The All Blacks forward pack has powered the team to a thumping 50-19 victory over a hapless Wallabies outfit in Auckland.
The win extended New Zealand’s imperious record at Eden Park and handed Australia’s coach Les Kiss his first defeat as Wallabies coach.
After a competitive first half, New Zealand ran in five tries to one in a dominant second half to set up a victory that ensured they retain the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th consecutive year.
Australia started brightly and challenged the All Blacks in the first half to trail by three at the break, but any notion of an upset was dispelled after halftime as New Zealand overpowered their counterparts and extended their unbeaten run at the venue to 56 matches.
“Once they got their momentum, it was hard to wrestle it back,” Kiss said in the aftermath. “The lessons are there. If you can’t get your strengths going and their strengths grow, it makes it a difficult game.”
The All Blacks were highly clinical in their first outing since a 3-1 series defeat against South Africa last month.
Hoping to secure their first victory at Eden Park since 1986, the Wallabies scored first after Wright capped off a well worked team move. A brilliant tap on from fly-half Ben Donaldson cut the All Blacks open and Wright capitalised on the line break.
The All Blacks struck back with their first possession. Fly-half Damian McKenzie burst through a hole in the Wallabies defence and found flanker Peter Lakai to level the contest.
We failed in Africa, we lost key moments, and we won a lot of those tonight.
Dave Rennie, All Blacks coach
Tupou Vaa’I crashed over moments later to give the All Blacks the lead after 15 minutes.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson scored on the stroke of half-time after Donaldson broke through the All Blacks and found his skipper on the inside. A McKenzie penalty goal was all that separated the sides at the half as the All Blacks led 17-14.
On the return, however, New Zealand scrum-half Cam Roigard strolled through a gaping hole in the Wallabies defence to capitalise on a spell of dominance for the All Blacks, before Captain Codie Taylor broke through lacklustre Wallabies defence to press home New Zealand’s advantage.
The floodgates then opened properly with winger Leroy Carter putting the game beyond the Wallabies. Carter left the field injured after an apparent hip-drop tackle in the act of scoring, but his replacement Josh Moorby grabbed a try of his own shortly after.
Replacement hooker Josh Nasser scored a late consolation try for the Wallabies, in a rare bright moment in the second half for Australia.
But the pain wasn’t over, with All Blacks winger Will Jordan capitalising on an errant Wallabies pass in the final minute to score. McKenzie added the extras to bring up the half century.
“We were confident in our ability; we failed in Africa, we lost key moments and we won a lot of those tonight,” All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said.
The sides will meet next Saturday in Sydney, a match Australia will see as a chance to build momentum at home ahead of next year’s world cup.
Main image screenshot courtesy Stan Sports.
