New Zealand piled on 30 unanswered points to overturn an early Wallaby flourish and retain rugby’s Bledisloe Cup 30-13 at the Sydney Olympic stadium on Saturday.
The All Blacks were irresistible as they came back from a 13-10 half-time deficit to overpower Australia, recovering after last week’s 22-16 Tri-Nations loss to South Africa in Cape Town.
The win kept alive New Zealand’s hopes of winning the Tri-Nations tournament, with home matches to come against South Africa in Dunedin on August 27 and Australia in Auckland on September 3, which doubles up as the second Bledisloe Cup Test between the trans-Tasman rivals.
But the loss was Australia’s third straight after their disastrous two-Test loss in South Africa last month and left coach Eddie Jones with plenty of problems ahead of next weekend’s home Tri-Nations Test with the Springboks in Perth.
The All Blacks, 3-0 home series conquerors of the British and Irish Lions in June and July, swept aside the Wallabies three tries to one with flyhalf Daniel Carter kicking 11 points from three penalties and a conversion before he was helped off with a left leg injury.
Australia burst out of the blocks and were up 13-0 in 11 minutes after some dazzling play from debutant fullback Drew Mitchell.
Flyhalf Matt Giteau kicked two penalties and Mitchell, in his first start for the Wallabies, broke three tackles before he was caught deep in New Zealand territory.
Mitchell took the ball as first receiver off the back of an Australian scrum win, jinked past Daniel Carter and slid under Jerry Collins’s tackle to score an impressive try.
The All Blacks were having trouble in the line-outs and holding possession, but after another Mitchell line break was stopped with an ankle-tap tackle, the shape of the match changed.
The New Zealanders put together more phases and should have scored in the 26th minute, only for prop Carl Hayman to fumble with the Kiwi backline fanned out and primed to score.
The All Blacks seized possession when flyhalf Giteau panicked under pressure and were over in the 28th minute after winger Joe Rokocoko burst through Mitchell’s tackle and was held up 10m short of the try line.
Scrum-half Piri Weepu ploughed over from the next ruck and Carter converted from the sideline for the All Blacks to reduce the gap to 13-10 with the Wallabies looking decidedly under the weather.
Winger Mark Gerrard defused a dangerous situation when he flung himself on a loose ball ahead of Tana Umaga.
The Wallabies lost hooker Jeremy Paul and Giteau with injuries making way for Brendan Cannon and Elton Flatley as New Zealand went through the gears.
Lote Tuqiri just grounded a ball over his try line from the rushing Carter, which went to the video referee and the All Blacks were looking dangerous when the half-time siren sounded.
The All Blacks took up where they left off in the second half, levelling through a Carter penalty, and they should have scored in the 49th minute only for winger Rico Gear to lose the ball in Mitchell’s last-ditch covering tackle in the right corner.
Carter put the All Blacks in front for the first time with a 52nd-minute penalty deflected off an upright as the Wallabies made their third enforced replacement with centre Morgan Turinui replaced by Clyde Rathbone.
The All Blacks continued to create chances and Rokocoko almost caught the home defence napping off an angled cross-field kick from Carter, but Mils Muliaina knocked on.
Alert thinking by man-of-the-match forager Richie McCaw gave the New Zealanders the decisive break 15 minutes from time.
McCaw took a quick tap kick 4m out and burrowed under four defenders to score for Carter to convert for a 23-13 lead.
The All Blacks resisted Australian multiphases and hit back spectacularly when Stirling Mortlock had the ball turned over and the ball was spun out to the left where Rokocoko kicked ahead into open territory.
Rokocoko charged on to the ball to race away for a dazzling 80m try to clinch victory. Luke McAlister, on for the injured Carter, landed the conversion for 30-13 with eight minutes left. — Sapa-AFP