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FULLTIME – AUSTRALIA 27 NEW ZEALAND 19
The Wallabies have clinched their first Rugby Championship title this evening by defeating the All Blacks by 27 points to 19 in front of 70,000 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
The match started off in inconspicuous fashion, with both sides showing nerves with a number of unforced errors. A neat breakaway by the All Blacks through debutant Nehe Milner-Skudder allowed the All Blacks to pressure the Wallaby line and after a penalty was awarded to the New Zealanders, Aaron Smith looked for the quick tap and from five out and was stooped by an offside Sekope Kepu who was issued a yellow card for his troubles and the All Blacks went up by three early through the boot of Dan Carter.
» The Roar’s Bledisloe Cup coverage
» 2016 Bledisloe Cup draw
» Past Bledisloe Cup scores
» 2016 Bledisloe Cup lineups
>>MATCH REPORT: Wallabies defeat All Blacks 27-19 in Bledisloe 1
The All Blacks were unable to take advantage of their one man advantage through a combination of resolute Wallaby defence and poor errors leeting them down and once the Wallabies were back to their full compliment, worked a nice play off the back of the lineout to David Pocock and with momentum surged into the All Black 22. A penalty earned from a five meter scrum saw Matt Giteau even the score.
Both sides went through a feeling out period, looking for territory and a long range penalty from 45 out to Dan Carter saw the All Blacks ahead by 6 to 3 and so the score remained until halftime.
Neither side would have been happy with their first half performance with a number of opportunities blown through a combination of poor execution and excellent defence, no better examples than Ben Smith one on one with Israel Folau or Michael Hoopers excellent hit on Julian Savea in the shadows of halftime, both efforts denying almost certain try’s.
The second half started poorly for the All Blacks with Dan Carter failing to clear ten meters from the restart and an ensuing penalty from the scrum gifting the Wallabies easy possession and territory to begin the second half. A high tackle from Aaron Smith on Adam Ashley-Cooper was also deemed a yellow card offence and the Wallabies took full toll of their advantage, with Sekope Kepu bursting past three tacklers one out from the ruck to score the first try of the match which Giteau converted to lead by 10 to 6.
The All Blacks came back at the Wallabies, earning a penalty while down a man to close the gap to one point and with Aaron Smith about to return to the field, Nick Phipps was yellow carded for interfering with a quick tap by Conrad Smith in what appeared to be a game changing decision. The All Blacks soon after scored an unconverted try to Nehe Milner-Skudder on the right wing after a break on the fringe by Ben Smith to lead by 14 to 10.
The Wallabies however were not to be denied and after retaining possession for a number of phases 30 out from the All Blacks line, a lovely grubber through from Matt Toomua sat up perfectly for a flying Ashley-Cooper to crash over in the corner despite the attentions of Ben Smith at fullback. Giteau managed to convert the try from the sideline for the Wallabies to reclaim the lead by 17 to 14, still a man down.
The relief was short-lived however as a mistake from the kickoff allowed the All Blacks an attacking scrum which they took full advantage off, handing another opportunity for Milner-Skudder to finish off an opportunity down his flank for the All Blacks to grab the lead back 19 to 17 with Carter unable to add the extras.
From here it was all Wallabies. Nic White replaced Phipps after the 10 minutes was served and was immediately bought into the game, landing a 48 meter penalty to nose the Wallabies in front again by a sole point after an All Black indiscretion at a ruck.
The match defining moment then came when the All Blacks, after untidy ruck work, were placed under pressure after the ball was kicked through and unable to tidy up the loose ball, the Wallabies pounced and surged into the 22 with momentum. Sustained pressure inside the red zone eventually told as Nic White found a gap between two All Black forwards and scored adjacent to the posts. The simple conversion was made and the Wallabies had an 8 point lead with under ten minutes remaining and while the All Blacks tried as best they could, the Wallabies defence held firm and the Rugby Championship was theirs.
Michael Hooper was named man of the match for his outstanding effort tonight.
The Wallabies will be thrilled with tonight’s performance. The defence was aggressive and shut down the All Blacks on numerous occasions while the breakdown work was stifling, not allowing the All Blacks to gain continuity through the match. The scrum, an often maligned aspect of Australian rugby, had the edge over the All Blacks this evening and while the lineout misfired at times, they will be very pleased to know they have won this match and with plenty of improvement to be had, particularly their handling.
The All Blacks will be very disappointed with their showing. They were out muscled at the breakdown and the scrum was creaking at times under Wallaby pressure while they had little answers for the wallabies stifling rush defence. I would imagine handling, execution and decision making will be under scrutiny during training this week. The defence will be the most worrying aspect, missing a large number of first up tackles which will need to be remedied next weekend.
Both sides know they have improvements to be made and one would imagine that both sides will bring a lift to their respective games next weekend at Eden Park which has taken on quite a significant edge with the Wallabies now with a golden opportunity to win back the Bledisloe Cup which they have not held for over a decade.
Good evening and welcome to this all important and keenly anticipated Bledisloe Cup Test between Australia and New Zealand of which the victor will claim the 2015 Rugby Championship. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 8:05pm (AEST).
The Wallabies will be searching for their first win over the All Blacks since 2011 and conditions couldn’t be better for them playing at home.
A win tonight will also keep their ambitions of recapturing the Bledisloe Cup alive, with another Test to be played next week in Auckland for the coveted trophy.
For the All Blacks it is a simple equation: win tonight and they retain both trophies for another year, leaving next week’s match at home to further trial more possible candidates and combinations for the World Cup.
Tonight’s teams present some interesting selections. The Wallaby front rows sees Scott Sio afforded an opportunity to start at loosehead prop, alongside him are the experienced Stephen Moore at hooker with Sekope Kepu at tighthead.
Opposing them is arguably the All Blacks best available front row with veterans Tony Woodcock and Owen Franks at loosehead and tighthead respectively with the mobile Dane Coles at hooker.
The bench sees Tatafu Polota-Nau, James Slipper and Greg Holmes covering the front row for the Wallabies and Codie Taylor, Ben Franks and Nepo Laulala as the All Black reserves.
The Wallaby locks named tonight has a ‘back to the future’ appearance, with James Horwill and Dean Mumm partnering together with Will Skelton providing cover from the bench. A question mark may be had over the starting locks with a lack of recent matchplay, but they provide a lot of experience, which could prove crucial with the absence of Rob Simmons through injury.
The All Blacks have named Brodie Retallick to start with Luke Romano, both of whom are in very good form of late with the experienced Sam Whitelock to provide impact from the bench when called upon.
The Wallaby loose forwards have provided plenty of talking points since the naming of the side on Thursday and the predicted eventual start of both Michael Hooper and David Pocock has materialised for this match, the latter named at number eight. Scott Fardy completes the loose forward trio, named at blindside flanker.
There is a lot of excitement among Australian fans with Hooper and Pocock starting in the belief that they both need to take the field to give the Wallabies their best chance and they are certainly going to face a big test matching up to the tried and true All Black combination of captain, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Jerome Kaino.
The battle in the loose will be one area to keep an eye on tonight and could quite possibly be the major factor in deciding the outcome.
Ben McCalman and Sam Cane provide loose forward cover from the bench for their respective teams.
In the halves, the Wallabies have stuck with the Waratah pair of Nick Phipps and Bernard Foley while the All Blacks have chosen their likely first choice combination of Aaron Smith and Dan Carter.
Foley in particular will feel the need for a big game tonight, and his goal kicking will certainly be under scrutiny. Recent poor form from the tee is an area Australia will want to resolve, not just for tonight but with the World Cup on the horizon.
The midfields see Matt Giteau pairing up with the powerful Tevita Kuridrani and the All Blacks have named Sonny Bill Williams in Ma’a Nonu’s place to pair up with the experienced Conrad Smith at centre.
The back three for the Wallabies sees Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell on the wings with Israel Folau at fullback while the All Blacks have handed Ben Smith his first start at fullback this season with Julian Savea making his first appearance in the All Black jumper this season on the left wing.
Exciting prospect Nehe Milner-Skudder makes his international debut on the right wing. The All Black back three looks an exciting prospect, however they have not played together as a group and both Savea and Milner-Skudder have not played since the Super Rugby final.
There may be some rustiness at the back for the Wallabies to exploit, although an inaccurate kicking game may prove detrimental to their chances.
Both sides carry three back reserves with Nic White and TJ Perenara covering halfback for their sides while Matt Toomua and Kurtley Beale will provide cover for the Wallaby backline and Beauden Barrett and Malakai Fekitoa are the All Black bench options.
An intriguing clash of styles awaits us this evening. Both sides will look to play with width, however I imagine the All Blacks will look to target the Wallabies set piece and place them under significant pressure. The Wallabies may see an advantage in the loose and will look to play at a fast pace, utilising the mobility in their starting forward pack.
I believe there is too much experience in this All Blacks side, and coupled with many untried combinations among the Wallabies, the All Blacks favouritism is well deserved.
However there is a new sense of belief and determination instilled into this Wallaby outfit since the appointment of Michael Cheika as Coach so an All Black win is certainly far from guaranteed.
Join us live here on The Roar as we cover tonight’s match and don’t forget to have your say below.
Tip: New Zealand by 12
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.