Saturday, August 25, 2012
The All Blacks retain the Bledisloe Cup with convincing win over the Wallabies
The All Blacks kept the Wallabies scoreless for the first time in fifty years as they retained the Bledisloe Cup with a convincing 22-0 victory at Eden Park. It has now been 10 years since Australia held the trophy, contested solely between the two sides.
Will Genia said post match that his side were taught a rugby lesson, which summed up the game quite as the All Blacks dominated throughout, making fewer errors and creating more chances.
Australia's defence held firm early on, but a try to Israel Dagg and five penalties and a conversion from Dan Carter proved the difference at Eden Park, the scene of New Zealand's World Cup win.
Sonny Bill Williams, playing in his final game for the All Blacks for some time, showed how much he's come on in his time as a Rugby Union player. Linebreaks and big hits were the order of the day, while Dagg was sublime from the back and Kieran Read as menacing as ever all over the park.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is now under major pressure, following their two losses in a row and a poor start to the Rugby Championship. He chose to praise the opposition however. "Let's just give credit to the All Black performance. That was an outstanding performance tonight," Deans said.
"They're a side that's playing with the confidence of being the world champions and I don't think there's any side in the world that would have footed it with them tonight, including ourselves obviously.
"They gave a master class in rugby today and they're a side that's playing with such confidence. They're getting offloads away and forwards are making little transfers, and confidence builds belief flow. To give credit to our group, I thought it was remarkable that we only actually leaked one try."
The All Blacks have a week off, before facing Argentina in Wellington on September 8th.
Do you think that this All Blacks side are unbeatable, or are Australia way off form currently, needing a change in structure, starting with coach Deans? Leave a comment below to let us know.
Posted at 7:24 pm | 15 comments
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Viewing 15 comments
Sean August 25, 2012 9:57 pm
I thought the Bledisloe Cup was best of 3 matches. Why are they saying that the All Blacks have already retained it?
Eggman August 25, 2012 10:10 pm
Because they won 2 from 3 ;) (last week in sydney and this match)
Eggman August 25, 2012 10:15 pm
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) I missed the game.. From what I heard though the All Black's were about 50 times better.. It's telling that in a 6 minute highlight reel there's only one wallaby chance featured.
I wonder though, did the All Blacks only score one try because they messed up the final pass, or was it good defense from the Wallabies? (I'm desperately looking for positives).
It makes me question if Deans should be kept as the coach. It seems to me that the Wallabies have gone backwards in the last two years.. I was very optimistic at the end of 2010 for their future with them having quite a bit of young talent in the likes of Pocock, Cooper, O'Connor, Beale etc. It seems to me though that right now they're a team that has no clue what they're doing (at least when playing against the All Blacks)... Maybe a different coach (Ewen McKenzie??) could give the team a new spark..
I wonder though, did the All Blacks only score one try because they messed up the final pass, or was it good defense from the Wallabies? (I'm desperately looking for positives).
It makes me question if Deans should be kept as the coach. It seems to me that the Wallabies have gone backwards in the last two years.. I was very optimistic at the end of 2010 for their future with them having quite a bit of young talent in the likes of Pocock, Cooper, O'Connor, Beale etc. It seems to me though that right now they're a team that has no clue what they're doing (at least when playing against the All Blacks)... Maybe a different coach (Ewen McKenzie??) could give the team a new spark..
AK-NZ August 25, 2012 10:42 pm
The Wallabies defense, I thought, was the best aspect of their game. The first half defense in particular was pretty decent and as Deans said, it was a solid effort to have only leaked one try. I reckon the ABs tried to rush a little bit, forced a few passes that weren't on, and just generally lacked patience. For the last half hour it was quite frustrating watching them create several genuine opportunities, only to not complete them. A prime example was Carter's pass virtually on the tryline near the end of the clip.
I thought the same at the end of 2010 that the Aussies were on the rise, but apart from their Tri Nations last year, they've been a bit up and down. I've never been one to blame a coach for a teams poor performances, but these last two tests make it seem like the Wallabies are just lost at the moment. Surely the coach is responsible for ensuring everyone is focussed on the task at hand. He's already had a number of years in charge of the Wallabies, and his record is hardly outstanding.Perhaps it is time to show him the door..
This game was a funny one. The Wallabies kicked away far too much possession, but the All Blacks failed to capitalise on that too many times. And Australia seemed to lack any attacking drive at all, which is very out of character for them. The game flowed better than last week, but I still think the All Blacks are a little disjointed. It was overall a good display from them, but there are still things to be worked on. Australia will need to step it up big time against the Boks, and Argentina at home judging by this morning's result.
I thought the same at the end of 2010 that the Aussies were on the rise, but apart from their Tri Nations last year, they've been a bit up and down. I've never been one to blame a coach for a teams poor performances, but these last two tests make it seem like the Wallabies are just lost at the moment. Surely the coach is responsible for ensuring everyone is focussed on the task at hand. He's already had a number of years in charge of the Wallabies, and his record is hardly outstanding.Perhaps it is time to show him the door..
This game was a funny one. The Wallabies kicked away far too much possession, but the All Blacks failed to capitalise on that too many times. And Australia seemed to lack any attacking drive at all, which is very out of character for them. The game flowed better than last week, but I still think the All Blacks are a little disjointed. It was overall a good display from them, but there are still things to be worked on. Australia will need to step it up big time against the Boks, and Argentina at home judging by this morning's result.
paimoe August 26, 2012 2:17 am
Yeah that was a one sided match. The Wallabies did have good defense overall, but every now and then the ABs broke the line, ran it 40m upfield, and dropped the final pass. I feel about 2 tries went begging, which sucks.
I think it's a bit unfair for so many people to call for Deans to be sacked. Australia is a good team, no doubt, a lot of talent, they just have one problem - 2-3 times a year, they have to play one of the strongest and most invincible looking All Blacks teams of all time.
I think it's a bit unfair for so many people to call for Deans to be sacked. Australia is a good team, no doubt, a lot of talent, they just have one problem - 2-3 times a year, they have to play one of the strongest and most invincible looking All Blacks teams of all time.
dave August 27, 2012 4:13 pm
I watched the game, and I found the aussies played well, it was just one of those games where nothing went their way, it almost like the energy of the place shifts in favour of one side (if you watch a lot of sports you know what i'm talking about), which makes sense to me because it's one of the all black strong holds, another thing is despite the aussies having so much possesion there was always a wall of black waiting for them. To be honest when I tuned into a wallabies all blacks game I was expecting some great attacking rugby and I was really disappointed. Did anyone else notice the walabies were playing well when they took a springbok approach with their forwards driving the ball!?
Eggman August 26, 2012 9:05 am
I agree that one shouldn't call for a coache's dismissal too early, and there has been plenty of that going around in Australia over the year. Personally, I've never seen the need to get rid of him until now. The main reason for me to chuck him is that the Wallabies seem to have gone backwards in the last two years. They never managed to play consistantly (hardly ever, if ever, winning more than 3 games in a row) under Deans, and right now they look an absolute mess. Add to that some weird selections (why is half the team from the Warrathas, who've played absolute shit this season, while you have only 2 Brumbies? Why not more Reds? Why does he stick with players like Faingaa or Horne, who just don't aren't up to test level?
And my final reason is the game plan that the Wallabies have. Now here I'm not sure how much of it is Deans' fault and how much the players. But from what I heard the Wallabies literally always kicked away possession as soon as they had it. Then Barnes moved into first receiver, when Cooper's there. What's the point of having Cooper on if you're not gonna give him the ball in attack? It's the only aspect of the game he's good at.
Just for the record, I'm not saying that once Deans is replaced with someone else the Wallabies will beat the All Blacks in Auckland the next day. I'm just saying that I can't see any progression under Deans in the last two years and would like to see another guy (ideally Ewen McKenzie) given a shot.
And my final reason is the game plan that the Wallabies have. Now here I'm not sure how much of it is Deans' fault and how much the players. But from what I heard the Wallabies literally always kicked away possession as soon as they had it. Then Barnes moved into first receiver, when Cooper's there. What's the point of having Cooper on if you're not gonna give him the ball in attack? It's the only aspect of the game he's good at.
Just for the record, I'm not saying that once Deans is replaced with someone else the Wallabies will beat the All Blacks in Auckland the next day. I'm just saying that I can't see any progression under Deans in the last two years and would like to see another guy (ideally Ewen McKenzie) given a shot.
Guy August 25, 2012 10:53 pm
RD: thanks for posting this so quickly. I was pleasantly surprised, cheers!
So much class in these six minutes of highlights. McCaw seemed to be all over the place, Read looked very good, as did Dagg, Carter and that scrumhalf looks the works as well.
And than SBW: have not always been his biggest fan, mostly because there was so much going on off the pitch. But man, I have to say: he brings something special to the All Blacks as a team as well as a lot of entertainment for the neutral supporter. I am honestly starting to feel that his move to League is actually going to be a big loss for rugby. Good luck to him though!
So much class in these six minutes of highlights. McCaw seemed to be all over the place, Read looked very good, as did Dagg, Carter and that scrumhalf looks the works as well.
And than SBW: have not always been his biggest fan, mostly because there was so much going on off the pitch. But man, I have to say: he brings something special to the All Blacks as a team as well as a lot of entertainment for the neutral supporter. I am honestly starting to feel that his move to League is actually going to be a big loss for rugby. Good luck to him though!
stroudos August 26, 2012 5:33 am
SBW's the real deal. Never took any convincing of that myself. People complain about his extra-curricular activities but his dedication and performance on the rugby field have never seemed to suffer at all. I actually have no doubt that having such a varied approach to his development, (league, union, boxing, different countries and cultures), has enriched his all-round game. And, he behaves like a good team player and always appears modest.
In any career there's something about learning from other fields of expertise and mixing with different people, challenging yourself constantly that delivers a fresh perspective and enhances your skill in your original trade. And he'll come back from his Japan/league thing an even better player. Fresh and with another couple of years still to focus 100% on RWC 2015.
In any career there's something about learning from other fields of expertise and mixing with different people, challenging yourself constantly that delivers a fresh perspective and enhances your skill in your original trade. And he'll come back from his Japan/league thing an even better player. Fresh and with another couple of years still to focus 100% on RWC 2015.
j man August 26, 2012 1:37 am
Agree about sbw, thought he was a bit of a luxury at first but he looks the real deal now . That first off load to carter in the clip was a new one ! The all blacks do look very strong but with two tough away games left for each team their hands are not on the trophy yet . however, their players and coaches are the best around with no real weakness in either.
PS strange deans is struggling so much . Everyone from nz said he was the shit . not perfect after all !!
PS strange deans is struggling so much . Everyone from nz said he was the shit . not perfect after all !!
stroudos August 26, 2012 5:36 am
Summary of commentary: "Read, blah blah, Read, blah blag - and there's Read again! blah blah-Read!!".
I haven't seen the whole game - Genia yellow card looks quite harsh in the context of these highlights? All right he's being cynical but it's a good 30+ metres out and not a particularly threatening attack? Only 3-0 at that point in the game...
I haven't seen the whole game - Genia yellow card looks quite harsh in the context of these highlights? All right he's being cynical but it's a good 30+ metres out and not a particularly threatening attack? Only 3-0 at that point in the game...
Eggman August 26, 2012 9:44 am
I thought the yellow as fair enough.. He was on the ground off feet, offside and knocked down a pass.. That's 3 infringments. Add to that that the All Blacks had an overlap going for them and the Aussie defense was completely disorganised, I think Genia knew exactly what he was doing and deserved a yellow for it.
WillBrowne1 August 27, 2012 11:43 am
I dont think there unbeatable, just send france over for a visit and anything could happen
Robert August 27, 2012 2:39 pm
Still plenty for the ABs to work on. They should be a little disappointed they could only crack the Aussies once despite producing much front-foot play during the match.
I've watched Hosea Gear with interest in the black jersey this year and he seems to be getting very few opportunities. He's been taking the ball up strongly in the close quarters situations, but he would've been in for at least 3 winger's tries in the matches against Australia - were it not for the guys inside him seemingly forgetting how to set up their outside man when the try is on. Israel Dagg butchered the try chance early in the Auckland game - with a clear 2 on 1 he went diagonally for the corner flag and got nailed. Similar bumbling in the closing moments led to another lost chance. The week before Messam ran him out of space and other times there were forwards messing about out on the wing getting in his way!! Hopefully this aspect of the ABs play is being noted by Hansen and co and they shouldn't let Gear slip out of contention for making little impression.
Any other team in the world would have structured and planned plays to get the ball in his hands with a chance to run at defenders. However the ABs treat him as a last resort when other chances for progress have been closed.
I've watched Hosea Gear with interest in the black jersey this year and he seems to be getting very few opportunities. He's been taking the ball up strongly in the close quarters situations, but he would've been in for at least 3 winger's tries in the matches against Australia - were it not for the guys inside him seemingly forgetting how to set up their outside man when the try is on. Israel Dagg butchered the try chance early in the Auckland game - with a clear 2 on 1 he went diagonally for the corner flag and got nailed. Similar bumbling in the closing moments led to another lost chance. The week before Messam ran him out of space and other times there were forwards messing about out on the wing getting in his way!! Hopefully this aspect of the ABs play is being noted by Hansen and co and they shouldn't let Gear slip out of contention for making little impression.
Any other team in the world would have structured and planned plays to get the ball in his hands with a chance to run at defenders. However the ABs treat him as a last resort when other chances for progress have been closed.
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