The All Blacks yesterday stormed to a 38-7 win over a sore and sorry Australia to seal a third consecutive Rugby Championship title and enjoy a major boost before the Rugby World Cup in France.
The victory also ensured the Bledisloe Cup, the annual trophy contested by the trans-Tasman nations, would stay in New Zealand for the 21st year in a row.
“Very proud of the boys tonight,” All Blacks captain Ardie Savea said. “The Wallabies came out firing and firing shots.”
Photo: AP
In front of a heaving crowd of 83,944 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, live-wire winger Mark Telea grabbed a try during each half, while Shannon Frizell, Codie Taylor, Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke and Rieko Ioane also crossed for the All Blacks.
Australian hopes that Eddie Jones might engineer a turnaround in his second stint with the Wallabies have proven forlorn, with the team winless from their three games in the truncated Rugby Championship.
Barring periods of defiance at the start of each half, it was another undisciplined, ragged display by the hosts who were made to pay for a yellow card in both halves.
The loss was further soured by a serious Achilles injury to veteran Allan Alaalatoa, while fellow prop Taniela Tupou had an apparent rib problem.
“Gutted,” Australia’s Tate McDermott said. “Eighty-four thousand people showed up tonight to support us and we didn’t give them much.”
McDermott had a rough start, rammed over the try line by Scott Barrett at a line-out to cough up the ball and let Shannon Frizell touch down before the third minute was up.
The Wallabies responded 4 minutes later, with Mark Nawaqanitawase providing the spark with a line-break, allowing Rob Valetini to burrow over under the posts 4 minutes later after a multi-phase attack.
That was as good as it got for Jones’s strugglers.
They were soon camped on their own try line defending a barrage of punishing drives.
Winger Marika Koroibete was given a yellow card for deliberate off-side, and while off the ground, the All Blacks scored their second try when Codie Taylor rumbled over from a clinical line-out drive.
Rookie flyhalf Carter Gordon’s restart kick failed to clear the 10m line. Alaalatoa was then hurt in the scrum and he was carted off the ground.
The All Blacks capitalized on Australia’s woes, with Richie Mo’unga popping a pass wide to Jordan who danced around a nest of defenders for a try at the right corner.
Mo’unga’s conversion put the All Blacks up 19-7 at halftime, and they held firm after the break, twice denying the Wallabies tries with stonewall defense on the line.
With Tupou grimacing on the bench, Australia had a second yellow card when replacement prop Angus Bell was sent off for a high tackle on Nepo Laulala.
Undermanned, the Wallabies promptly collapsed, conceding three tries in 7 minutes as the All Blacks ran riot.
Clarke started the burst with a try at the left corner on the hour-mark, before Telea grabbed his second on the right and Rieko Ioane completed a scintillating team try in the 67th minute.
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