All Blacks 29 Australia 9

Talking points:

Home record moves to 42 wins in a row, 19 of those vs Australia.



Read equals Sir Brian Lochore’s record of 14 consecutive test wins from captaincy debut. How far will he extend this record? Also finds his voice with some amusing comments picked up by the ref microphone - Stephen Moore is told to talk to his team in regards to the niggle and Read drops a sly “talk to yourself too".

100% on our own lineouts. Again. Plus we nabbed 4 of their 12. The lineout is a real thing of beauty right now. Australia claimed 8 lineouts while Kieran Read claimed 10 himself. One individual with better stats than their entire team.

Australia ran for 213m against the AB’s 520m. Aussie had 27 missed tackles to the AB’s 10. Should the scoreline have blown out more when based on those stats?

The dirty, off the ball thug tactics from Aus. An obvious gameplan to niggle and upset the All Blacks by any means necessary is a pretty low point for this Australian team who have now lost 6 in a row. While it did work for a fair chunk of the first half, it’s still very disappointing from the IRB 2015 coach of the year. They used a similar tactic against England in the 2nd test earlier this year & had much the same effect. It’s an old & out of date idea, and hardly going to bode well in developing this underperforming, but potentially talented Wallabies team. New boy Coleman seemed determined to take Quade Coopers mantle as most hated man in NZ with that late, no arms charge on Ben Smith.

The AB’s were (apart from Coles use of the arm to clear out Fardy) tremendous to resist the temptation to retaliate, which may have resulted in an all-in “Anchorman" style brawl. The mental fortitude of this squad is impressive.

Should goal kicking be a concern now? On Barretts home patch he could only muster 1/3 penalties from handy positions, and 56.9% overall. Crudes doesn’t fare much better, and Sopoanga might kick better but would it be worth sacrificing either Barretts or Crudes playmaking for a couple more conversions? Has anyone seen if Ben Smith gives the ball a decent nudge at goal? Kieran Read was fairly handy kicking the odd goal at high school, could he be our goal kicking forward like John Eales? We’re getting away with the lost points for now, but in a crunch game it may prove costly.

Based on the last 2 weeks performances, are Argentina and South Africa now expecting to win both their home and away games against Aus? Or can Aus stop the rot and register a victory before the end of this edition of the Rugby Championship?

Player Ratings

B. Smith - The man from accounts was a little off his game to begin with but was back to his usual self in the 15 jersey by the midpoint of the first half. Dependable with your numbers and the highball, his structure and positional nous at the back gave very little opportunity for the Wallabies, minus that clean miss on Folaus late break in the second half. Sharp footwork and leg drive beating a handful of defenders provided Cane with the opportunity for his second half try. 7.5/10

Dagg - Izzy was back to his best under the high ball, even if his facial expressions didn’t show it at the time. A quality finish for his second try showing the shift to the wing was obviously no worries for him. Some lightning quick hands in flowing plays, it’s good to see him playing with that infectious confidence again. Great pluck of the high ball from out of Quade Coopers hands resulted in the Bus scoring on the other wing. 8/10

Fekitoa - Starting to really find his feet in test footy. Took two defenders almost every run, and straightened the attack when needed. A deft grubber also showed he’s slowly developing the skill set required to be the long term option at centre. He’s not there yet by any means, but his promise is growing with every test it seems. 7.5/10

Lienert-Brown - An impressive debut from the Chiefs man. Some fast feet & smart pass from his first touch in test footy lead to the opening try, and would certainly have settled any nerves. Some handling errors but has a proper second five feel to him after that effort, strong ball running & silky skills throughout. Has this put him top of the pecking order ahead of Crotty for the number 12 jersey for the rest of the Rugby championship now? 7.5/10

J. Savea - The Bus is back. The ball didn’t exactly go his way in the opening half, but it was pleasing to see his off the ball work rate didn’t waiver as a result. Had the fire back in his belly, and his sideline meat pie was pure pace, power, and determination. That All Blacks record try scoring total seems just a formality now he has his mojo back. 8/10

Barrett - The most dangerous man on attack in world rugby right now. Quite literally has an extra yard of pace on his opposition. It’s like playing a video game and when he has the ball Steve Hansen can hit the turbo button. Goal kicking leaves room for improvement, but his playmaking seems to be making up for that…for now. 8.5/10

A. Smith - Fired a couple of looseners early on but a great dazzling, jinking run set up the platform for the first try. Was his usual electric self directing the pack around the paddock. Shaped the game nicely in the second spell to provide the AB’s with what they needed. Long may this form continue for the best scrum half in the world right now. 8/10

Read - Had a real test on his hands to keep his troops focused on the gameplan in the heat of some clearly dirty tactics, & his professional attitude shone through. Got through his work in the rough stuff, and had a few cameos out wide as we’ve now come to expect. Another quality test to equal Sir Brian Lochore’s record for the most consecutive wins from debut as skipper. Just kick a drop goal already. 7.5/10

Cane - Just a man easing the nations longing for a McCaw comeback one test at a time. Seems to be thriving under the growing pressure from Ardie Savea as he again lifted his performance bringing some real physicality in the trenches & rewarded with a nice meat pie in the second half. Did more than enough to retain the number 7 jersey for another week. 8.5/10

Kaino - A classic Kaino display on show as he muscled a fired up Aussie pack around the pitch. Shows no signs of slowing down in the veteran stage of his career. Hit the clean outs with real vigour & showcased his full skill set with one particularly slick offload. 7.5/10

Retallick - Still the best lock in the world. Clearly targeted by the Wallabies pack as someone to try & frustrate into losing focus, but the B.F.G just rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into his work. Handling error aside, another great outing in the black jersey. 8/10

Whitelock - Seriously good combination with Stephen Moore in the lineouts. Captain Caveman toiled away as usual, throwing himself into rucks and doing the unsung work required by a quality lock. NZ really needs to appreciate this locking combo of Whitelock and Retallick as it truly is something special, perhaps not to be matched ever again. 8/10

Franks - Strong display from the keystone of the dominant All Black scrum. Churned through his work in one of his best tests of recent years. Perfectly timed pass to the debutant Lienert-Brown opened the space for the first try of the match. Laughed in the face of the foul Aussie tactics, only to be caught with his hands perilously close to the eyes of an opposite. No need to sink to that level, you’re better than that. Somewhat lucky to not be missing a few weeks as a result. 8/10

Coles - The legend continues to grow. Who doesnt love his free range style running when put in some space? The runny bum has redefined the skill set for the position and international teams must be outraged we have a hooker with such outrageous abilities. Ripped into tackles, and nailed the set piece work. Marked down for showing he hasn’t completely learnt to control his aggression with a swinging arm cleanout. 8.5/10

Moody - Mad Eye Moody, the former wrestler, was tested throughout and stood up to the thuggery of his opposites with some bruising encounters. Nothing spectacular but doesnt live for the flashy, he just knuckles down and grinds away in the dark places of front row rugby. Didn’t take a backwards step and could prove to be a long term front row combination with Franks and Coles. 7.5/10