Dane Coles scores a try. Bledisloe Cup. Australian Wallabies v New Zealand All Blacks. Photo / Andrew Cornaga.
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.
- NZ Herald