the All Blacks following a 47-26 triumph in Perth on Saturday.

New Zealand did play half of the match with 14 men after Scott Barrett was sent off, which was just their fourth red card ever and their first since Sonny Bill Williams was dismissed against the British and Irish Lions in 2017.

It was a key moment in the contest, but Australia were still the better team before that incident and deserved the 13-12 lead handed to them by Reece Hodge’s try and the accurate kicking of Christian Lealiifano.

New Zealand responded through tries from Anton Lienert-Brown and Rieko Ioane but they were powerless to stop an excellent Aussie outfit.

Lealiifano added another off the tee on the stroke of half-time before Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Nic White, Marika Koroibete, Hodge and Kurtley Beale completed the win, despite Beauden Barrett’s and Ngani Laumape’s consolation efforts.

The result puts the Wallabies back on track ahead of the World Cup while further questions will be asked of the All Blacks, who have struggled for form over the past three matches.

It has been a disappointing Rugby Championship on the whole, but this was in stark contrast to the previous four games in the competition.  Although there were still a number of errors, it was a far more entertaining affair which saw a particularly thrilling opening quarter.

Australia controlled the early exchanges, forcing the All Blacks to infringe on several occasions and allowing Lealiifano to kick them ahead, before they brilliantly created the first try of the game.

James O’Connor was making his return to the starting line-up after six years in the international wilderness and he superbly got his hands free, sending Hodge scampering across the whitewash.

The conversion was added by their fly-half and they duly had the ideal start, but the Wallabies were soon pegged back by the visitors, who upped the intensity and cut out the key mistakes.

It allowed them to get on the front foot and good hands on the right gave Jack Goodhue plenty of space.  The Crusaders man kicked ahead and, with the ball bouncing in-goal, Goodhue’s centre partner, Lienert-Brown, pounced to touch down and reduce the arrears.

Buoyed by that effort, New Zealand went on the attack again and Dane Coles’ excellent break set up their next score as the hooker and Aaron Smith combined to provide Ioane with an easy run to the line.

Steve Hansen’s men were still struggling for dominance, however, with the hosts playing their best rugby for some time and Lealiifano rewarded their endeavour with a second three-pointer.

Discipline was a particular problem for the away side and that was shown by second-row Barrett, who was adjudged to have shoulder charged the head and neck of Michael Hooper, leading to a red card.

VICTORY!

We have defeated the All Blacks 47—26 in the #BledisloeCup here at Optus Stadium.

READ:  https://t.co/fN82aVPAgB#AUSvNZL #BledisloeCup #GoldBlooded pic.twitter.com/9PGOF8QgD5

— Qantas Wallabies (@qantaswallabies) August 10, 2019

Australia’s pivot kicked the resultant penalty attempt and they began the second period in the ascendancy against the 14 men of New Zealand.

The forwards carried well close to the opposition line and the space eventually opened for Rory Arnold to find Salakaia-Loto, who scored.

Michael Cheika’s charges were now rampant and Samu Kerevi displayed his destructive qualities to power through Smith and Beauden Barrett.  The centre then did well to avoid going into touch when Laumape came across, off-loading for White to deservedly touch down.

The All Blacks are rarely finished, though, even when down to 14, and they hit back through their full-back, but the Wallabies soon put the game beyond doubt.

They controlled the play nicely and deservedly crossed the whitewash twice more through Koroibete and Hodge.  Although the visitors hit back immediately through Laumape, Beale rounded off a wonderful evening for Cheika’s men.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Hodge 2, Salakaia-Loto, White, Koroibete, Beale
Cons:  Lealiifano 2, Toomua 2
Pens:  Lealiifano 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Lienert-Brown, Ioane, B Barrett, Laumape
Cons:  Mo’unga 3
Red Card:  S Barrett

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Luke Jones, 21 Will Genia, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Tom Banks

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ardie Savea, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Atu Moli, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Matt Todd, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Ngani Laumape, 23 George Bridge

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Impressive All Blacks blow Wallabies away

The All Blacks' dominance over the Wallabies continued when they claimed a 37-20 win over their trans-Tasman rivals in Yokohama on Saturday.

Although Australia were aiming to repeat last year's Bledisloe Cup dead rubber win, New Zealand had other ideas and delivered a dominant display in which they outscored the Wallabies by five tries to two with Beauden Barrett leading the way with a 17-point haul courtesy of a try, three conversions and two penalties.

Australia made a bright start and took the ball through several phases from the kick off with only a desperate tackle from Scott Barrett on Dane Haylett-Petty — which took him into touch at the corner flag — preventing the Wallabies from opening the scoring in the second minute.

Despite that early attack from their opponents, the All Blacks were soon in control of proceedings and 10 minutes later Liam Squire crossed for the opening try after gathering a pass from Sonny Bill Williams inside the Wallabies' 22.

Beauden Barrett succeeded with the conversion before Kurtley Beale opened Australia's account in the 21st minute with a penalty from 46 metres out after Williams was blown up for offside play on defence.

Five minutes later, The All Blacks restored their seven-point lead when Barrett added a penalty after the Wallabies' front-row were penalised for illegal scrummaging.

New Zealand continued to dominate and in the 36th minute Kieran Read scored their second try after selling Will Genia a dummy off the back of a scrum on Australia's five-metre line.

Barrett's conversion meant the world champions held a 17-3 lead but on the stroke of half-time Sefa Naivalu collected a pass from Marika Koroibete before crashing over in the left-hand corner for a deserved try.

Foley added the extras and the Wallabies were back in the game with the All Blacks holding a seven-point lead at the interval.

Just like the first half, Australia were fastest out of the blocks after the break and, after taking the ball through 11 phases, Rob Simmons crossed the whitewash, although his effort was disallowed as television replays revealed he failed to ground the ball after Beauden Barrett did brilliantly on defence.

However, the All Blacks strayed offside in the build-up to that effort and Foley slotted the resulting penalty which meant New Zealand were now leading 17-13 after 48 minutes.

Five minutes later, Barrett restored his side's seven-point lead when he added another penalty after Scott Sio infringed at a ruck.

The All Blacks were slowly gaining the upper hand and extended that buffer on the hour-mark courtesy of a brilliant try from Beauden Barrett.

This, after the All Blacks launched an attack from a scrum close to their 10-metre line, with Read and TJ Perenara attacking on the openside before Barrett changed the direction of play towards the blindside when he passed to Rieko Ioane.  The wing was soon inside the Wallabies' half and did well to draw in a couple of defenders before offloading to Barrett, who outpaced the cover defence to dot down.

That try was a major setback for Australia and their cause wasn't helped when Tolu Latu was yellow carded in the 67th minute for an open-handed shove in the face of Codie Taylor.

With a man in the sin bin, the Wallabies were always going to struggle against the world champions and things went from bad to worse for them when Ben Smith intercepted a wayward Israel Folau pass before racing away to score his side's fourth try.

To their credit, the Wallabies did not surrender and in the 76th minute, Samu Kerevi got a pass out to Folau inside the All Blacks' 22 and he did well to step past a couple of defenders before crossing the whitewash.

The All Blacks were not done, however, and two minutes later Richie Mo'unga started an attack which tore the Wallabies' defence apart.  The world champions were soon inside Australia's 22 and a brilliant a through-the-legs pass from Barrett to Ioane was rounded off by the wing which sealed his side's win.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Squire, Read, B Barrett, B Smith, Ioane
Cons:  B Barrett 3
Pens:  B Barrett 2

For Australia:
Tries:  Naivalu, Folau
Cons:  Foley 2
Pens:  Beale, Foley
Yellow Card:  Latu

New Zealand:  15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Richie Mo’unga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Australia:  15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Sefa Naivalu, 13 Israel Folau, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Faingaa, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Tolu Latu, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rory Arnold, 20 Jack Dempsey, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Tom Banks

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees:  Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
Television match official:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Beauden Barrett brilliance downs the Wallabies

Beauden Barrett scored a remarkable four tries as New Zealand secured another Bledisloe Cup following a 40-12 triumph over Australia at Eden Park.

Akin to last week, it was a mistake-ridden first-half but two pieces of quality saw the All Blacks go into the break 14-7 ahead thanks to a brace of Barrett tries.

Will Genia had levelled matters for the Wallabies but they fell away in the early stages of the final 40 minutes when Joe Moody and Liam Squire touched down in quick succession.

Although Reece Hodge crossed the whitewash to reduce the arrears to 16 points, successive Barrett efforts eased the hosts clear as they claimed a second victory over their trans-Tasman rivals in 2018.

After this loss, further questions will be asked of Wallaby boss Michael Cheika in a defeat which resembled the previous match between the two.

New Zealand started slowly in their opening Rugby Championship encounter and were similarly slack at Eden Park, but their quality eventually told.  Mistakes were prevalent in the first 10 minutes and Australia had a couple of chances to put the hosts under duress but, without their primary attacking threat Israel Folau, Steve Hansen’s charges were relatively comfortable.

The All Blacks were struggling to find their fluency but one moment of brilliance appeared to change all that.  Shorn of Folau, who was the visitors’ biggest aerial threat, the Wallabies were exposed as Ben Smith brilliantly collected Aaron Smith’s box kick.  Play was shifted wide and Jordie Barrett broke through before his brother, Beauden, took a superb line off Aaron Smith’s pass to touch down under the posts.

It was a classic example of what the world champions can do on the front foot but, to Australia’s credit, they continued to pressurise the home side’s attack.  As a result, Cheika’s men were gaining plenty of possession through their opponents’ errors and they eventually benefited.

Kurtley Beale was the instigator, kicking through to Marika Koroibete, and the two combined to send them to within inches of the line.  Although the initial attack was halted, Genia spotted a small gap following a five-metre scrum to scamper over from close range.

Cheika’s charges were back in the contest but, unperturbed, New Zealand created another outstanding score.  This time it came from turnover ball and once again their wing played a crucial part after Smith went on a mazy run down the right.  He found Jack Goodhue and, despite seeing the centre hauled down just short, fly-half Barrett was on hand to cross the whitewash for a 14-7 lead at the interval.

That try proved to be a hammer blow for Australia with New Zealand raising the intensity in the second period and increasing their buffer minutes into the half.  When Jordie Barrett was needlessly taken off the ball, play was taken inside the opposition 22 and Moody barrelled his way over.

Following what was effectively the game-clinching try, the All Blacks put the result beyond doubt minutes later when Brodie Retallick showed his range of skills by deftly sending Squire through a hole to score.

Hodge responded almost immediately for the visitors but Barrett’s scything break resulted in the fly-half touching down for his hat-trick.

The pivot wasn’t done there and, after Damian McKenzie had broken through, good hands on the outside gave the two-time World Player of the Year a fourth for a 30-point haul.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  B Barrett 4, Moody, Squire
Cons:  B Barrett 5

For Australia:
Tries:  Genia, Hodge
Con:  Foley

New Zealand:  15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Australia:  15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Jack Maddocks, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Tom Banks

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Impressive All Blacks fight back to see off Wallabies

A superb all-round performance by New Zealand saw them claim a deserved 38-13 win over Australia in Saturday's Rugby Championship opener in Sydney.

In a tough and uncompromising encounter the Wallabies had the better of the early exchanges but the world champions improved as the match progressed and eventually outscored their hosts by six tries to one.

If the truth be told, the All Blacks were far from their best during the opening half as they delivered a lethargic showing which was littered with numerous unforced errors.  But they were a completely different side after half-time and totally dominated the second half.

Australia made the brighter start and opened the scoring in the 10th minute courtesy of a Reece Hodge penalty after Kieran Read infringed at a ruck.

New Zealand were dealt a further blow three minutes later when Ryan Crotty was forced off the field after a clash of heads with his centre partner Jack Goodhue, with Anton Lienert-Brown coming on to replace Crotty.

And midway through the half, Bernard Foley made it 6-0 to the Wallabies when he added a three-pointer off the kicking tee after Liam Squire slowed the ball down illegally inside his 22.

The rest of the half was an attritional affair as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy and although the Wallabies held the upper-hand over the next 15 minutes, they did not trouble the scoreboard during that period.

On the stroke of half-time, the All Blacks came alive, however, and they did this in style thanks to a superb try from Aaron Smith.  This, after Ben Smith did brilliantly to beat a couple of defenders just inside the Wallabies' half and the ball was subsequently handled by Goodhue, Waisake Naholo and Read before the captain offloaded to his scrum-half, who crossed for a deserved try.

Beauden Barrett was off target with the conversion attempt and although the Wallabies led 6-5 as the teams changed sides at the interval, the momentum had swung in the world champions' favour.

And four minutes into the second half, the All Blacks showed why they are the world's best team with a try against the run of play which seemed to catch the Wallabies by surprise.

Australia were initially on the attack inside New Zealand's 22 but Naholo did well to rip the ball from Marika Koroibete's grasp and the world champions quickly shifted ball to Rieko Ioane, who found himself in space out wide.  He still had work to do but did well to get an inside pass out to Goodhue, who outpaced the cover defence before crossing for his first Test try.

That score was a shot in the arm for the All Blacks and they received another confidence booster when Beauden Barrett pounced on a knock on from Dane Haylett-Petty just inside the Wallabies' half in the 52nd minute.  Barrett was fastest to react and booted the ball ahead before regathering and diving over the try-line.

The All Blacks were now running the ball from all areas of the field and it didn't help the Wallabies' cause when star full-back Israel Folau was forced to leave the fray with what looked like a serious ankle injury.

Shortly afterwards, Brodie Retallick found himself in space just outside Australia's 22 before selling Foley a cheeky dummy on his way over the try-line.

To their credit, the Wallabies did not surrender and five minutes later replacement Jack Maddocks crossed for a try on his Test debut after Foley and Kurtley Beale combined brilliantly in the build-up.

But the All Blacks were far from done and finished the match stronger with Naholo crossing for two tries during the game's closing stages.  First, he collected an inch-perfect cross-field from fly-half Barrett before crossing untouched in the 73rd minute.

And four minutes before the end, he gathered a loose pass before beating a couple of defenders to add the final nail in the Wallabies' coffin.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Try:  Maddocks
Con:  Foley
Pens:  Hodge, Foley

For New Zealand:
Tries:  A Smith, Goodhue, B Barrett, Retallick, Naholo 2
Cons:  B Barrett 4

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements:  16 Tolu Latu, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Jack Maddocks

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Tim Perry, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wallabies stun All Blacks in Brisbane

The Wallabies claimed a 23-18 win in the third and final Bledisloe Cup Test of the year at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

Australia have ended a six-game winless drought against the All Blacks.  All the hard work by Michael Cheika and his coaching staff in holding an extended training camp prior to the Rugby Championship has paid off.

It gives Wallabies fans something to smile about after a torrid season for Australian rugby which saw their Super Rugby sides go winless against New Zealand opposition for the entire duration of the campaign and which saw the bad blood surrounding the Force’s axing.

Although the Bledisloe Cup had already been won the All Blacks, both sides were definitely not treating the match as a dead rubber, playing with the usual ferocity and passion accompanied with these clashes in the past.

The field was very slippery after inclement weather for 12 hours prior to the game.  This didn’t stop both sides from throwing the ball around but did result in a number of handling errors making it a rather stop-start first-half.

However, the game remained entertaining as referee Wayne Barnes allowed good advantage and both sides must be commended for persisting with their running games despite the poor conditions.

The Wallabies stunned the All Blacks against the run of play with the game’s opening try when Reece Hodge pounced to intercept after a set-piece move from the All Blacks went wrong from an attacking scrum in Wallabies territory.  Despite the scrum wheeling to the right, Aaron Smith persisted in going left putting his fly-half Lima Sopoaga under immense pressure whose errant pass was intercepted by Hodge who ran coast-to-coast to dot down between the sticks.  Bernard Foley converted for a six-minute 7-0 lead.

But the All Blacks responded eight minutes later.  From a 10-metre attacking lineout out on the left touchline, they took the ball through nine phases spanning the width of the field before Smith fired a skip pass wide for Waisake Naholo to run on to over the whitewash untouched just within the field of the play on the right touchline.  Sopoaga added the extras to level matters on the scoreboard.

And Sopoaga who was having a good game with his kicking in the tough conditions, gave the All Blacks the lead at 10-7 for the first time in the game when his 45-metre penalty sailed over after the All Blacks had done well to counter-ruck and win the penalty from the Wallabies.

And the All Blacks number 10 extended the lead to six points at 13-7 with another penalty after Wallabies flanker Jack Dempsey was penalised for offside.

However, it was the Wallabies who had the last laugh of the first-half when Israel Folau got on the inside of Naholo after Kurtley Beale’s pass had stretched the All Blacks defence after 12 phases between forwards and backs with Dempsey and Michael Hooper heavily involved.  Foley missed the conversion as the Wallabies trailed 13-12 at the break.  Folau became only the third Wallaby to score against the All Blacks in three consecutive Tests.

The stop-start nature of the game reared its head once again after the interval with plenty of knock-ons stifling the flow of the game with the only real chance of the opening ten minutes a penalty that was badly shanked by Foley whose record of one from three looked like it might come back to haunt the Wallabies.

Wallabies skipper Hooper’s decision to go for touch was vindicated when from the attacking lineout on the right touchline the ball was switched out on to the left touchline to Folau who did well to draw his defender before feeding Marika Koroibete who had too much power in his one on one with Damian McKenzie to stay within the field of play and crash over.

Hodge added a good penalty from out wide on the left touchline in the 63rd minute to extend the Wallabies’ lead to seven points at 20-13.

The All Blacks started to keep hold of the ball better and put together the phases working the ball out to the left wing.  Sonny Bill Williams produced the moment of individual brilliance to unlock the Wallabies defence in typical style with an offload to Kieran Read who showed good hands to release Rieko Ioane who had to much pace for the covering Sean McMahon.  With Sopoaga off the park, McKenzie missed the conversion meaning the All Blacks still trailed by two at 20-18.

Hodge then showed great composure to boot a monster 50 metre penalty and eat up some time in the process making it a five point lead as the Wallabies held on for an historic 23-18 win.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Hodge, Folau, Koroibete
Con:  Foley
Pens:  Hodge 2

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Naholo, Ioane
Con:  Sopoaga
Pens:  Sopoaga 2

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Marika Koroibete, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Reece Hodge, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 2 Scott Sio.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Tui, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Henry Speight

New Zealand:  15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Kane Hames.
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Thomas Perenara, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 David Havili

Date:  Saturday, October 21
Venue:  Suncorp Stadium, Australia
Kick-off:  19:05 local(09:05 GMT)
Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Egon Seconds (South Africa)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa

All Blacks edge past Wallabies in thriller

New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup with a last-gasp 35-29 victory over Australia in a Rugby Championship thriller at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday.

The start of the game was delayed by 20 minutes due to the lights having gone out at the stadium prior to kick-off.

The All Blacks extended their unbeaten run to seven games against the Wallabies in which they have averaged over 40 points per game.  The Wallabies have now lost 20 straight games to the All Blacks on New Zealand soil.

Also, it must be said Nigel Owens had an excellent game and worked well in tandem with his assistants Wayne Barnes and Andrew Brace.

It was an incredible start to the game.  Beauden Barrett kicked off with Sam Whitelock doing well to retrieve the ball as the All Blacks immediately went in to attacking mode.  Whitelock recycled the ball and Aaron Smith spread the ball to his right to Damian McKenzie.  However, against the run of play, McKenzie's pass was well read by Israel Folau who intercepted to run coast to coast and dot down as the Wallabies took an early 5-0 lead with just 20 seconds on the clock.

10 minutes later, the Wallabies stunned the Dunedin crowd and all those watching around the world with their second try.  From a Wallaby cross-field kick, Folau and McKenzie contested in the air with the ball coming off McKenzie's hand before going out to touch.  The Wallabies had the throw-in to the attacking lineout ten metres out.  They set up the maul and Michael Hooper slipped Kieran Read's tackle far too easily and went in for a soft try.  Foley, however, missed his second conversion of the night which came back to haunt the Wallabies.  In fact, Foley missed three easy kicks by his standards.

Soon after, the Wallabies had their third try completely defying the bookmakers' pre-match predictions.  After the All Blacks had knocked on, the Wallabies had the put-in to the scrum.  Will Genia just managed to retrieve the ball despite the Wallabies being overpowered on their own scrum.  Genia made a wonderful sniping break and made good ground before passing to Hooper who showed good timing with the pass to find Foley who raced through to cross the whitewash.  Foley missed the conversion but the Wallabies still had a 17-0 lead.

However, soon afterwards, the All Blacks hit back.  They too, had a five-metre attacking scrum having been denied a penalty try just before then.  They were awarded a penalty instead but made the most of it, opting for touch and setting up the driving maul from the lineout.  From the maul, Aaron Smith cleverly popped an intelligent reverse pass to Ioane who reached over.  Barrett converted to cut the deficit to 10 at 17-7.

The All Blacks were completely annihilating the Wallabies scrum but weren't making the most of their dominance with one example being when Smith knocked on at the back of another dominant five-metre scrum when they looked sure of scoring.

But, the knock-on was overruled as it was ascertained that Stephen Moore was unbound at the scrum.  Thus, it was a chance for another dominant All Blacks five-metre scrum but they were denied yet again when just as it looked as if Ben Smith had dotted down, the TMO ruled he was not in control of the ball.

This time, the Wallabies had the put-in but Allan Alaalatoa was guilty of collapsing.  The All Blacks unsurprisingly opted for a scrum penalty.

Eventually, the All Blacks made the most of their dominance at this particular set-piece.  Smith took the onus on himself breaking off the back of the scrum and slipping Hooper's tackle as he crossed the whitewash.  The All Blacks finally had their try and deservedly so on the stroke of half-time.  Barrett converted as the whistle was blown with the Wallabies taking a slender 17-14 lead in to the break.

The second half was a much more cagey affair with the first points coming only in the 63rd minute through a Barrett try.

But just when it looked as if the Wallabies might be dead and buried, Genia produced another moment of individual brilliance when he exploited a beautigul gap behind the ruck and finished clinically.  However, Foley missed his fourth easy kick of the night in a shocking goal-kicking display that undid a lot of the Wallabies' good work.

Soon after, the All Blacks hit back.  Their third try was a great team effort as the home side showed a lot of continuity and patience.  Switching the ball from right to left and back to right with almost the whole team involved, it was McKenzie who punctured the Wallabies defence when he slipped Tevita Kuridrani's tackle before his basketball pass over the head of the last defender set Ben Smith on a clear run to the line.  Barrett added the extras as the All Blacks took a 28-22 lead after 72 minutes.

In another twist to an enthralling topsy-turvy encounter, Kurtley Beale burst over after a series of powerful carries from the Wallabies forwards and a good, flat pass from Genia.  This time Foley converted as the Wallabies took a slender one-point lead to set up a tense finale.

But never count the All Blacks out.  From the kick-off, Read retrieved the ball.  TJ Perenara recycled to Read who broke the line with a powerful surge and passed back to Perenara who shovelled the ball to Barrett who ran through to dot down under the posts.

In a Test match that had it all, the All Blacks claimed a last-gasp 35-29 win.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Ioane, Smith, B Barrett 2, Smith
Cons:  Barrett 5

For Australia:
Tries:  Beale, Genia, Foley, Hooper, Folau
Cons:  Foley 2

New Zealand:  15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Kane Hames, 18 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 Thomas Perenara, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Izack Rodda, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Reece Hodge, 23 Curtis Rona

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Television match official:  Rowan Kitt (England)

All Blacks' first half blitz seals win over Wallabies

New Zealand got their Rugby Championship campaign off to a superb start when they claimed a 54-34 victory over Australia in Sydney on Saturday.

In a fast-paced encounter, in which both sides stayed true to their attacking roots, the All Blacks' superior game management — especially in the first half — laid the groundwork to this win and they eventually outscored the Wallabies seven to four.

The world champions held a 40-6 lead at the interval courtesy of two tries apiece from Rieko Ioane and Ryan Crotty as well as further five-pointers from Liam Squire and Sonny Bill Williams.

Those 40 points were the most conceded by the Wallabies in the first half of a Test against the All Blacks ever.

There was plenty of hype ahead of this match after New Zealand teams won all 26 matches against their Australian counterparts in Super Rugby this year and the All Blacks' performance went a long way to justify that hype.  They blew their hosts away with a clinical display during that first half although the Wallabies fought back bravely during the second half.

Australia were fastest out of the blocks and were soon camped inside New Zealand's 22 after taking the ball through 14 phases.  The All Blacks strayed offside on defence and Bernard Foley opened the scoring in the fourth minute by slotting the resulting three-pointer from the kicking tee.

It did not take long for the world champions to strike back though and in the 10th minute, Squire rounded off after Beauden Barrett, Brodie Retallick and Kieran Read impressed with slick handling in the build-up.

Foley narrowed the gap to a point, when he added his second penalty in the 17th minute, but that was the last time the home side would score points during the half.

In the 18th minute, Ioane rounded Israel Folau with a superb turn of speed before crossing in the left-hand corner.  The All Black flyer had his second try three minutes later after gathering a pass from Crotty, who intercepted a wayward Wallaby pass on the halfway line.

The rest of the half was a procession and tries from Williams and Crotty meant Steve Hansen's charges had their tails up as the teams changed sides at the interval.

New Zealand continued to dominate during the early stages of the second half and shortly after the restart Barrett intercepted a Folau pass before getting a pass out to Ioane just inside the Wallabies' half.

He still had work to do and after rounding one defender, he offloaded to Damian McKenzie who cantered in for his first Test try.

And five minutes later, Liam Squire set off on a barnstorming run which took him into the Wallabies' 22.  He was eventually brought to ground, but after taking the ball through another couple of phases, Ben Smith dotted down next to the posts — Barrett's seventh conversion giving the All Blacks a 54-6 lead.

To their credit, the Wallabies did not surrender and in the 51st minute Curtis Rona got over for a try on his Test debut after running onto a well-timed pass from Foley close to New Zealand's try-line.

With the game in the bag, the All Blacks rung the changes and it will be a concern for their coach, Steve Hansen, that the intensity levels dropped after he brought on his replacements.

That try from Rona was followed by another five-pointer from Tevita Kuridrani, who barged over the whitewash after gathering a flat pass from Folau.

And on the hour-mark, TJ Perenara threw a loose pass 10 metres inside his half which Kurtley Beale gathered before outpacing the cover defence on his way over the try-line.

Folau eventually got his name onto the scoresheet in the 68th minute when he crossed for his side's fourth try after finding himself in space just outside the All Blacks' 22.

And although the Wallabies finished stronger, they know their first half performance left a lot to be desired and will be determined to improve on that effort (especially defensively) when these sides meet in Dunedin next weekend.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Rona, Kuridrani, Beale, Folau
Cons:  Foley 4
Pens:  Foley 2

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Squire, Ioane 2, Crotty 2, Williams, McKenzie, Smith
Cons:  Barrett 7

The teams:

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Curtis Rona, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Lopeti Timani, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Reece Hodge, 23 Tevita Kuridrani

New Zealand:  15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Nathan Harris, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Andy Brace (Ireland)
Television match official:  Rowan Kitt (England)