- Wallabies Lead Promising First Half, Fall Short in Bledisloe Cup Match
- All Blacks Rally in Final Minutes to Steal Victory from Wallabies
- Despite Strong Performance, Wallabies Face Disheartening Defeat in Dunedin
The Wallabies appeared to have finally broken through, delivering their most complete performance of the year to lead the All Blacks 17-3 at halftime and set the stage for an exciting Bledisloe Cup showdown. Eddie Jones’s first victory in his second tenure as national coach will have to wait, as New Zealand won the Test 23-20 in the final minute.
Last week in Melbourne, the Wallabies led 7-5 after 25 minutes, displaying panache and courage, which were indicators of Australia’s recovery. Rugby is an 80-minute contest, and as they often do, the All Blacks tore apart Australia in the final minutes to win 38-7 and drop Jones’s squad to 0-3 on the season.
This time, the Wallabies began quickly and never let up. After eight minutes, Australia led 14-0 thanks to tries from flanker Marika Koroibete and Tom Hooper. And after putting the hosts on their heels with their attack, they dominated them defensively to keep the All Blacks scoreless at halftime and set the stage for their first victory in Dunedin in 22 years.
The team that won the Bledisloe Cup for a record 21st time last week under New Zealand coach Ian Foster underwent 12 alterations. Nonetheless, Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock combined for 246 Tests of experience, and against a Wallabies team with just 277 Tests of experience between 15 participants (the least experienced team in 28 years), this dead rubber was alive and well.
Both teams played a frantic first ten minutes, but the Wallabies gained the upper hand by winning the collisions and rolling upfield in surges off the fast hands of young halves Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon.
This week, 24-year-old McDermott was named Australia’s 86th Test captain, and his decision to forego three points in favor of five made clear his intentions from the outset.
And upon entering the All Blacks’ red zone for the first time, McDermott accelerated to the left and found rolling thunder with rapid hands. Koroibete possesses a body that can move three meters through two men and land with millimeters to spare.
The All Blacks appeared shaken, and their lineout shattered under duress. Mark Nawaqanitawase charged into space and threw an inside pass to fullback Andrew Kellaway as Australia capitalized. He passed the ball to third-Test rookie Hooper, who beat two defenders to score. Gordon, who missed his lone extra-point attempt last week, converted again to make the score 14-0.
With World Cup places at stake, several Wallabies played their best in gold. Fraser McReight was burying larger opponents with his aggressive, dumping challenges. Jordan Petaia was both elusive and resolute in attack and defense. Nawaqanitawase was moving as rapidly as a firefly.
Despite their excellence, the Wallabies were not flawless. McDermott should have scored, but he was stopped over the goal line after disregarding players on the flanks. And Gordon’s excellent 50-20 kick was nullified when Australia was penalized for huddling when they should have been constructing a lineout. At the time, these mistakes appeared to be forgivable, but they came back to torment the men in gold.
Despite this, Australia entered the halftime break of a Bledisloe Cup match with the lead for the first time in four years.
Long passes allowed fullback Shaun Stevenson, who was making his début, to cross into the corner for the first try of the second half, which New Zealand won. The All Blacks altered their strategy by aiming for the middle rather than the flanks. The Wallabies hesitated, fumbling passes, committing penalties, and losing possession of the ball. But they persisted.
As the audience rose in support of the home team’s comeback, the black tide rose. New Zealand scored a penalty to narrow the gap to four points, while Australia missed theirs. After defending their line for the majority of the first half, Australia surrendered the lead in the 62nd minute when Samipeni Finau carried three defenders over the goal line for a 20-17 score.
However, if the All Blacks were anxious, it was not evident. With the game reaching its end and substitutes competing for a starting berth, they prepared for the decisive strike. However, Will Skelton came off the substitute to make a crucial steal when a score appeared imminent. The exhausted Wallabies’ comeback was helped by Quade Cooper’s penalty to draw the score at 20.
In the 77th minute, the veteran’s careless pass nullified all of the positive effects of that equalizer.
The All Blacks were awarded a scrum 40 meters out. Richie Mo’unga shattered the goalposts after a fateful penalty. The tie was shattered, along with the Wallabies’ hearts.
Since Jones’ 23-15 win in 2001, Australia had fallen close by 41-33 in 2013 and 35-29 in 2017. This should have been the end of the drought. Instead, despite advancements, a renowned victory evaporated, leaving only icy defeat.
The pursuit was hampered by exhaustion and loss of momentum. However, with 35 days until the World Cup, there is hope.
