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.
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