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Australia 13 New Zealand 38: All Blacks dismantle stunned Wallabies with clinical second-half display

Brodie Retallick scored one of New Zealand's six tries - REUTERS
Brodie Retallick scored one of New Zealand's six tries - REUTERS

New Zealand delivered a clinic of counter-attacking in Sydney, scoring five second-half tries to blow away their hosts in this season’s Rugby Championship opening encounter.

Australia defended stoutly in the first period but invited pressure with a glut of turnovers, including seven lost lineouts, and eventually paid the price. A 25-point margin of victory did not flatter the All Blacks, such was their ruthlessness in broken-field situations.

Back-rower David Pocock, outstanding in defeat, outlined where the Wallabies will begin their re-building operation ahead of next weekend’s return fixture in Auckland.

“We were pretty solid in patches,” he said. “It was the errors they pounced on and all of a sudden you are two, three, four tries behind. But that’s something we can fix."

Michael Cheika’s team started brightly and a deserved 6-0 lead thanks to penalties from Reece Hodge and Bernard Foley in the first 20 minutes. They eked out a series of uncharacteristic errors from their opponents as the All Blacks, who lost Ryan Crotty to a suspected concussion, struggled for fluency.

Waisake Naholo - Credit: REUTERS
This tackle from Waisake Naholo brought only a penalty Credit: REUTERS

However, when it seemed as though Australia had done enough to reach the sanctuary of half-time without conceding a try, New Zealand full-back Ben Smith sparked his side by wriggling past Lukhan Tui.

Waisake Naholo, who had perhaps been fortunate to escape an early yellow card for lifting Israel Folau in a tackle, flung an offload inside from the right touchline and Kieran Read sent a supporting Aaron Smith into open space.

Beauden Barrett failed to convert. Even so, as Read explained at the final whistle, the familiar sucker-punch ignited New Zealand.

“They had probably dominated that first half,” said the All Blacks skipper in the wake of his first Test since last November’s meeting with Scotland. “So, to get that score was crucial. Then the resilience of the boys was awesome.”

New Zealand’s opportunism was just as special. Each of their five second-half tries arrived from turnovers. In the 43rd minute, Naholo stripped the ball from Marika Koroibete on the edge of his own 22. Five passes and 70 metres later, a sweeping move ended in the hands of impressive outside centre Jack Goodhue.

Goodhue’s first Test try was followed by Barrett’s 26th. The fly-half pounced on a botched backline move from Australia, using his rare pace and poise to dribble the loose ball and gather it.

On the hour-mark, Brodie Retallick charged around the fringe of a ruck to man-handle Will Genia. He snaffled possession and, although the exceptional lock had illegally played the ball on the ground, referee Jaco Peyper allowed New Zealand to break away.

With Folau incapacitated due to a twisted ankle – he left the stadium on crutches and Australia must hope he recovers to feature at Eden Park – Retallick eventually sold a dummy and loped through.

Australia debutant Jack Maddocks, Folau’s replacement, did scamper in for a consolation, but Naholo’s late double piled on the misery for Cheika. Both tries, taking Naholo to a total of eight in his last seven Tests, came from turnovers.

First, Goodhue intercepted an offload from Kurtley Beale, allowing Barrett to kick ahead into open space. Naholo outstripped the covering defence, and then completed the proccession after Sam Whitelock had derailed another Australia lineout.

This was Whitelock’s 100th cap and his 89th victory for the All Blacks. Another next Saturday will send his winning percentage above that Richie McCaw.

In truth, New Zealand appeared fallible at times in Sydney. But they recovered to devastate Australia and have not lost to their trans-Tasman rivals in Auckland since 1986. The Wallabies need drastic improvements to wipe that slate clean.

12:52PM

David Pocock

"We were pretty solid in patches. It was the errors they pounced on and all of a sudden you are two, three, four tries behind. But that's something we can fix.

"It's very hard when you're not winning lineouts and scrums so that's something we'll look at."

12:38PM

Michael Hooper

"We want to play nice, expansive rugby but to win these games you have to keep the pressure on. That second half was disappointing."

Michael Hooper - Credit: Sky Sports
Credit: Sky Sports

12:37PM

Kieran Read

"It came down to a few moments, and we got the ascendancy in that second half. It was a bloody good Test match.

"We knew the Aussies had a pretty good series against Ireland up front, so we wanted to put a line in the sand there."

"They had probbaly dominated the first half so to get that score [just before half-time] was crucial. The resilience of the boys was awesome."

Kieran Read - Credit: Sky Sports
Credit: Sky Sports

12:35PM

Full-time | Australia 13 New Zealand 38

That's it. Five second-half tries blew away Australia, and seven lost linouts did not help the hosts. But that scoreline is just about fair.

12:30PM

Gut-wrencher for Cheika

12:28PM

Try! Waisake Naholo! Australia 13 New Zealand 38, 75 minutes  

Copy and paste. That's soft from Australia and all too easy for New Zealand. Kieran Read pulls a pass back to Anton Lienert-Brown, who swings an overhead to Naholo. He accelerates away and Australia cannot lay a finger on him.

12:26PM

Try! Waisake Naholo! Australia 13 New Zealand 31, 73 minutes 

Try given. In broken field, New Zealand remain a class apart. Barrett misses the conversion.

12:25PM

TMO

Around eight minutes left and we are heading upstairs for a potential New Zealand try. Beauden Barrett raked a left-footed kick down-field and Waisake Naholo cantered through to collect and score. But was he in front of Barrett?

Well...the screen could do with being slightly longer.

Sky Sports - Credit: Sky Sports
Credit: Sky Sports

12:20PM

Australia 13 New Zealand 26, 68 minutes

There's life in this one yet. Nathan Harris is on for New Zealand at hooker and his first throw, on the edge of his own 22, is not straight. Scrum to Australia in a useful position.

Matt Toomua is on for the Wallabies as well.

12:18PM

Try, Jack Maddocks! Australia 13 New Zealand 26, 67 minutes

New Zealand slice Australia at the restart with Damian McKenzie and Ben Smith exchanging passes wonderfully. The All Blacks get to within two metres but Michael Hooper intercepts! Foley leads the break-out and Maddocks is in support to score on his debut.

Foley takes the drop-kick conversion, successfully.

12:16PM

Israel Folau off

The full-back was down for the whole of that attack after twisting his ankle. His night is over.

Folau - Credit: Sky Sports
Credit: Sky Sports

12:15PM

Try, Brodie Retallick! Australia 6 New Zealand 26

Game over. Retallick makes a steal on the edge of the New Zealand 22 after shackling Will Genia. That didn't look legal at all, but Peyper lets it go and another sweeping period of phase-play picks Australia apart.

Retallick sells a dummy and saunters over.

12:10PM

Australia 6 New Zealand 19, 59 minutes 

Australia's set piece has gone to pot. They lose another lineout and invite pressure but Ben Smith gives away a penalty for an overzealous attempt to steal possession.

12:08PM

Australia 6 New Zealand 19, 55 minutes

Australia are defiant and so nearly come straight back into the contest. Lukhan Tui flips an offload to Jack Maddocks, who is on for Dane Haylett-Petty.

Maddocks tears into the New Zealand 22 but an attempted offload from Tolu Latu to Reece Hodge goes to the deck.

12:02PM

Try, Beauden Barrett! Australia 6 New Zealand 19, 53 minutes

He has not had a particularly sharp game thus far, but that is a(nother) piece of brilliance from Beauden Barrett.

Australia move the ball into midfield from a creaking scrum and Beale drops the ball to derail a wrap-around move.

Barrett is onto the loose ball and dribbles it through, collecting five metres out and dotting down. He converts his own score.

11:59AM

Match action

Another great snap from the first half.

Getty Images - Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images

11:57AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 12, 48 minutes 

Mad passage. Brodie Retallick steals a lineout on Australia's five-metre line but an errant pass from Aaron Smith is intercepted by Will Genia and and Foley races away.

His kick ahead is gathered by Koroibete but Barrett gets back to make a vital tackle and then there is a forward pass.

11:55AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 12, 46 minutes

That try was a sucker-punch to Australia. Hooper drops a pass from Foley now as well.

11:53AM

Try, Jack Goodhue! Australia 6 New Zealand 12, 44 minutes

Waisake Naholo rips the ball away from Marika Koroibete on the edge of New Zealand's 22 and the All Blacks are lethal on the counter. Five passes and Rieko Ioane is away down the left. He passes in-field and Goodhue can trundle over untouched.

Barrett converts.

11:48AM

Second half

Beauden Barrett goes high to start the second period. Michael Hooper gathers and is met by Ioane before Foley clears. 

11:47AM

You know what I was saying about Australia's scrum?

Park that.

11:46AM

Autumn omen

Sky Sports reminds us that England are facing both of these sides at Twickenham in November.

11:41AM

Stattin' 'ell

11:39AM

Messy

11:38AM

Half-time | Australia 6 New Zealand 5

Barrett misses the conversion, skewing it slightly to the right, and that is half-time.

Australia have soaked up plenty of punishment and looked tired at the end there. Michael Chieka will need to rouse his side.

11:36AM

Try, Aaron Smith! Australia 6 New Zealand 5

How often do they do that? On the cusp of half-time, New Zealand strike. Ben Smith wriggled out of a tackle and found Waisake Naholo on the right flank. He flipped and offload back inside to Kieran Read, who set Aaron Smith clear to the try-line.

11:33AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 38 minutes     

Big moment. Sekope Kepu is off, so debutant Jermaine Ainsley is on at tighthead for Australia. New Zealand muscle a scrum penalty and Barrett goes for goal from halfway...but he misses.

11:31AM

Match action

What a shot of Michael Hooper.

Michael Hooper - Credit:  Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images

11:28AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 33 minutes    

Loooong period of phase play for New Zealand and, although they look weary, Australia soak it up and Tatafu Polota-Nau bursts away! Beale spills, though. 

11:25AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 30 minutes   

Rodda nabs another New Zealand lineout! But the visitors get another go after Australia clear. Their maul is solid and Read offloads to Retallick, who charges towards the line. The Wallabies hold firm, again, and Barrett's pass drifts forward.

11:21AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 26 minutes  

Another scrum penalty to New Zealand. They go to touch inside the Australia 22 and force a maul offence out of Australia.

Big call coming up. Kieran Read asks Barrett to go to the corner again.

11:19AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 25 minutes 

It's growing scrappy and stretched. Beauden Barrett scampers into a break but Australia recover well. They've forced plenty of handling errors out of New Zealand already.

11:17AM

Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 22 minutes

Penalty back to New Zealand but Barrett misses touch thanks to some scrambling from Koroibete. Then when New Zealand run the ball back there is another turnover from that man David Pocock.

11:15AM

Penalty, Bernard Foley! Australia 6 New Zealand 0, 21 minutes    

Easy kick.

Just as importantly, Australia recover Barrett's restart and win a ruck penalty too. It was Lienert-Brown who failed to roll away.

11:12AM

Australia 3 New Zealand 0, 18 minutes   

Australia within five metres. Led by skipper Hooper and Kurtley Beale, they flooded through onto Beauden Barrett and forced a turnover.

Penalty to the Wallabies. I think it was Owen Franks who dived in illegally. Hooper wants a yellow card but they'll have to settle for three points.

11:11AM

Match action

Here's Israel Folau with ball in hand.

Getty Images - Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images

11:09AM

Australia 3 New Zealand 0, 14 minutes  

A half-break from Ben Smith and a neat offload to Anton Lienert-Brown just ekes out a little impetus for New Zealand. Aaron Smith passes the ball into a retreating Bernard Foley to win a penalty.

The All Blacks are into the corner and try a peel from the lineout...but Rieko Ioane knocks on.

11:06AM

Australia 3 New Zealand 0, 13 minutes 

Messy scrum and Ryan Crotty knocks on after getting too flat tp gather Aaron Smith's pass. Oooh. He then clashes heads with midfield partner Jack Goodhue and looks to be knocked out.

Crotty leaves the field. I don't think we'll be seeing him out there again this evening.

11:03AM

Australia 3 New Zealand 0, 11 minutes

Important response from New Zealand, led by Sam Cane. He pole-axes Lukhan Tui, who spills. Scrum to the All Blacks, inside the Australia 22. 

11:01AM

Penalty, Reece Hodge! Australia 3 New Zealand 0, 10 minutes

Nice strike. The hosts lead.

11:00AM

More on the Naholo tackle

Meanwhile, Reece Hodge is going for the posts. 

11:00AM

Australia 0 New Zealand 0, 7 minutes  

Scrum penalty to New Zealand as the set piece collapses. But Izack Rodda rises to steal and David Pocock surges through midfield. Australia are up to the All Blacks' 10-metre line...and Kieran Read ships a penalty.

10:57AM

About that Naholo tackle...

10:56AM

Twitchy one ahead?

10:55AM

Australia 0 New Zealand 0, 4 minutes 

New Zealand try to find fluency but David Pocock steals around the side of a breakdown to nick the ball back.

Oooh! Israel Folau was lifted above the horizontal by Waisake Naholo in a tackle. Penalty only. Hmm. Michael Hooper wasn't happy. Big chance for Australia either way. They're into the 22 with a lineout...but Retallick nabs it!

10:53AM

Australia 0 New Zealand 0, 2 minutes

New Zealand cleared to touch and Australia wasted no time with the lineout. Israel Folau and Dane Haylett-Petty test the defence but big Brodie Retallick swoops to win a penalty at the tackle area.

10:52AM

Kick-off

Jaco Peyper is the referee and he gets us underway! Bernard Foley goes long and Marika Koroibete munches Ioane but an offload allows Jack Gooduhe to clean up.

10:50AM

Haka

TJ Perenara leads the haka. It's the ka mate, for those interested in that sort of things.

Kieran Read, in his first Test since facing Scotland in November 2017, looks fired up. Rieko Ioane is always worth keeping an eye on as well.

10:48AM

Second-half swing?

Great stats, as ever, from this man.

10:45AM

Anthems

Uncle Ray Davidson delivers the Welcome to Country, which has become a tradition of Australia's home internationals.

Now the anthems.

10:42AM

Here come Australia

The camera pans onto lock Adam Coleman, who is certain to ruffle a few feathers. He loves a scrap.

10:42AM

Earlier...

The women's sides of New Zealand and Australia went head-to-head at ANZ Stadium. The Black Ferns won out 31-11.

Getty Images  - Credit: Getty Images 
Credit: Getty Images

10:40AM

Five minutes until kick-off

A reminder of the teams as Sam Whitelock leads out the visitors.

Australia 

15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia; 1 Tom Robertson, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 3 Sekope Kepu, 4 Izack Rodda, 5 Adam Coleman, 6 Lukhan Tui, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 8 David Pocock.
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Jack Maddocks.

New Zealand

15 Ben Smith, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith; 1 Joe Moody, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Owen Franks, 4 Brodie Retallick, 5 Sam Whitelock, 6 Liam Squire, 7 Sam Cane, 8 Kieran Read (captain).
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu'inukuafe, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.

 

10:36AM

Battleground

The scrum tussle will be fascinating today. Australia have become a genuine force in that area and might well seek to target the All Blacks there.

10:35AM

Is Beauden Barrett under pressure?

Richie Mo'unga has been in superb form, guiding the Crusaders to another Super Rugby title. However, Steve Hansen has kept faith with the Hurricane.

Barrett  - Credit: AFP
Barrett during the captain's run yesterday Credit: AFP

10:30AM

Good morning

Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of this morning's Rugby Championship opener in Sydney, which doubles up as a Bledisloe Cup clash. This trans-Tasman tie is a really intriguing one.

The players are out at the minute, going through their final warm-ups. That's Sam Whitelock, who is winning a 100th cap for New Zealand. He's won 88 of his 99 Tests so far, which is pretty remarkable.

He'll be in the engine room, alongside Brodie Retallick, as  Steve Hansen's side look to build on a trio of victories over France in June.

Australia took on Ireland and went down 2-1 in what was an absorbing series. Michael Cheika is talking to broadcasters right now. He's saluted a pair of Leicester Tigers, Matt Toomua and Tatafu Polota-Nau, who have bolstered the Wallabies' ranks.

Can the hosts cause an upset and oust New Zealand? My colleague, Ben Coles, doesn't reckon so. Read his preview. Here's a snippet:

The build-up to this year’s Rugby Championships has felt more subdued than I can remember. There are interesting subplots; Mario Ledesma’s first games in charge of Argentina; Rassie Erasmus continuing to put his stamp on a Springbok squad who were convincing winners against England in the summer, and are now strengthened by the return of Malcolm Marx; David Pocock and Michael Hooper combining again in the Wallabies’ back row.

Except there is no real buzz. Everyone knows where the title is ending up. Australia and South Africa can threaten to an extent, but Erasmus has only had three Tests in charge. It has been 16 years since Australia last held the Bledisloe Cup, the trophy contested between the Wallabies and All Blacks. And as much as there is to admire about Argentina, they are only marginally closer to winning a Rugby Championship title than when they joined the competition back in 2012.

We are just 15 minutes away from kick-off.