And here is the match report.
Summary
Thanks for joining me tonight for another All Blacks masterclass. We’ll be back to do this all again in a fortnight’s time over in Perth as The Rugby Championship hots up.
Stay tuned for your match report, and then Bret Harris’ assessment later in the week. Until then, haere rā!
Sam Whitelock raises the massive Bledisloe Cup. 19-years in a row. Yowza.
The scoreline looks very ugly for Australia, but across the 80 minutes tonight - and last week’s defeat - they showed they weren’t far off in most facets. They just couldn’t match the All Blacks for attacking threat, and specifically, attacking threat from multiple options. Time and again the Wallabies built promisingly, only to lack cohesion in midfield, with the wrong option picked time and again, typified by the intercept tries. New Zealand feast on that broken field play.
It might be time for Rennie to change tack, adopt a more conservative approach against New Zealand, deny them time and space, control the ball in tight, and grind through 80 minutes instead of trying to beat the All Blacks at their own game.
Michael Hooper was immense around the ground tonight, and straight afterwards fronts up confidently with a mic in his face. “We didn’t respect the ball enough,” he admits. He enjoyed the aggression and physicality Dave Rennie promised beforehand, but goes on to lament the lack of control. His attention is already on Perth and Bledisloe III.
Australia matched the All Blacks for most of the first half, and had the upper hand at the start of the second, but against 14-men they failed to capitalise and New Zealand found fourth, then fifth, then sixth gear, streaking off into the distance in scintillating fashion.
Two intercept tries (three in two matches in total) hurt the Wallabies. As did a host of missed tackles when the All Blacks upped the ante.
Full-time: New Zealand 57-22 Australia
New Zealand retain the Bledisloe Cup.
An excellent 80-minute spectacle. For the second week running, the Wallabies were game, but the All Blacks offered far too much in attack. Eden Park bares its teeth once again.
TRY! New Zealand 57-22 Australia (Havili 80+3)
Both teams keep the ball alive after the siren, and after much frantic back and forth New Zealand add even more points. Jordan was smart wit his decision making after bursting through the line into the 22. He rejects the chip and chase, instead feeding Havilli on the reverse angle coming back infield.
Barrett kicks the game to a close.
79 mins: Australia are searching for one final try. From a lineout on halfway there’s a break from Hooper that puts White in space. Tupou is hammering in support and there’s space on the right wing if they can execute - but Kellaway is crowded out.
77 mins: Play is getting ragged now late on with handling errors aplenty. Time to pack it all in and get to the pub. (In New Zealand of course, not locked down Australia.)
76 mins: New Zealand win a scrum penalty on their own feed 5m from their line. That hissing sound you can hear is the sting being taken out of the game.
75 mins: The 5m lineout isn’t good and the All Blacks steal. They try to run-out fully 100m in the rain, but instead play is called back for a knock-on advantage.
73 mins: The Wallabies are not giving up and continue to recycle phases infield with a very greasy ball. A short pop-up ball to Wilson almost punctures a hole, then a second effort sets up a gap for Lolesio, but it’s so slippery underfoot Australia are struggling for momentum. The gold jerseys continue to probe though, laying bodies on the line for 11 phases until the referee calls for a penalty.
72 mins: Kellaway, who has settled into Test rugby like a duck to water, is now winning turnover ball and Australia have a lineout inside New Zealand’s 22.
TRY! New Zealand 50-22 Australia (Kellaway 69)
Australia secure the 5m lineout and then set to work at a series of slippery pick-and-go drives. They don’t go far, but they drag bodies in, so that when the ball is sent through hands to the right there’s time and space for the backs to find Kellaway to grab another try in the corner! That was good graft and tidy execution in tough conditions from the Wallabies.
Lolesio strikes a magnificent conversion into the wind and rain from the right touchline.
69 mins: Chasing the game, Australia are unravelling. They’re trying too hard to make something happen with ball in hand, and New Zealand are playing the percentages, monstering the ruck for repeat turnovers and then kicking - with the wind - for territorial advantage. The Wallabies have, at least, seen off Smith and Mo’unga. All they have to combat now are Perenara and Barrett.
TRY! New Zealand 50-15 Australia (Jordan 66)
The All Blacks make no mistake with the sodden lineout and keep things simple with a series of forward-dominated phases. That is until Savea notices the front door is open and just drives through the weak tackle and unguarded ruck and into space. Is there support? Of course, and it’s Will Jordan - which means a try in the right corner.
Barrett takes over from Mo’unga with the boot, and he calmly strokes over the tightest angled kick of the night. New Zealand hit 50!
63 mins: Can Australia rally like they did last week? Not like this. Whitelock pinches a lineout on halfway and Mo’unga kicks to the corner. Koroibete clears but from the resulting lineout Beauden Barrett almost slices through a mass of bedraggled bodies. The ball goes to ground and the Wallabies regroup, recycle a couple of phases and kick to the 22 for some territory.
TRY! New Zealand 43-15 Australia (Taylor 61)
Finally the ball’s out and Smith finds Havili on the burst. One phase later and Codie Taylor has a double! He’s one-pass out from Smith in the right centre position, the delivery is flat, and the hooker runs on with momentum and slides over in the wet. The All blacks are rampant.
Mo’unga drags his touchline conversion wide.
60 mins: This time there’s a re-pack for the front rows popping up. Who’d be a prop?
59 mins: The rain starts to lash down at Eden Park as the umpteenth scrum feed has to be reset. It’s Australia’s feed, deep in their own territory, and it results in a free-kick New Zealand’s way for an early shove. The All Blacks reset for an attacking feed.
57 mins: Another breakdown penalty New Zealand’s way - Jordan the unlikely dominator on the right wing. After Australia threatened to pinch the lead shortly after half-time against 14-man New Zealand, the All Blacks have blown them out of the water over the following quarter-of-an-hour.
TRY! New Zealand 38-15 Australia (Reece 54)
Second intercept try of the night, third in two Bledisloe contests. Game over. It was a long floaty pass from infield to the right wing from To’omus, but it was too high for Valetini, not far enough for Kellaway, and Reece was best placed to accept the gift and sprint 70m under the posts. Mo’unga adds to his haul from point-blank range.
The interchanges start to get busy, but it now feels in vain.
Updated
PENALTY! New Zealand 31-15 Australia (McKenzie 53)
That is rude, just plain rude. McKenzie only had 57m in him, and that’s all he needed with the ball just dropping over the bar. What a hit! And with it, Savea is back on the field. New Zealand have accepted Australia’s best shot and they are still standing.
52 mins: McKenzie is kicking for goal from 57m! There is a decent wind at his back, but even so, this is ambitious.
52 mins: The All Blacks overshoot with the lineout on halfway and the Wallabies can counter. They do so through Koroibete who makes 30m with a strong run, but Australia can’t recycle the ball after a slow second phase and Whitelock secures the breakdown penalty. Credit to Mo’unga for a crucial sliding tackle on the charging Koroibete.
50 mins: And now a penalty against Koroibete from the restart. New Zealand had their backs to the wall at the start of this half, and they have dealt with it incredibly.
TRY! New Zealand 28-15 Australia (Taylor 48)
The lineout is contested but Whitelock holds on. There’s an advantage on the play - but they don’t need it! Wowee, the All Blacks only need a sniff, don’t they? Smith darts down the blindside, dummies outside to Jordan, draws his man, then feeds Taylor infield to run home unopposed. Huge huge huge moment in this match. With 14 men the All Blacks score a try against the run of play. Brilliant from Smith.
Mo’unga adds the extras.
46 mins: The lineout is safe and Mo’unga quickly kicks in behind. Australia try to run out defence but almost get caught in possession. To’omua does well to pierce a gap on an angle to resume momentum but McDermott is then hammered in midfield and Australia have to kick. McKenzie tries to run the ball back but Koroibete is up quickly for the ankle tap. Mo’unga again kicks intelligently and the chase is strong, dragging the Wallabies into touch on halfway.
44 mins: New Zealand’s scrum is solid, despite the absence of Savea. They they gain great metres after contact through Havili and Akira Ioane. A breakdown penalty seals the deal with a clearing kick to halfway.
43 mins: Not immediately they can’t. The 5m lineout isn’t straight...
Yellow Card - Ardie Savea (42)
42 mins: In answer to my previous question - yes they can! Koroibete wins a pretty deep kick-off. Paisami then drives through a gap into the 22. The phases build in midfield but they’re progressively slow until McDermott carries his tackler 10m after contact. 5m out - can the Wallabies capitalise? No! There’s a whistle - and a card! Australian fans have been begging for a sin-bin for repeat transgressions near New Zealand’s line, and now they have one. Can the visitors capitalise?
Ok, everyone is ready for the second-half. Let’s find out if the Wallabies can continue their momentum...
Half-time: New Zealand 21-15 Australia
That was a terrific half of rugby. New Zealand lead three tries to two, but Australia are giving as good as they get in open play. That try on the stroke of the interval was crucial to keep the Wallabies in touch, and no less than they deserve for a spirited performance.
TRY! New Zealand 21-15 (McDermott 40)
The scrum just about holds up, and as it wheels around out of control, McDermott picks the ball up and jinks under the posts!
Lolesio dabs over the extras as the siren sounds for half-time.
Updated
40 mins: The scrum, from just to the right of the posts, requires resetting twice. It then spins through 90 degrees and The Wallabies are awarded the penalty. They elect to take yet another 5m scrum. Nepo Laulala is under the referee’s eye.
37 mins: Box kick from Smith, taken well by Banks. Phillip almost crosses halfway with a linebreak - Hooper definitely does with a superb run, then powerful second effort. In no time, the ball is in sniffing distance of the New Zealand line. Australia look certain to score! But the ball doesn’t come out and it’s a penalty instead. “What do you want Michael?” the referee asks. “I want a yellow card!” bemoans Hooper. He doesn’t get his wish, but he does have a 5m scrum.
New Zealand lucky not to concede a penalty try or a yellow card there.
TRY! New Zealand 21-8 Australia (Savea 34)
Mo’unga dummies and darts to take New Zealand from halfway to the 22. Infield, the ball is slow but Smith continues to marshal his troops. Runners continue to hit the line - Papalii is immense - and now the breakdown is just 3m from the line. The Wallabies don’t know if the ball is coming out left or right - Ardie Savea doesn’t care, be bulldozes over with the help of Codie Taylor, and the All Blacks have their third try of a superb half.
From that parcel of Eden Park that has become a goalkicker’s graveyard, Mo’unga finally gets his angles right.
PENALTY! New Zealand 14-8 Australia (Lolesio 31)
Australia remain in touch - as they deserve to be.
31 mins: The lineout is fine, the maul has no momentum so the ball heads in from the left wing with an offside penalty advantage. No gold runners can make any incursions so play is called back and Lolesio has a simple kick for gold.
29 mins: It’s a solid scrum from the Wallabies. There’s acres of space to the left for Banks to run into, which he does, then kicks ahead, forcing McKenzie into a hurried clearance. Lineout to Australia on the 22. There a bodies everywhere, including the referee’s! He’s sucked into the breakdown and forced to blow to calm things down. The man in white was like a piece of flotsam in a rip there. The end result is a penalty to Australia and kick to the corner.
Updated
27 mins: The Wallabies are not cowed and continue to run at the All Blacks. This is such an open, enjoyable spectacle. It’s all a bit frantic though and on halfway they concede a turnover. It doesn’t cost them greatly though because a strong lineout contest palms the ball into dispute and there’s a black knock-on.
TRY! New Zealand 14-5 Australia (Retallick 24)
Australia play-on quickly from the penalty and Koroibete has space to hit the line at pace on the left wing. New Zealand force the turnover though, and from deep in their own half the All Blacks go through their backs from right wing to left, Ioane eventually piercing the defensive line before heading back infield for some precise catch-pass at pace to allow Retallick the simple task of diving under the posts. Thrilling, daring, high quality running rugby. Wonderful.
Mo’unga can’t miss from under the bar.
Updated
22 mins: New Zealand are soon back in possession but their attacking phase lacks cohesion and it’s little surprise when Reece knocks-on. McKenzie and Lolelsio then engage in a kicking diuel which ends when Mo’unga elects to run. The first phase is thrown wide to the right but Havili can’t hold onto a high pass - and he is wiped out by Koroibete! That was a huge hit, deemed legal despite Havili not having possession. The All Blacks reload but can only reach halfway before the turnover.
20 mins: From that spot on Eden Park that both kickers found awkward last week, Richie Mo’unga fails again - fading a simple-looking 30m effort from just left of the posts wide to the right.
20 mins: New Zealand’s first scrum feed results in a penalty against James Slipper for hingeing and Richie Mo’unga has an easy shot for goal.
18 mins: The second scrum of the match - on Australia’s 5m line - requires resetting. When it settles Lolesio drops into the pocket and clear 30m. The All Blacks’ lineout isn’t clean, but that’s because there was a gold infringement and the whistle signals a New Zealand scrum.
16 mins: Another good lineout, the maul collapses - but there’s no penalty. Can the All Blacks extract the buried ball? No! Penalty Australia! That was impressive defence from the visitors with their line under siege.
15 mins: The lineout is safe but Australia are in quickly to establish momentum on the mail. New Zealand counter but are soon called to play, and as soon as they do they are awarded an offside penalty. Mo’unga again kicks to the corner.
This is a much better contest than Bledisloe I, both teams playing front foot rugby.
12 mins: The lineout is secure and the clearing kick is solid. The Wallabies have the chance to rebound but Banks wastes the possession with an ambitious diagonal kick towards Kellaway. The ball bounces out of play and New Zealand are straight into attack. A penalty gifts them a further 30m downfield before a rolling maul sends them rumbling into the 22. The ball emerges and Reece busts through the line but as he looks inside on his left shoulder there’s nobody in support. No worries, play comes back to an earlier infringement and the hosts kick for a 5m lineout.
11 mins: McDermott’s box kicks from inside his own half and the All Blacks can’t withstand Hooper’s chase and clearout. The Australian No 9 kicks again soon after, inviting New Zealand to throw a lineout from inside their own 22. Excellent start in open field from the Wallabies.
TRY! New Zealand 7-5 Australia (Kellaway 8)
Australia get straight back to work in open play and Valetini forces a turnover in New Zealand territory. The ball gets recycled quickly to the left and Koroibete breaks one tackle, almost a second, and the Wallabies are hungry. McDermott darts to within a metre, the ball comes back from under the posts and Lolesio dabs a beautiful crossfield kick to Kellaway. He has a one-on-one 5m from the line, steps inside, and dives over. Superb attacking flourish from Australia and they hit back immediately from that early setback.
Lolesio cannot convert from the right touchline.
TRY! New Zealand 7-0 Australia (Ioane 4)
The first lineout isn’t perfect but it lands Australia’s way. Gold jerseys flood forward in attack and with a flat defensive line ahead of him Paisami chips and chases, the Wallabies gathering the ball soon after. The second phase is sharp with the ball moving from infield to the left wing - but... not again... Hitting the 22m line, and momentum growing, Ioane steps out, cleanly picks off the pass in Koroibete’s direction, then gallops 80m unopposed.
Mo’unga adds the extras. Perfect start for the All Blacks.
4 mins: The opening scrum, on Australia’s 22, requires resetting twice. It holds for a while, but then the front row collapses and the Wallabies win the penalty. Good early advantage for the Australian pack. The clearing kick reaches halfway.
2 mins: Australia miss the kick-off handing New Zealand the ball on the 22, but their first attempt to spread play from right wing to left comes a cropper with McKenzie spilling the ball in contact with Kellaway in midfield.
Updated
Kick-off!
Bledisloe II is underway...
The haka was crisp. Michael Hooper took it all in with that look he has perfected of quizzical indifference. Although, it is pretty much his only look with the amount of soft tissue damage to his eyebrows.
In an early upset, Australia probably won the battle of the anthems. They went a cappella this week, adding to the flavour. Poor Dave Rennie won’t enjoy the camera closing in on him while he mumbles lightly through the words, he is from Upper Hutt after all.
Sam Whitelock runs out at the front of an imposing line of All Blacks. The Eden Park crowd likes what it sees.
“Trust the process,” says Michael Hooper on a TV package that precedes the Wallaby skipper leading out his side at Eden Park.
Dave Rennie has a quick word pitchside: “Physicality for 80 minutes will be key,” he says. Could we be in for some biff?
🗣️ COACH CHAT | Fozzie gives us the inside word on his selections for Bledisloe Two.
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 12, 2021
FULL TEAM ➡️ https://t.co/3NOCqX9Op8#BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/8QP9XX903r
There’s rain around, a not insignificant westerly blowing, and it’s cool. Welcome to rugby on the Shaky Isles.
As ever, Bret Harris has set the scene, paying close to attention to the All Blacks’ room for improvement.
Over the years the All Blacks coaching staff and senior players have been very good at identifying and rectifying problems in a short space of time. They will have worked hard on their ill-discipline, lack of ruthlessness and incoherence among their reserve outside backs.
Behind the scenes at Stan Sport.
About to get underway for the second Bledisloe on @wwos and @StanSportAU Go the @wallabies ! #NZLvAUS pic.twitter.com/cM1NWnj2n4
— Murray Shaw (@MurrayShaw1) August 14, 2021
The new broadcaster has made a promising start to life. Rugby coverage has been relaxed and informative, and - refreshingly - not blindly patriotic.
Stan also announced this week that they have recruited Max Rushden and Craig Foster to lead their soccer coverage, which is very encouraging.
Here in Guardian Towers we try not to be too one-eyed on the liveblogs, but tonight could be an exception. I have a massive stye rendering vision in my right eye sub-optimal. So, please forgive any inaccuracies. And also, send any home remedy suggestions my way.
The onset of the Rugby Championship means the trialling of some new laws. Happy to hear what you make of them.
🏉 A few law changes ahead of the #TRC tonight
— Wallabies (@wallabies) August 14, 2021
MORE: https://t.co/BtGmcxv9lK pic.twitter.com/AvU8Ilu3oQ
Also, there’s a splendid typo in that graphic.
Wallabies XV
In what is becoming customary, Dave Rennie has rung the changes. (And for what it’s worth, I think he’s landed pretty close to his most dangerous XV).
Marika Koroibete and Matt To’omua join the backs, with To’omua starting at 12 as a second playmaker, pushing Hunter Paaisami to 13 where he can continue to lay his monstrous hits in midfield. Andrew Kellaway retains his spot on the wing after impressing last week, while the promising halves combination of Tate McDermott and Noah Lolesio gets another opportunity to gel. Lolesio surely won’t kick for goal as poorly as he did last Saturday.
In the pack Matt Philip comes into partner Darcy Swain in the second row, and Lachlan Swinton slots into the back row. Australia’s forwards have enjoyed a strong start to the international season, but they struggled to connect at the lineout last week, so plenty of attention will be on hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa to sharpen up his calling and execution.
Rennie is putting plenty of focus on the physical battle. “We felt that for a 15-minute spell we lost all the collisions, and if you do that against the All Blacks you’re going to concede points. To beat New Zealand, you have to win the collisions and be clinical for 80 minutes, and we didn’t do that,” he said.
🦘 #YourTeam for tonight!!
— Wallabies (@wallabies) August 14, 2021
🕑 Sat 14 Aug 5:05pm AEST⠀
📺 9Gem & Stan Sport
🎟 Game 3 at Optus Stadium - limited tickets for WA residents on sale now: https://t.co/EAvYnDjhqU
⠀#NZLvAUS #Wallabies #BledisloeCup @eToro @CadburyAU pic.twitter.com/GVa5hHoyJs
All Blacks XV
New Zealand coach Ian Foster has made just the one change to his starting XV with try-scoring machine Will Jordan recalled to the right-wing after missing last week’s game with a hamstring strain. Sevu Reece moves back to the left wing, Rieko Ioane shifts into the centres, and Anton Lienert-Brown drops out.
On the bench TJ Perenara comes in for Brad Weber, and he will sit alongside a surfeit of Barretts with Scott, one of three brothers in the reserves, taking his place this time around after withdrawing late from Bledisloe I through illness.
“We’re all excited to be returning to Eden Park for the second Bledisloe Cup Test,” Foster said. “We know that Australia will be disappointed and will lift. It’s a do or die game for them.”
Bled two team sheet 😤#BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/8qBUhwJuw4
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 11, 2021
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the All Blacks v the Wallabies from Eden Park. The second match in the Bledisloe Cup series, and opening fixture of this year’s Rugby Championship, kicks-off at 7.05pm local time (5.05pm AEST).
Last week New Zealand continued their dominance over Australia at fortress Eden Park with a topsy-turvy 33-25 victory, but both sides will expect to improve on below-par performances. The Wallabies piled on points towards the end of the contest, and we shall soon find out if that late rally will be looked back on as scoreboard padding or the beginning of something more meaningful.
The Wallabies will be bolstered by the recall of star winger Marika Koroibete with the 2019 John Eales Medallist available for selection after sitting out Bledisloe I following a late-night drinking session with teammates Isi Naisarani and Pone Fa’amausili.
A win tonight would give the All Blacks the Bledisloe Cup for a 19th straight season. It would also extend their supremacy over the Wallabies at Eden Park, an unbeaten stretch dating back to 1986. “Eden Park is a place that most teams fear but we’re excited to get another crack after last weekend’s disappointment,” Australia coach Dave Rennie said during the week. No touring Australians have beaten New Zealand anywhere on their side of the ditch since 2001.
Wallaby winger Andrew Kellaway is adamant his side will be better second time around on the most feared ground in rugby. “You roll out to one of those places like Eden Park – it’s mercurial in its atmosphere and such a tough place to play even at Super Rugby level.,” Kellaway said. “We get to do it two weeks in a row. We probably put out an unpolished performance on the weekend and you can almost look at it like a dress rehearsal. Now we’re ready to roll.”
I’ll be back with more shortly, but if you would like to join in, you can reach me by email or Twitter (@JPHowcroft).
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