Result All Blacks vs Australia: Bledisloe Cup defended, All Blacks survive Wallabies comeback attempt

After dominating a first half in which they scored four tries and led 28-7 after 15 minutes, silencing the 68,061 crowd, it was Damian McKenzie’s 45th-minute penalty that was the All Blacks’ only points of the second half.

No matter what they do, the All Blacks can’t seem to resolve their final quarter collapse.

This time they gave in and received two yellow cards for Anton Lienert-Brown and Caleb Clarke, which put them under enormous pressure and meant they had to field two fewer players in the exciting final phase.

Although Wallace Sititi and Cortez Ratima put in outstanding individual performances despite the frustrations, Damian McKenzie was the main culprit in wasting chances and blowing two tries, the worst example being an unnecessary flick pass to the unmarked Tamati Williams on the inside.

Because the All Blacks had created numerous chances, they were never in trouble.

The All Blacks led 28-14 at halftime, but collapsed in the second half as they were defeated by the Wallabies.

What started as a one-sided defeat quickly turned into a thrilling contest, as the All Blacks repeatedly put the Wallabies under pressure due to mistakes and a lack of discipline.

Two own line breakdown penalties by Sevu Reece and Sititi were crucial to the All Blacks’ survival. TJ Perenara’s defensive efforts as a substitute were also important.

Tries from Hunter Paisami and Tom Wright – the latter in the 79th minute – brought the Wallabies, ranked ninth in the world and coming off their second-heaviest defeat in history in Argentina last week, to the brink of an unthinkable upset, but the All Blacks secured their final elimination with a final possession win.

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson also has further concerns after Jordie Barrett failed to return from the dressing room in the second half. Barrett left the field with a knee injury and grimaced. Lienert-Brown replaced him for the second half. At the end of the game, Barrett was limping after scoring a powerful double.

The Wallabies improved significantly in the second half, but were so poor in the opening moves that it was embarrassing. They scored a Schmidt special goal from a long lineout move that saw Nic White send Fraser McReight over the goal unchallenged.

Otherwise, however, the All Blacks were able to break through the Wallabies at will. The Wallabies were their own worst enemies, botching lineouts and recoveries, throwing misdirected passes and leaving Bondi-sized holes in their defensive line.

The All Blacks had plenty of space and often launched counter-attacks from the backfield, where Will Jordan flourished after Beauden Barrett was ruled out due to illness before the game.

Sititi was determined to keep pushing the All Blacks forward and on that platform Ratima galvanised the backline with his speed to the base and several superb, sharp runs – one of which was Ioane’s first try in over a year. Defensively, Ratima threw himself into touch. A brilliant 57-minute shift also saw Ratima denied a spectacular second-half try following a forward pass from McKenzie.

On the left flank, Caleb Clarke returned in full force. He led the All Blacks in runs by consistently continuing his work on the wings. Clarke grabbed a ball from the sky and finished his try by breaking through two tackle attempts. However, his second-half yellow card for a deliberate knockdown was a black mark.

Robertson never won the Bledisloe during his 23-match career with the All Blacks from 1998 to 2002. As head coach of the All Blacks, he has been spared the ignominy of losing the coveted trophy, but he is all too familiar with the problems facing his team.

All Blacks: Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Ardie Savea, Jordie Barrett tries, Damian McKenzie counters 4, Penalty

Wallabies: Fraser McReight, Matt Faessler, Hunter Paisami, Tom Wright tries, Noah Lolesio loses 3

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