Another Black night across ditch for Wallabies

Greg Growden

August 7, 2011

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Eden Park hoodoo remains as All Blacks ruthless in 30-14 win

To the victors go the spoils ... the All Blacks celebrate with the Bledisloe Cup. Photo: Getty Images

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SMASHED. Swamped. Made to look second rate. And there goes the Bledisloe Cup for the eighth year running.

MATCH STATS

The All Blacks' extraordinary quarter-century dominance over the Wallabies at Eden Park continued untroubled last night when they took control of this Tri Nations Test in minutes, then stubbornly refused to allow their rivals back into the game.

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After all the bluff and bluster about the new-generation Wallabies suddenly worrying the All Blacks, their first meeting of the year was a demoralising affair from an Australian point of view. The raging World Cup favourites were simply too physical and too clinical for an often-frazzled opposition.

At the start of the Test, the All Blacks conducted their provocative ''slit across the throat'' haka, and this appeared to have the desired effect of unsettling their opponents.

Right from the kick-off, the All Blacks succeeded in carving up the Wallabies, who were soon floundering and forced to play frenetic, disorganised, catch-up football.

For the Wallabies to have any chance at Eden Park, they had to start well. Instead, they were abominable, and paid a dreadful price when finding themselves 17 points behind after just 26 minutes.

The Wallabies put the hobbles on their own legs by allowing the All Blacks midfield to break through and make an enormous amount of ground virtually every time they were in possession in the opening quarter.

Wallabies players fell off tackles, giving the All Blacks confidence and a surge of energy. They were everywhere in numbers, while the visitors were often restricted to scrambling, one-out play.

The Wallabies were lucky to have only two tries scored against them before the break, so dominant were the All Blacks in attack.

After just eight minutes, the All Blacks were 10-0 ahead. Wallabies flanker David Pocock was caught on the wrong side of the breakdown and the home team took advantage when winger Sitiveni Sivivatu got through a Rocky Elsom tackle. Sivivatu then cleverly popped the ball up to flanker Jerome Kaino, who warded off more Wallabies tacklers before putting centre Ma'a Nonu through. There was a brief surge of excitement for the Wallabies midway during the half when they went through 14 phases of play, often pushing it to the wings. But it was soon clear the All Blacks were more effective in defence, knowing precisely what the Wallabies playmakers, in particular Quade Cooper, were up to.

The All Blacks were decidedly more aggressive in their play, often stunning the Wallabies with their belligerent approach, which lead to scuffles aplenty - something which does not often happen in trans-Tasman matches. But the All Blacks knew they could unnerve the Wallabies youngsters by being arrogant - and it worked. They enjoyed a near-perfect first half that also involved their hooker Keven Mealamu scoring a burrowing try.

Adding to the Wallabies' woes was James O'Connor's wayward kicking - he missed his first three penalty shots.

There was some rejoicing in the 52nd minute when the Wallabies were able to make something out of virtually nothing, when fullback Kurtley Beale charged away from the tackle area and sucked in a few defenders before giving winger Digby Ioane space. Ioane picked the right moment to swerve in and out to get around Mils Muliaina to at last put the Wallabies on the scoreboard.

But as usual, their heads turned into pumpkins. The Wallabies relaxed, and wasted the moment. At a time when they had to rally, the All Blacks scored immediately from the kick-off, when their centre Conrad Smith seized the ball and then Sivivatu beat four Wallabies to score.

It was a horrid red-face moment for the Wallabies and ended what little hope they had left of winning the Test.

NEW ZEALAND 30 (Keven Mealamu, Ma’a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu tries Daniel Carter 3 cons 2 pens drop goal) btAUSTRALIA 14 (Rocky Elsom, Digby Ioane tries Quade Cooper 2 cons) at Eden Park. Referee: Craig Joubert.

All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with Eden Park win

Highlights of the All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup test match played at Eden Park, Auckland.

Nerveless All Blacks come-from-behind to beat Wallabies

Nerveless All Blacks come-from-behind to beat Wallabies
By MARC HINTON in Sydney - Stuff
Last updated 00:10 12/09/2010


For a team chasing perfection this was far from perfect. But who cared? The All Blacks once again showed that they have nerves of steel and superb mental strength as they kept their remarkable run for 2010 alive.
Only just though, by an almost unbearable one-point margin, 23-22. It took everything they had, and a 17-3 second-half effort that included 14 unanswered points over the final quarter to achieve it. But somehow the New Zealanders found a way to rattle up their ninth straight victory for 2010, and a record 10th on the trot against these Wallabies.
The Australians contributed plenty to a thrilling match, and when they led 22-9 with just 20 minutes to go it looked for all money as though they were about to pull off a remarkable, against-the-odds victory.
But, just as they had done in Soweto, the All Blacks kept their nerve splendidly and never panicked even when they had every right to. Richie McCaw scored a crucial try off a slick scrum move and the superb No 8 Kieran Read put his team in front just seven minutes from the end when he charged over as the New Zealanders finished with a wet sail.
From there McCaw and his men held on over a frantic finale and kept alive their dream of the perfect season. They certainly completed a pretty perfect Tri-Nations, becoming the first side to sweep the board in the six-game series
What a great way it was to celebrate McCaw’s 52nd test as captain (with just six losses), breaking Sean Fitzpatrick's record. The leader was wonderful in the second half and was at the forefront of a remarkable fightback.
It was a poor first 40 minutes from the All Blacks who mixed way too many errors in with their early endeavour. In fact you could make a case that they were a shade lucky to be trailing just 6-14 at the break, Lachie Turner going within inches of adding to the only try of the opening half by Justin Bieber lookalike James O’Connor.
The New Zealanders had showed some early promise, especially whenever they attacked down Israel Dagg's wing, but spent most of the second quarter battening down the hatches on defence. Much of it was self-inflicted stuff too as the Wallabies were gifted a succession of opportunities.
The All Blacks were badly off key, from Aaron Cruden's wonky restarts, to some sloppy passing, to some fairly ragged defence. They were even getting bested at the breakdown. It was supposed to be the Wallabies who were weary, but instead it looked as if McCaw's men were playing their third test in as many weeks.
You expected the adjustment would come in the second half, and it did eventually. Too loose. Too inaccurate for too long. But the charge came just in the nick of time and you have to heap credit at this side's feet for their cool composure.
Dan Carter was missed. Badly. Cruden's kicking game was well short of the mark and for all his courage, he needs to be able to execute in this area. The youngster's restarts were atrocious, his general kicking only marginally better and he hit the depths midway through the second spell when he missed touch off a penalty.
As Henry noted later he would have learned from the experience, but it didn't help the New Zealand cause as they struggled to establish field position for the first 60 minutes.
If this was an experiment for Henry, albeit a forced one, it demonstrated vividly that this young man is not yet up to this level of rugby. Victor Vito was marginally better, but the All Blacks were much better when Jerome Kaino came on. Suddenly the loose trio took command.
The same couldn't be said for Dagg over on the left wing, where the 22-year-old looked every inch a top test performer. Read -- this side's most improved player -- had a highly influential game, too, for the All Blacks to cap a fine campaign.
But most of all this win was satisfying because a class team survived a bad day at the office and still snuck away with a win. Sometimes you just have to take that and smile.
And now the quest will go on. The All Blacks have won 15 tests on the trot. They could become the first team to complete a perfect calendar year in the professional era. The record winning streak of 17 and 18 is now tantalisingly close.
They could do a lot of things if they keep finding ways to win like they did last night.
New Zealand 23 (Kieran Read, Richie McCaw tries; Piri Weepu 3pens, 2cons)
Australia 22 (Adam Ashley-Cooper, James O'Connor tries; Matt Giteau 3pens, Kurtley Beale pens).

Australia slumps to 10th successive loss to New Zealand

Australia slumps to 10th successive loss to New Zealand
• Wayne Smith Rugby Union Editor
• From: The Australian
• September 11, 2010



New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw leaves Ben McCalman in his wake on his way to the tryline at ANZ Stadium Picture: Krystle Wright Source: The Sunday Telegraph
THERE was to be no last-minute miracles for the Australia this week as New Zealand yet again staged another remarkable come-from-behind fightback.
In so the All Blacks score their record-breaking 10th straight Bledisloe Cup victory over Australia at ANZ Stadium.
Both sides scored two tries apiece in a gripping and at times pulsating contest but it was the part-time goalkicker Piri Weepu, with five goals from as many attempts, who edged the All Blacks home 23-22 while Australia's prolific kicker Matt Giteau could manage only three goals from seven attempts.
That in the end made all the difference and a heart-breaker it was for the Wallabies who played well enough for long periods of this match to have finally broken their hoodoo against Richie McCaw's world number one ranked side.
Fittingly, in the Test in which he surpassed Sean Fitzpatrick as New Zealand's most capped skipper, McCaw was to score the try that signalled the start of his country's comeback.
Certainly the gap between these two great rivals is shrinking with every encounter and the Wallabies can look towards the October 30 showdown in Hong Kong with real hope of toppling the All Blacks but until they learn to defend sizeable leads, they will remain all too vulnerable against quality opposition.
Two weeks ago, they blew 14-0 and 21-7 leads against the Springboks. Last week they let slip a 31-6 advantage and had to rely on a long-range Kurtley Beale penalty to escape with w win in Bloemfontein, while tonight they were overhauled from 22-9 in front.
"We came here to win and that didn't happen so the boys are very disappointed," growled Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom.
"A couple of little errors put the pressure back on us and at the end of the day they finished the stronger."
Coach Robbie Deans agreed. "I feel we've made progress but against the benchmark we've come up short again," he said.
The Wallabies completely dominated field position throughout the first half but some uncharacteristically poor goalkicking by Giteau, who was astray with three relatively easy shots, restricted Australia to only a 14-6 lead at half-time.

As they did in the two Tests against South Africa on the highveld, the Wallabies began with a flourish and looked to have scored a try after only five minutes when recalled winger Lachlan Turner planted the ball over the All Blacks line in the left-hand corner.
But the television match official, Matt Goddard, correctly ruled that NZ defender Cory Jane had just managed to drag Turner's foot into touch before he scored.
Still, there were some payments for the Wallabies for their early adventure as referee Lawrence returned to award them one of three penalties he had called against the All Blacks in the build-up to Turner's sizzling sideline run.
Giteau landed the easy goal to cancel out a second minute Piri Weepu penalty goal but the All Blacks struck back almost immediately, with only an heroic one-on-one tackle by Beale on rampaging centre Ma'a Nonu denying them a try.
No sooner had that raid down the left-hand touchline been snuffed out than the All Blacks lit the fire under a new one. Winger Israel Dagg, hemmed in by the cover defence, cleverly banana-kicked infield, straight to Mils Muliaina who looked certain to score until cut down from behind by Turner.
In the mad scramble that followed James O'Connor conceded a penalty in front of his own posts but the Wallabies dodged a bullet to limit the damage to only another Weepu goal.
When the first try did arrive in the 15th minute, it could hardly have come from a least-likely source, a rampaging run off the back of a scrum-gone-wrong by number eight Ben McCalman.
All Black flanker Victor Vito made a dreadful read in defence to allow McCalman to burst into the clear before sending O'Connor on an untroubled 30m run to the line.
That signalled the start of a golden period of domination by the Wallabies, with Quade Cooper and Giteau kicking deftly for field position, but with Giteau having yet another horror night on what is becoming his nemesis ground _ he did after all, miss "that" kick in front to lose the England Test in June at ANZ Stadium _ the All Blacks were able to stay well within range.
The worry was that the All Blacks, who have outscored Australia in the second half in the last nine Tests, would launch the second half with a blitz but in fact it was the Wallabies who scored first through Adam Ashley-Cooper after a disjointed build-up was made good by a brilliant Will Genia pass to his powerhouse outside centre.
The New Zealanders scrambled across in coverf but from 15m, Ashley-Cooper was never going to be denied. Yet again, however, Giteau missed the conversion, every wasted point ultimately to prove so crucial.
When the All Blacks yet again offended deep inside their own half, Rocky Elsom pleaded with Lawrence to pull out the yellow card but he showed not the slightest sign of taking such extreme measures.
Still, when Beale stepped up as Giteau's goalkicking replacement and calmly slotted the penalty goal, the Wallabies looked in be in charge at 22-9.
But that was to be the highwater mark of the Australian scoring and, as has happened so regularly in the past, it was the All Blacks who finished by far the stronger _ although to be fair, they did have the advantage of three weeks rest while the Australians have played three Tests on the trot, and made the trip home from South Africa across eight time zones.
For 10 minutes the Wallabies defended heroically on their own line but ultimately something had to crack and an O'Connor dedfensive misread from a 5m scrum provided all the opening McCaw needed to stroll over for the 19th try of his career in the 66th minute.At 22-16 down, the All Blacks knew thety were right back in the contest and there was almost a sense of inevitability about the Kieran Read try that came on the back of another five minutes of pouding away at the Australian line.
Weepu's conversion nudged the All Blacks in front 23-22 and although the Wallabies had eight minutes at their disposal to work another Bloemfontein-like miracle, this time the fell short.
NEW ZEALAND 23 (Richard McCaw, Kieran Read tries Piri Weepu 2 cons 3 pens) AUSTRALIA 22 (Adam Ashley-Cooper, James O'Connor tries Matt Giteau 3, Kurtley Beale pens) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Mark Lawrence (RSA). Crowd: 70,288.

All Blacks beat the Wallabies

By MARC HINTON - Stuff.co.nz

Last updated 05:00 18/07/2009

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CHARGE: All Blacks No 8 Rodney So'oialo runs at Australian second five Berrick Barnes.

All Blacks v Wallabies

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The teams line up before the match

The old guard returned and the old order was restored tonight as the All Blacks struck a decisive opening blow in the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup.

Undoubtedly the arrival for the first time this season of skipper Richie McCaw, veteran No 8 Rodney So'oialo and experienced wing Sitiveni Sivivatu spurred Graham Henry's All Blacks as they deservedly continued their iron grip over the Wallabies on this famous old test ground.

They were by no means the stars of the show, but how else could you explain the dramatic lift in standard from the New Zealanders as they met an in-form Wallabies side head-on, even spotted them a 10-point start and still seemed to have plenty in reserve as they rounded out a controlled, if not decisive, victory.

There was only a try apiece in this hard-fought test match, but the capacity crowd of 34,000 got their money's worth as their men delivered for them at a time when confidence in the national team had been just a little on the wane.

It shouldn't be now. The All Blacks played smart rugby, battling well into the wind to be within three at the break (10-13) and then using the breeze sensibly in the second spell to play a game of field position that was decisive.

The New Zealand forwards steadied the ship superbly after a shaky start. McCaw scored a massive try in the first half, Jerome Kaino had a huge game, Tony Woodcock won his scrum battle over Al Baxter, the lineout eventually came right and the All Blacks were much the more effective drivers in tight. Breakdown honours were pretty even.

But there was arguably no greater hero for the All Blacks than under-pressure first five Stephen Donald who overcame a slow start to produce probably his finest hour in the black jersey.

His goalkicking was assured (six from eight on a tricky night) and he warmed to the task nicely once he shook off the early nerves. His composure in a tight second spell was a delight to see as he came of age in the test arena.

The victory continued New Zealand's wonderful winning streak at the ground, and against the Wallabies on Kiwi soil. The Australians have now lost 11 straight here since 1986 and the All Blacks still haven't dropped a test at their new favourite ground since 1994.

It was a shonky old start by the All Blacks. Before 10 minutes had passed they had conceded a converted try, to Berrick Barnes, lost two lineouts on their own throw and coughed up a kickable penalty to Matt Giteau. The game was barely out of first gear, and the New Zealanders were in a 10-0 hole

Barnes' try, after just four minutes, also exposed a few worrying frailties in the All Blacks' defence, McCaw and Donald making a hash of a first-up tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper, and then Sivivatu and Muliaina being found out when Barnes threw the dummy and pinned his ears on a scything run to the line.

The New Zealanders were actually lucky not to fall two tries behind in the opening quarter when Donald made a hash of a stab-kick as the Wallaby defence got up quickly and only a misfire between Barnes and George Smith prevented what looked a certain score. You could hear the cries of anguish from the Australian coaching box.

Then, finally, the home team settled into a rhythm, and started playing some football, though there was one more early lineout loss to add to the concern.

Donald had slotted his second penalty attempt just shy of the quarter-hour mark to get the All Blacks on the board and five minutes after Giteau eased the Wallabies back out by 10, New Zealand struck with a much needed try.

It came via some sustained pressure off a quality lineout win - at last -and saw the New Zealanders stretch the Australian defence before Conrad Smith, as he does, ran a beautiful line on the cutback and was able to offload to McCaw for an excellent openside's try.

Smith had shown his skill by slipping the pass in the first place, and McCaw's body position and strength did the rest as he finished superbly. It was the skipper's 16th test try (one off the record for an All Black forward) and his sixth against the Wallabies.

There was one last chance for the All Blacks before the spell ended, but Donald couldn't quite find Cory Jane from a promising break. All things considered, though, they would have been more than happy with their opening 40 into a stiff breeze.

If the first half had been action aplenty, the second was much more of an arm-wrestle, and at the end of it four Donald penalties to just one more from Giteau gave the All Blacks all the buffer they needed.

It was heartening to hear the Eden Park roar in the closing minutes as the All Blacks forced crucial turnovers and made all their big tackles, the Wallabies unable to find a way through as they probed for a winning score.

McCaw and So'oialo made a difference, be sure of that. McCaw didn't have his best test outing by any means - too many errors to say that - but his presence, poise and at key moments his power were crucial. So'oialo too toiled well, and in the end they spoilt the night for their old foe George Smith in his 100th test.

New Zealand 22 (Richie McCaw try; Stephen Donald 5 pen con)

Australia 16