All Blacks deliver Bledisloe pain with 36-point whitewash of Wallabies

New Zealand secured the 2019 Bledisloe Cup with a resounding 36-0 victory against Australia at Eden Park to dent any hopes of a Wallabies resurgence ahead of next month’s Rugby World Cup.

The scoreline was a far cry from the record 47 points the Wallabies put past the All Blacks last weekend in Perth. They were shut out by the hosts for the first time since 2012, with the question marks that arose around Steve Hansen’s side following last Saturday’s performance all but answered.

The Wallabies were punished for their mistakes by the notoriously ruthless All Blacks, with the playmaking duo of Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett displaying arguably their best performance to date in their new roles within the back-line, while recalled wingers George Bridge and Sevu Reece both capping fine individual performances with a try apiece.

It was the All Blacks pack, though, that secured the platform at the breakdown for the duo to do what they do best, forcing the Wallabies to kick and consequently allowing the hosts to counter. Kieran Read was back to his best, silencing any critics from previous weeks as he orchestrated the forwards while battering the Australia defence.

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They say the All Blacks reserve the big hakas for the big occasions. There was certainly no greater example of that than tonight. A ferocious rendition led by TJ Perenara preceded a calamitous opening five minutes for the Wallabies, which saw them penalised both at the line-out and scrum before Mo’unga added the first points of the game with a penalty.

The All Blacks kicked well throughout, with Aaron Smith and Mo’unga regularly exposing the frailties of Kurtley Beale under the high ball, leaving some Wallabies’ fans to ponder that ‘F’ word … Folau.

The visitors exerted their fair share of pressure on the hosts in the first 30 minutes, thanks in part to poor discipline in the tackle by the All Blacks. But the Wallabies were unable to convert pressure into points, with Christian Lealiifano missing from the tee twice in the space of five first-half minutes.

The All Blacks began imposing an increasing threat on the guests, but it was an Australian attack from which they produced the first try. Mo’unga picked up the loose ball after Reece Hodge fumbled on the wing and the 25-year-old raced down the touchline to cross for the All Blacks.

Matters were made worse for the Wallabies just two minutes later as Lealiifano’s problems from the boot, albeit in slippery conditions, were exposed further, with a kick straight down the throat of Barrett. He was gifted the opportunity to attack the guests’ defence on the counter, finding George Bridge, who gave an easy inside ball to Aaron Smith to cross for his 17^th Test match try.

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The Wallabies were handed a lifeline just before the break when Dane Coles was sent to the bin for a judo throw on Nic White. But fundamental errors cost them dear once more and they were outmuscled in the scrum despite having the numerical advantage.

The All Blacks continued to put pressure on the hosts after the interval with Sonny Bill Williams touching down to mark his return to the starting XV.

Will Genia’s introduction in place of Nic White ignited a noticeable upwards shift in the Wallabies’ attack. But the All Blacks were resilient in defence, eventually putting the game beyond doubt after Reece latched onto replacement Jordie Barrett’s kick from midfield, meeting it with a perfectly weighted kick of his own to slide over the whitewash in style.

A textbook Ardie Savea turnover then paved the way for the All Blacks’ fifth try of the game four minutes from time, with Bridge crossing in the corner to make the final score 36-0.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika isn’t writing his team off as a World Cup force despite the harrowing loss.

“I’m not worried. Footy’s that kind of thing where you know what your team’s building, what they’ve got,” Cheika said.

“You get punched in the face sometimes, you get hit hard, and it’s how you get back up.

“In 2015, we took a lot from the game here (a 41-13 Bledisloe Cup decider loss) that helped us get ourselves right for what was ahead - the World Cup.”

Cheika said the early failure to convert opened the door for the world champions.

“To give us a show here, we needed to put the opposition in a bit of doubt and that was through points early on,” he said.

“We had a lot of good momentum early on but it’s about being vigilant all the time, because if you’re not vigilant that one time, they’ll get you.”