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Wallabies fall narrowly short of All Blacks amid brave Bledisloe Cup comeback
Australia have lost their eighth-straight Test to New Zealand and bungled another chance to snatch their first Bledisloe Cup series victory since 2002, going down 31-28 before a crowd of 68,061 at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Despite the narrow loss, the scoreline flattered the Wallabies with the All Blacks botching at least five tries.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had implored his men to “stay connected” and “go after” the All Blacks. But both credos crumbled early as his side unravelled with dire mistakes. It took New Zealand just over a minute to score, Jordie Barrett weaving through wafer-thin defence and leaving Will Jordan to score untouched for 7-0.
Related: Bledisloe Cup: Wallabies 28-31 All Blacks – as it happened
By then Australia had fumbled a kick-off and dropped a bomb in a shemozzle opening that quickly sapped the confidence of Wallabies fans. After the try they turned a ball over in the maul and had a kick smothered. Soon, the All Blacks crossed again as Rieko Ioane finished a fast backline sweep that left Wallabies grasping air in backplay.
At 14-0 after nine minutes, New Zealand were heading for a hundred by full-time. Had Tom Wright not intercepted Ioane’s long pass and Ardie Savea thrown another forward it might’ve been 150. Normally a home side would’ve rued a home crowd silenced by so many points. But the majority of this crowd called New Zealand home.
Soon enough they were cheering a third try, Caleb Clarke bumping two to stretch an arm over the line for 21-0 in the 15th minute. Last week, New Zealand’s backline wasn’t able to score a single try in Cape Town. Now, on a warm day in Sydney, they were hot black blades slicing through the Wallabies as if they were golden blocks of butter.
Then, on Australia’s first real foray into New Zealand’s half, No 8 Rob Valetini retrieved a wayward lineout ball and flung a neat inside pass to Nic White who put Fraser McReight on a surge to the line. At 21-7 Australia had fired their first shot of the Test. McReight boosted hopes minutes later with a strong bust and an unlikely 40-22.
But Australia bungled the lineout and Hunter Paisami’s rushed tap-on pass hit the turf. Sevu Reece pilfered and darted clear, sending Savea under the posts for 28-7. But Australia hit back with a lineout five metres out, hooker Matt Faessler peeling off down the blindside and trampling Sam Cane on his way to a 28-14 scoreline.
Four tries-to-two and a 14-point margin flattered the Wallabies. They had given the All Blacks 61% possession and been bested in most facets of the game – carries (84-36), broken tackles (23-7), clean breaks (7-2) and offloads (9-2). They had lost three of their own lineouts and they were knackered, having laid 92 tackles to the Kiwi’s 36.
Including the second-half implosion in Santa Fe, the Wallabies had conceded 78 points in their last 80 minutes of Test rugby. And they began the second half in Sydney as they finished the first, Koroibete coughing up a loose pass in the first minute. Damian McKenzie punished it with a penalty goal to make it 31-14.
Yet, despite the All Blacks crossing several times, the scoreline didn’t shift as TMO decisions spared Australia the blowout scoreline they deserved. McKenzie’s flick pass frittered one try and Savea was denied another when he crossed but couldn’t ground. Then Ratima’s try was scratched when McKenzie’s pass to Jordan was ruled forward.
Unlike last week when they leaked 50-points in 30 minutes, Australia rode their luck and determined to go down swinging. James Slipper ran on in his record-breaking 140th Test and his team lifted around him. When Lukhan Salakaia-Loto broke the line and Paisami barged over to make it 31-21 with 15 minutes to go it was Game On.
With Lienert Brown shown a yellow for ironing out Andrew Kellaway, Australia were suddenly 15 on 14 and AB teammate TJ Penerara was lucky to escape a yellow of his own when he dump tackled Tate McDermott with the line in sight. In the end it was Clarke sent off for a deliberate slapdown intercept to snuff another Wallabies raid.
When Paisami crossed in the 73rd minute, Australia could smell the upset. But this time it was the Wallabies denied by the TMO, a Kellaway knock on detected prior. It happened again shortly afterward when Wilson’s flick to McDermott drifted forward. But in the 78th minute, the levee broke and Tom Wright touched down for 31-28.
As Slipper left the field with an HIA, only to return for the final minutes, Australia emptied the tanks looking for a final fistful of points. In the end, the brave comeback fell short as they were left to rue early errors and poor lapses in defence. The Bledisloe is gone for yet another year. It was only three points but it might as well be a million.
