New Zealand and Australia yesterday battled to a thrilling 16-16 draw in a gripping opening Bledisloe Cup Test in Wellington that saw the return of international rugby following the COVID-19 shutdown.
Play continued nearly 10 minutes after the final hooter sounded as neither side wanted to settle for a draw.
The entertaining encounter, with two tries and two penalties apiece, lifted rugby out of its seven-month Test hiatus in front of a near-capacity 31,000 mask-free spectators, with New Zealand having largely contained the virus.
Photo: AP
For the All Blacks and Wallabies it was almost a year since they last played at the World Cup in Japan, and it was exactly 400 days since the last Test match in New Zealand.
In addition to the coronavirus distraction, the Test build-up was also rocked by disputes between New Zealand and Australia over Super Rugby and the Rugby Championship, and when it came to the on-field contest there were signs of rust.
There was also a keen edge, and the draw leaves the four-match Bledisloe series wide open as Australia push to end an 18-year drought.
“Draws are always funny, aren’t they?” All Blacks captain Sam Cane said. “You could probably say both teams had their chances.”
“We probably should have been leading by a bit more heading into the second half,” he added.
“Credit to the Aussies, as they always do they stuck at it and they were only a whisker away from taking it. It’s all set up for next week now,” he said.
It was a moral victory for new Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie against All Blacks counterpart Ian Foster in the battle of the two New Zealand natives who both experiencing their first Test matches in charge.
While Foster has an experienced squad, Rennie is rebuilding and his new-look Wallabies, particularly debutants Harry Wilson and Filipo Daugunu, showed they were capable of rattling the All Blacks.
Australia were let down by a high penalty count and a number of lost opportunities, such as seeing giant lock Matt Philip turned over by the diminutive Damian McKenzie 1m short of the line.
McKenzie, a late replacement for the injured Beauden Barrett, also pulled off a spectacular tackle to stop Daugunu from scoring in the opening minutes.
“I’m very proud of our team,” said Australia captain Michael Hooper, who was winning his 100th cap. “Despite the conditions, despite the result, we are off to a good start with some things.”
Nevertheless, both teams were left dejected after the stalemate.
“That’s bitterly disappointing for an All Blacks side,” Foster said, while Rennie said that the Australians “had a chance, but didn’t take it. We’re certainly not celebrating in the changing room.”
The All Blacks started as overwhelming favorites, but they were a whisker away from seismic upset when, with the score 16-16 and the 80 minutes expired, a booming Reece Hodge penalty from 55m to win the match for the Wallabies rebounded off the upright.
“I won’t forget that game any time soon. It was wild,” Hooper said.
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