Dan Carter on Saturday bowed out as the king of rugby when he kicked the All Blacks to a historic 34-17 World Cup victory over Australia at Twickenham.
Carter scored 19 points in his final match, as New Zealand held off a fierce Australia fightback to become the first team to retain the World Cup and the first to win three titles.
The Wallabies closed to within four points of the All Blacks in the second half, but Carter steadied the ship with a monstrous drop goal and a 50m penalty to decide the game.
Photo: Reuters
With three tries, two converted, and a further three Carter penalties, the All Blacks put on a brilliant show, spoiled only by Ben Smith becoming the first player to be sin-binned in a final.
Richie McCaw raised the Webb Ellis Cup in front of 80,125 people for the second time in four years after 80 minutes of high-octane rugby.
“We played some damned good rugby there,” McCaw said after the game.
“We lost a bit of momentum in the second half, but we kept our composure. We came home strong, which has been the mark of this team for the past four years,” McCaw said of the dramatic win.
Carter, who has confirmed it was his 112th and final Test, stretched his world record points tally to 1,598.
“We try to do things no other team has done before,” Carter said. “It’s a special feeling to be part of such a great team.”
It was Carter’s fourth World Cup, but his first final. He missed the 2011 final because of an injury.
“I’m pretty grateful to be where I am, considering what happened four years ago,” Carter said. “I’m so proud of the team. To win back-to-back World Cups is a dream come true.”
“You couldn’t script it any better,” said coach Steve Hansen, mastermind of the team who some are already hailing as the best in history.
The Wallabies put up a stubborn resistance for much of the first half, but the speed of the All Blacks and their passes proved too much. Australia’s resistance broke just before halftime, when Conrad Smith, Aaron Smith and McCaw combined to put Nehe Milner-Skudder over in the corner.
Sonny Bill Williams, who replaced Conrad Smith at halftime, produced two classy offloads with his first touches. The second put Ma’a Nonu on a 40m run to the line.
That put the All Blacks 21-3.
However, the Wallabies came back with two converted tries in the second half after Ben Smith was sent to the sin-bin. David Pocock crossed from a line-out drive and Tevita Kuridrani scored when Australia counterattacked after Milner-Skudder missed touch with a clearing kick.
The two wings with places in the record books at stake, Julian Savea and Drew Mitchell, were unable to cross the line.
Savea finished the tournament with eight tries, equaling the record for a single World Cup set by Jonah Lomu (1999) and Bryan Habana (2007).
Mitchell signed off without adding to his 14 career World Cup tries, one behind the record shared by Lomu and Habana.
Australia kicked off, but were immediately forced back into their own half. Australian skipper Stephen Moore had a bloody nose within seconds of the physical game starting.
New Zealand threatened on the right with Milner-Skudder before winning a penalty so Carter could start his almost perfect afternoon with the boot to put the first points on the board.
Although the All Blacks were applying the early pressure, a series of errors allowed Australia into the game. From a scrum, the All Blacks front row were penalized and Bernard Foley landed the equalizing penalty.
New Zealand blew a chance to regain the lead when awarded a penalty, which scrumhalf Aaron Smith decided to run rather than let Carter have a shot at goal. Smith was penalized when tackled near the posts.
Wallaby prop Sekope Kepu, who was warned once for a late tackle on Carter, gave away another penalty for a high tackle on the New Zealand flyhalf. This time Carter kicked the points.
After Carter landed his third penalty, the All Blacks produced the opening try. Conrad Smith, Aaron Smith and McCaw all featured in the move to put Milner-Skudder over for the All Blacks to turn 16-3 ahead.
Williams, who came on for Conrad Smith at the break, produced two sensational offloads with his first two touches of the ball, the second bringing Nonu’s try.
The Pocock and Kuridrani scores saw Australia close the gap to 21-17 before man of the match Carter landed his drop goal and penalty.
Beauden Barrett then scored the shutout try, with Carter landing the conversion.
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