Never in the history of Bledisloe battles have the Wallabies scored 45 unanswered points in just 46 minutes that included seven tries and five conversions… but lost two Tests.
That staggering stat was only matched by the Wallabies worst Test performance in being behind 54-6 at ANZ to turn in one of their best in the Dunedin Test to lead 17-nil in 14 minutes, lost the lead three times, but fought back to lead 29-28 with four minutes to go.
To lose 35-29 was an injustice.
The form reversal in seven days was stunning as the Wallabies regained their respect, their pride and their passion.
And even All Black coach Steve Hansen gave the Wallabies credit, saying they were always capable of playing great rugby.
The turnaround was thanks to Rob Simmons, Rory Arnold, and Sean McMahon up front, with Will Genia, Kurtley Beale, and Israel Folau out the back.
All six were simply magnificent.
The only downside was the Wallaby scrum that was often monstered by the men in black.
But the Wallabies stayed in contention by attacking, the very essence of Wallaby rugby.
Their passing was crisp and accurate with no floaters, their support play was controlled, and their 48 missed tackles in the first Test finished at 32 in Dunedin.
That was acceptable when the Wallabies had only 30 per cent possession and territory in the second half.
Seeing the Wallabies were hit by the late withdrawal of the aggressive lock Adam Coleman, Rob Simmons and Rory Arnold lifted as required, with Sean McMahon very busy and effective in the tight.
But the biggest plus was Genia returning to his running best.
After Folau intercepted 26 seconds into the game, and Michael Hooper had peeled off a maul to score, Genia burst clear midfield, delivered to a supportive Hooper who sent Bernard Foley in for a superb try and a 17-point lead after only 14 minutes.
The All Blacks came back as you’d expect to trail 14-17 at the break, setting up a fascinating second half.
Another Genia bust set up his own try to regain the lead before Beale, having a blinder, touched down with only four minutes to go leading 29-28.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
Enter that man the brilliant Beauden Barrett, World Rugby’s Player of the Year.
How the Wallabies lost possession yet again from the final kick off defies description.
But lost out they did, and a smiling Barrett scored his second try of the game for victory, and the Bledisloe Cup for the 15th successive year.
There was no justice in that result.
The Bledisloe should be a Test apiece with the decider at Suncorp on October 21.
Then again, “if” never wins anything.
There’s rarely been a time when a Wallaby loss should be saluted, but Dunedin was certainly an exception.
The Wallabies now know what they can produce, so there’s no excuse for anything less in the future.
It’s worth repeating that the Wallabies – in the last 32 minutes of the first Test, and the first 14 minutes of the second – scored 45 points to nil with seven tries and five conversions.
That the Wallabies lost the second 35-29 in the dying moments can also be slotted against Foley landing just two goals from six attempts totaling nine points
Three of the four misses slammed into uprights, just centimetres away from success.
That in itself was a damn shame as Foley has kicked the Wallabies to many wins in his career.
But Dunedin wasn’t one of them.
ozinsa
Guest
I was there too Marto and my memory is better (or perhaps just less biased). KB lined that kick up from within a few metres of halfway - so actually >45 metres out
marto
Guest
You forgot Foley and Hanigan
marto
Guest
Frank O'Keeffe @ Bernard Foley and Michael Hooper have the same managers as most of the FOX sports commentators.Now I know why they heap constant praise on those two..Is that a conflict of interest ?
Dan from Fiji
Guest
Bingo Akari, He was definitely celebrating thinking that try would seal the victory for the Wallabies. Never celebrate against a team that plays the full 80 and beyond.
Dan from Fiji
Guest
Frank, Wrong on the 3rd try. That back pedalling scrum should have been advantage to the All Blacks after a few metres. Owens let it go for about 10m? The Wallabies were lucky in this instance. It took awhile for Owens to decide he had enough ala, Smith's knock on at the base but Owen calling a penalty for a collapsed scrum The last 2 tries were beauties in that the Wallabies had to work for it.
Riddler
Guest
Barnes and owens are the best refs in the game at the moment. . By a fair whack
Riddler
Guest
Frank if my terrible memory serves me right noddy also did a turnstile tackle on a frenchie in the blanco try.. The divisions were starting to happen in the team in that wc, Jones' way of doing things was coming to an end..
mapu
Guest
haha thats funny.like he is the reason for every pounding
Danny
Roar Pro
Oh and what's with this influx of very low grade French referees? Gauzere was very poor for the Argies with whistle happy awful police of advantage. Add to that he threw a soft yellow at a Puma and was then forced to red him later in the game. Totally ruined the game balance. He was also inconsistent in the Crusaders Lions match, although to his credit he whistled the blues win which I would gladly exchange for Poite's penalty reversal. If you want to look at stats how did the ABs tie Lions after leading for all but three minutes of series.
Danny
Roar Pro
Lies, damn lies and stats David. Wind the clock back a bit to get a fairer average. Nonetheless great game Wallabies played very well - much better. Brisbane will be quite a challenge.
Curl
Guest
Nicely written Frank O'. There is an old saying in sport, "that you only play as well as the opposition lets you", and the ABs made mistakes early on in the game because the Wallabies were putting pressure on them. It constantly irritates me when people say that the ABs made unforced errors... The ABs made errors because the Wallabies were putting pressure on them across the field and at the gain line. It is arrogant to suggest that the Wallabies were simply lucky to get the points. Here's looing forward to the rest of the Reugby Championship and a Wallaby team growing in confidence.
Isupport2teamstheAB'sandanyoneplayingAustralia
Guest
A scrum that got pulverised dominated at the restart Down on territory and possession Leaked twice as many missed tackles Penalised 3x (should've been carded) Less run meters But still Wobblies DESERVED to win... Hilarious I understand it's been a long time between success for the Wobblies but you'll never get better if you continue to play hard done by...
Vesi Tagoiaega
Guest
@Nigel what a gentleman I support AB when they play any nations including Australia but when Australia play any nations except AB I'll support them 100%.Since MC became coach aussie rugby hasn't improve beside 2015 final and his behaviour in the coaching box every game is so embarrassing.
Vesi Tagoiaega
Guest
@Jimbo81 Even if they give the whistle to Michael the Clown Cheika AB will still win
Kelefua
Guest
One could argue there was injustice in every game played in the last 15 years. But the trophy hasn't moved for that long. Some really good positives in the Wallaby performance. Defence improved. Maintain intensity and watch more AB games. See how they are attacking and defending in Super games and how thats transferred to AB level. Workout a plan to combat that. Ireland & Lions are recent samples of how to beat ABs.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Bruce, I liked your description of the All Blacks that they played "loose and cocky". That was a perfect description. I don't think they rated the Wallabies much and felt it would be easier than it really was. It's not luck that they're not executing against us. After 20 minutes they finally figured the needed to focus harder. Anyway I've said all I can on this...
sheek
Roar Guru
Frank, Folau's try came from an intercept. There's always an element of luck in those things. Hooper's try came when the ABs maul parted like the Red Sea, is something you might only see once or twice in your lifetime. That was luck. Foley's try was truly against the run of play, after the Wallas scrum was backpeddled. The ball came out friendly for Gregan & because the ABs forwards were bound, he found a gap on the edge of the scrum. Flukey!
adastra32
Guest
That sounds sensible. Territory and possession are the two big stats - the latter without the former is usually a losing recipe. If this has only just occurred to the WBs, they have a lot of catching up to do.
Jock Cornet
Guest
Yeah do referees have to chat to every player on every decision . We should have been penalised in the scrum more. What happened to the scrum . Beale had a blinder and may be the required 12. Well done also to Hooper and Izzy.
Jimbo81
Guest
Not against NZ