Australia v New Zealand LIVE: Result and reaction as All Blacks survive thrilling Wallabies comeback
The Wallabies threatened to pull off a remarkable turnaround but fell just short
New Zealand survived a thrilling Australia comeback to cling on to a narrow victory in Sydney and continue their stronghold over the Bledisloe Cup.
With both sides looking to salvage difficult Rugby Championship campaigns, the All Blacks started fast and surged into a 21-0 lead as they ran rampant in the first 15 minutes. A further try from Ardie Savea before half-time suggested that Scott Robertson’s visitors would pull clear in the second half to incflict more punishment on a wounded Wallabies side still searching for direction.
But the hosts swelled in the second half, with their bench making a significant impact to swing momentum their way. Keeping the All Blacks to just a single Damian McKenzie penalty after the interval, late tries from Hunter Paisami and Tom Wright moved Australia to within a score as they threatened to produce a remarkable, unexpected fightback.
Yet despite New Zealand losing two backs to the sin bin, there was always just slightly too much for Joe Schmidt’s side to do after their sluggish start. With a second and final Bledisloe Cup meeting of the year to come in Wellington next week, the All Blacks have retained the trans-Tasman prize, as they have done each year since 2003.
Re-live all the action from Sydney in our live blog below:
Australia 0-14 New Zealand, 14 minutes
Sevu Reece is twice denied a run to the line up the right, first by a leaping Tom Wright’s intelligent (and important) interception, and then by a forward pass from a tumbling Ardie Savea. The Wallabies feel like they are having to hang on here.
Australia 0-14 New Zealand, 12 minutes
Caleb Clarke didn’t perhaps kick on in the way that it looked like he might during the last World Cup cycle but, injury aside, the Blues wing is having an excellent summer. He’s timing his injections much better and beginning to impress as a linking distributor, too.
TRY! Australia 0-14 NEW ZEALAND (Rieko Ioane, 10 minutes)
Too much pace, too much power!
A second score from the All Blacks and it’s another cracker. Caleb Clarke sparks it with a dart up the middle, the wing shedding a tackler and offloading to Wallace Sititi. Cortez Ratima weaves between reeling Wallabies and has his pick of a three-man overlap - Rieko Ioane is his chosen recipient, and the centre scores Test try number 37 untouched.
Australia 0-7 New Zealand, 9 minutes
Boom! Harry Wilson absolutely thunders through Will Jordan on kick chase, rocking the full-back with a picture perfect tackle.
But there’s space appearing for the visitors thereafter...
Australia 0-7 New Zealand, 7 minutes
A bright opening passage in attack from Australia. Hunter Paisami’s hands at the line are tidy and Andrew Kellaway loops to provide extra distributing fingers. Had Marika Koroibete taken a pass at the end of it, the Walabies would have gained 50 metres, but the wing is left frustrated having fumbled a pretty simple take.
Australia 0-7 New Zealand, 4 minutes
New Zealand look up for this. More neat handling allows Caleb Clarke to rumble up the left, but a knock-on a couple of rucks later checks their momentum. The Wallabies will feed the game’s first scrum.
TRY! Australia 0-7 NEW ZEALAND (Will Jordan, 2 minutes)
Who needs Beauden Barrett? A scintillating finish from Will Jordan!
It’s all too straightforward for the full-back. A pass pulled back at the line by Tupou Vaa’i finds Jordan arcing out the back, with four Wallabies forwards sucked in on a pod of three All Black counterparts. That leaves Rob Valetini isolated and unable to crab across to cover a growing gap that Jordan simply canters through, and the full-back puts his foot down to accelerate between two covering defenders and under the sticks.
Australia 0-0 New Zealand, 1 minute
Damian McKenzie almost misjudges his opening kick off, flighting it to land just inside the touchline. Australia are forced into touch.
McKenzie goes to the air in the All Blacks’ first attacking movement...and Noah Lolesio fumbles! Nic White is there to mop up but that was a slightly shaky moment for the fly half.
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