Dane Coles scores a try. Bledisloe Cup. Australian Wallabies v New Zealand All Blacks. Photo / Andrew Cornaga.
All Blacks 29 Australia 28
The All Blacks travelled early to Brisbane to give themselves every chance of being ready for last night's test.
They wanted to deal with the three hour time difference and get acclimatized to the humid conditions in that city which have numbed their performances in the last few visits.
The plan looked to be working in the first 10 minutes as the All Blacks pounded through an array of attacks and it seemed just a matter of time before the Wallaby resistance would crumble.
However they were up for this Breathless in Brisbane rumble and when they got some possession they had no thoughts of kicking for territory, they attacked across the park.
That ambition gave them the opening try to Nick Phipps and the last of the half to Bernard Foley as both players nipped over from short range when the All Black defences fell away. It was not the only time the tourists lost their shape on defence with too many individuals dropping off tackles.
Pressure also got them at the breakdown where referee Craig Joubert warned Richie McCaw that the next team foul would have someone in the bin.
Sandwiched between two try concessions, the All Blacks worked their moves to squeeze Cory Jane in at the corner and Dane Coles across on the other flank.
They had the Wallabies measure at the scrum and were making them work extra hard at the lineout but the Wallabies, who had been under immense pressure all week after successive defeats and team unity ructions, were in an irrepressible attacking mindset across the park.
Those attacks were giving the All Black defenders some serious problems and they were lagging 12-15 at the break. Not long after the Wallabies extended that margin through some marvellous teamwork.
James Slipper, Tevita Kurinfrani and Israel Folau broke tackles and made the metres to create a huge overlap on the blindside for Adam Ashley-Cooper to score in his 100th test.
The halftime hillock for the All Blacks was morphing into a mountain.
Would they be able to lift the pace and trample the Wallabies in the last 30 minutes or were the Wallabies the equal of their trans-Tasman rivals in this frenetic test of endurance and skills under pressure?
The All Blacks blinked under the pressure when replacement lock Patrick Tuipulotu took out his opposite in the air at a restart and went to the bin. Steve Hansen rolled the dice and brought Sam Cane on to help the energy levels.
They stayed in the scrap, Aaron Smith danced to a try from a quick tap, Malakai Fekitoa muscled across in the last minute with Colin Slade's conversion to decide the test. It was straight and true: a great escape once again.
Gregor Paul is the Herald on Sunday's rugby writer
11:55 PM Saturday Oct 18, 2014
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Cory Jane scores a try. Photo: Andrew Cornaga.
All Blacks 29 Wallabies 28
These All Blacks simply don't know when they are beaten. This was Dublin all over again. Maybe it was even braver because the opposition were better and had given them nothing all night.
They had to pull the rabbit out of the hat when it looked like they surely couldn't. And then, fourth-choice first-five, Colin Slade had to nail a tough conversation. What a kick.
What a game and the All Blacks can wake up this morning and be proud of their courage and commitment. They can look at themselves in the mirror and smile because they know they have once again dodged a bullet.
They will know they inflicted the cruellest blow on a Wallaby team that was probably the better side over the piece. They will know they didn't play anywhere near well enough.
Their skill execution was again poor. They didn't dominate up front and were cleaned up at the tackled ball... and yet they won.
The uplift in skill execution they were after never materialised and, if they are honest, they will know they played with a level of predictability that failed to cause the Wallabies defence enough problems.
The All Blacks talk endlessly, and rightly, about trusting and encouraging their skills. The ambition is beyond fault but there is a balance to strike.
When they carved up the Wallabies at Eden Park, they didn't do it from running deep inside their own territory.
There was more patience and structure to their work. They took the time to blunt the Wallabies first - let them know they didn't have it physically, before then showing them they didn't have it aerobically either.
The modern parlance is to say the All Blacks earned the right to play their wide-wide game and somehow that notion of paying dues has gotten a little lost in the last two tests.
It was the same at Ellis Park, where the All Blacks' preferred exit strategy from kick receipts was to recycle off a forward hitting up and then shifting wide.
That composure and control has gone missing from their game. They have sacrificed accuracy for speed and paid the price. Their execution was largely poor in most facets.
Their biggest worry is the breakdown, where they were again dominated. They couldn't get that quick ball, couldn't wipe out the Wallabies and clean that space for Aaron Smith to whip the ball away.
Without that fast ball, they are not the same team and needed to adapt quicker than they did to play more to their strengths and less to the Wallabies'. It was only in the final 10 minutes that they worked a lineout drive - a tactic that was so effective for them the last time they met the Wallabies.
Still, they got there in the end and they got there against an Australian team that bore no resemblance to the shambles they appeared to be during the week.
It didn't take long to get the answer as to whether the week from hell had split or galvanised the Wallabies. Being under siege suited them rather well, as it happened, and stiffened their resolve to play with what once upon a time, in a more innocent age, would have been known as gay abandon.
The frenetic pace of the game was as much to do with their adventure as it was the All Blacks' and, for the first 60 minutes at least, they looked the more comfortable.
They had obviously watched the way the Springboks had managed to attack the All Blacks at the tackled ball and did pretty well either halting momentum, winning possession or earning a penalty.
They must wonder why they can't deliver that sort of aggression more often, why can't they play with such fervour and purpose every time.
Australia 28 (N. Phipps, B. Foley, A. Ashley-Cooper tries; B. Foley 2 cons, pen, White pen) New Zealand 29 (C. Jane, D. Coles, A. Smith, M. Fekitoa tries; B. Barrett pen, 2 cons; C. Slade con). Halftime: 15-12.
The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been. Photo / Getty Images
The All Blacks have 10 tests before they head to England to defend the World Cup. Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday looks at what they need to achieve.
1 Get Carter
The options at first-five are building for the All Blacks. They have a world class operator in Aaron Cruden, an emerging force in Beauden Barrett and a handy enough emergency choice in Colin Slade. But the one they want most is a fully fit Daniel Carter and the clock is ticking on that front.
Carter is only a maybe to actually play on the tour and that's a concern - not for his individual form. The coaching staff don't doubt he'll come right physically and be the player he's always been.
But they want him to be back in the groove of running the All Black game plan. They need him to be familiar with the overall strategies and comfortable calling the shots.
If he can't play on the tour, he'll be down to five tests next year to familiarise himself and to a lesser extent, have his teammates get used to him.
2 Drive through
You don't need to be Nostradamus to see that on the softer grounds of England and with the pressure of knock-out rugby, the driving maul is going to be a big part of next year's World Cup.
The English, French and South Africans love a bit of mauling and would back themselves to score nine times out 10 from a short-range attacking lineout.
That's where the All Blacks need to get to. When they played Australia at Eden Park, they scored two identical tries from driving mauls. But that was against Australia. They need to become that effective against top quality packs.
3 Clash of the titans
On one level the All Blacks will relish having access to Sonny Bill Williams and Ma'a Nonu. But they are big personalities and it may not be easy to balance their game time and keep them both happy. Nonu has been an All Black regular since 2008 and given his soul to the team.
He was hurt in 2010 when he was dropped for the final game of the year. He'd done so much while Williams had barely been around for five minutes. How would Nonu feel if history repeats?Or, what if Williams can't force his way into the No 12 jersey and spends another World Cup on the periphery as he did in 2011? Can they play as a combination?
And how are expectations going to be managed? Both players need to fully understand and be happy with their role by the time the World Cup starts.
4 Hooked in
Third choice hooker Nathan Harris needs to be nudged along his development path. The All Blacks can't afford to go to England next year with Harris having played just eight minutes of test football. Not when Mealamu is turning 36 and his calf has such a recent chequered history. The games against USA, Scotland and Samoa are ideal to get Harris back on the track and used to throwing into a test lineout.
5 Can they kick it?
The All Black kicking game is in need of a major rejuvenation. From being such a strength in 2013, it has been relatively poor in 2014. Some of that may be fixed with the return of Carter but across the backline, a general improvement in execution and imagination are required.
6 Polish the rough diamond
The All Blacks are one team when Aaron Smith plays - and probably another when he doesn't. We can't be certain because Smith tends to play almost 80 minutes every test.
The next option is TJ Perenara and while he's a superb athlete, he's loose and erratic.
Perenara has 10 games to lose the rough edges and become the sort of player everyone would trust to play out the last 20 minutes of a knock out World Cup game.
7 The dominators
It doesn't always follow that a team coming into the tournament on the back of impressive form will win. The All Blacks proved that in 2011 when they opened the event on the back of consecutive losses. Still, it would be preferable if the All Blacks can win their next 10 and establish they are absolutely the most dominant side in world rugby.
Most of the serious contenders to have an inferiority complex when it comes to the All Blacks. The All Blacks will be keen to beat England in a few weeks at Twickenham and then South Africa in July next year. These two are the respective biggest threat.
8 Champagne Charlie
There's no question in comparison with Owen Franks, Charlie Faumuina is the more natural athlete and ball player. But he has to be fit. He has to be capable of getting the best out of himself.
The All Black game plan needs the props to be contributing beyond the set-piece. Franks has stagnated a little in that regard and wins his jersey mostly on account of his experience and scrummaging prowess. If Faumuina can improve his conditioning in November, throughout summer and Super Rugby, he could become the better option.
9 Big calls
The team has a core of senior players, many if not most of whom are not going to be All Blacks in 2016. On that list are most likely Mealamu, Richie McCaw, Carter, Nonu and Conrad Smith and maybe a couple of others. Whether they are planning to retire, shift overseas or even, unlikely, hang on in New Zealand for more - they need to sort their plans out declare their intentions long before the All Blacks play their first test next year against Samoa on July 8.
10 Keep something back
The big picture for the All Blacks won't change over the next 10 tests. Hansen's vision has been to create a triple threat game so as the All Blacks have the option of running, passing or kicking to exploit the space. Where they can add an element of surprise is in the detail. They should hold some specific set plays back for the World Cup. It was, after all, a rehearsed lineout move that created their only try in the 2011 World Cup final.
THE BIG 10
• October 18 v Australia (Brisbane)
• November 1 v USA (Chicago)
• November 8 v England (London)
• November 15 v Scotland (Edinburgh)
• November 22 v Wales (Cardiff)
• July 8 v Samoa (Apia)
• July 17 v Argentina (Christchurch)
• July 25 v South Africa (South Africa [TBD])
• August 8 v Australia (Sydney)
• August 15 v Australia (Auckland)
A big Bledisloe Cup victory over Australia would satisfy most countries but not the New Zealand camp, writes Gregor Paul.
All Black Daniel Carter. Photo / Getty Images
It was Andrew Mehrtens who rightly observed that the All Blacks aren't going to win any medals for their ability to wear their hearts on their sleeves.
They tank Australia by 50 points and the mood barely lifts above sombre. They produce 60 minutes of shock-and-awe rugby and the players grudgingly admit their performance at Eden Park might have been a step up on what they produced in Sydney.
Humility and perspective are big parts of the All Black culture but the muted reaction last week was surely taking that a little too far.
Was it even a little contrived? The answer to that is, no, not at all. The All Blacks were happy with much but not all of their performance. They were satisfied rather than elated.
They were content, but not fulfilled. The sense of lingering disappointment they portrayed was a direct result of the squad and coaching staff all knowing they can do better.
That refusal to endorse the performance was driven by a genuine gripe that, as good as they were, that as well as they played for long periods, they have more to give.
Forget all that nonsense about this All Blacks side being near their peak. There's a cache of evidence that says they haven't pushed that far beyond base camp.
Daniel Carter to return Aaron Cruden is a super player. Beauden Barrett is nearly as good. But neither has the all-round game of Daniel Carter.
Those outside the All Blacks camp rightly question whether Carter still has the pace, agility and hunger to be the player he was.
Those inside,who have played with him for years, know what Carter still is. They know he's comeback from his sabbatical in pristine condition.
His speed testing showed he's still got it- he's as fast as he was five years ago-and he's stronger, fitter and his desire to succeed, if anything, is more intense.
But it's his awareness and understanding of the game the All Blacks are trying to play that sets him apart. Under pressure, he doesn't flap.
He knows how to steer this team around better than anyone and his tool bag bulges more than both Cruden's and Barrett's. When he returns, the All Blacks will rise to another level.
Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.
Nonu and Smith The old faithful have been united only twice this year and, for the bulk of one of those tests, Smith had a broken thumb.
These two are still far and away the best midfield combination in the country, probably the world.
Get them back in tandem and the backline offering becomes that much more potent.
There are key moments that matter in every game and these two combine so effortlessly and effectively that often they ensure the All Blacks score when perhaps other midfield pairings would fall short.
Discipline In 160 minutes of Rugby Championship action, the All Blacks have had 15 men on the field for only 125. That's a problem on multiple levels.
There's the obvious pressure of having to play with only 14 men and the fatigue that builds.
Effectively, for 35 minutes in the last two tests, the All Blacks have had to adopt the mindset of reducing risks and making it their goal to not give away any points.
But the four cards allude to a wider problem. The All Blacks were penalized 27 times across the two tests. That compares with Australia's 22 and South Africa and Argentina's 19.
The All Blacks scored nearly twice as many points in the series, yet they were penalized five more times than the Wallabies.
If they tidy up their act and reduce the penalties, their ability to build more pressure and capitalize on opportunities will be significant.
Sonny Bill Williams.
Sonny Bill Williams It's almost certain Sonny Bill Williams will be with the All Blacks on their end-of-year tour.
The man is a weapon. He can be used off the bench or from the start. He can bust holes and create holes.
He can offload out of nothing, make huge tackles and be a fulcrum around which the All Blacks launch strike runners.
What Williams will do is increase the number of attacking options available.
The bench This habit of drifting out of the final quarter can be partly attributed to the All Blacks bench so far not delivering as much as it should.
There are notable exceptions - Beauden Barrett, Malakai Fekitoa and, in Auckland, Steven Luatua. But the front-row that came off the bench in both tests didn't collectively pull their weight.
Their contribution was limited and it took a lot of the sting out of the All Blacks' performance.
Ben Franks, for example, played 58 minutes, carried the ball three times for zero metres and, while he made 15 tackles, also gave away three penalties.
Keven Mealamu's lineout success is 71 per cent. Dane Coles is operating at 94 per cent.
The lineout is a critical platform for the All Blacks but they haven't been able to attack off it particularly well when Mealamu has been on for his 43 minutes.
The All Blacks know they need every fresh pair of legs that comes on to make a noticeable difference.
The unwanted lull The All Blacks are striving to deliver the mythical perfect performance. No one is entirely sure quite what that would look like but it would certainly not entail periods of low-accuracy, low-intensity rugby as has been the case in each test this year.
Look at the All Blacks' three best games this year-the second and third tests against England and last week's demolition of the Wallabies.
They had periods when they drifted out of the game.
In Dunedin, they spent 40 minutes faffing about before they found their rhythm, scored three tries and then faffed about again for the last 10 minutes.
In Hamilton, they were electric for 50 minutes, average for 30.
And at Eden Park, they had Australia in awful trouble at 44-6 with 20 minutes to go . . . but didn't find the jugular.
If they had maintained their composure, accuracy and patience last week, it could have been 64-6. "There were parts of that game that were not great," coach Steve Hansen said. "We let in some soft tries and dropped a lot of balls."
Kieran Reid.
Kieran Reid The world's best player has had a horribly-disrupted season due to concussion. He not only lost conditioning during his lay-off, but also confidence.
He's only now starting to look his old self. The All Blacks have had Read at about 75 per cent so far.
He's made 23 tackles-the third-highest in the competition -and won six lineouts.
Where the All Blacks expect he'll feature more is in his ball carrying and offloading. He's carried 13 times, a long way down on South African No 8 Duane Vermeulen, who has been on the ball 21 times.
He's offloaded only twice. Not only is that number likely to rise, the effectiveness of his timing will make the difference.
Read's trump card is sucking defenders to him out wide to flip the ball to the last man. With fitness restored and confidence climbing, that will become a feature in the next few tests.
