Key events
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CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 26-24 Australia (Tizzano, 69)
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Penalty! New Zealand 26-17 Australia (McKenzie, 55)
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Penalty! New Zealand 23-17 Australia (McKenzie, 49)
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Half-time: New Zealand 20-17 Australia
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CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 20-17 Australia (Potter, 39)
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CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 20-10 (Pollard, 31)
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CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 20-3 Australia (Roigard, 25)
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TRY! New Zealand 13-3 Australia (Carter, 15)
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Penalty! New Zealand 8-3 Australia (Barrett, 10)
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Penalty! New Zealand 5-3 Australia (O’Connor, 7)
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TRY! New Zealand 5-0 Australia (Clarke, 4)
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Kick-off!
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Australia XV
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New Zealand XV
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Preamble
71 mins: The atmosphere inside Eden Park is eerie as New Zealand battle to retain their slender advantage. They’re helped by a couple of Wallaby penalties allowing them to hustle into attacking 22.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 26-24 Australia (Tizzano, 69)
That was a huge slice from Barrett and Australia make him pay! The lineout is swift and the maul is imperious, a solid arrowhead of gold piercing the black wall. Outstanding forward play! The bodies collapse around the try line. Is it a penalty? No, it’s a try! Tizzano gets the back slaps, and the Wallabies are right back in this.
O’Connor curls over a lovely conversion from near the right touchline, and the margin is down to two!
68 mins: The rain, that has been light for much of the game, is intensifying as the Wallabies pack, repack, and re-repack a scrum 15m inside their own half. Eventually the Wallabies go through hands from right to left until Jorgensen crosses halfway. Then play turns inside for more of that first-half patient phase play. After six phases Lonergan decides to use his backs to his right but there’s no go-forward and Sua’ali’i has to be strong to hold his ground and find O’Connor. The Wallabies keep the ball alive and benefit from a couple of mongrel bounces then return to the short side and Toole can chip ahead dangerously. Barrett is across to sweep but he slices his kick out of play just a couple of metres away from his line.
66 mins: Awful knock-on from Roigard, dropping the ball cold from behind the ruck as his side builds 35m out. A rare blemish from the game’s standout performer.
64 mins: New Zealand work the short side well through Roigard and Barrett, feeding Tupaea but he runs out of turf inside the 22. Australia win their lineout ball and kick clear.
63 mins: A welcome pause in play as Savea is treated for a split brow. It’s a chance for the former internationals on TV to remind us their brave boys in gold would be ahead were it not for the meddling referees.
62 mins: Rugby chaos. The drop-out carries 40m and as the All Blacks are about to launch another attack Wilson flies out of the ruck to win a magnificent turnover. It’s all instinct from there as Australia fling the ball to the left and Ikitau and Toole break the line at speed. Pollard then charges up the guts before he’s hauled down. This is thrilling counterattacking rugby. And it ends with the referee’s whistle for an incorrect clearout. Australia haven’t seen much of the play in the past 15 minutes or so but that was a very dangerous sortie.
60 mins: Savea taps the penalty 15m out and runs at the gold wall. It’s unsophisticated one-out rugby for eight phases from right to left as Australia defend for their lives. Play shifts back to the right as the All Blacks approach the line but Hooper is there to get under the ball and earn his side a relieving drop-out.
58 mins: The lineout is secured and play expands from left to right. The Wallabies are then penalised on the ground so the All Blacks send the ball back to the left where they have the overlap – but Sua’ali’i nails a majestic hit to defend his line. Play comes back to the earlier infringement and Wilson is warned by the referee for repeat foul play.
57 mins: Another penalty New Zealand’s way, this time for taking out a man in the air at the restart. They make little ground but then Australia hand a turnover back on halfway, that the magnificent Roigard uses to kick a 50:22 on his left hand side. He is a serious player.
Penalty! New Zealand 26-17 Australia (McKenzie, 55)
30m out just to the left of the posts, McKenzie kicks New Zealand beyond a converted try ahead.
54 mins: The Wallabies win their scrum feed inside their own half then get into their phase grind in midfield. O’Connor does well in contact twice and earns a penalty when Savea is called offside. From 45m out there’s the optoin of three points but instead O’Connor kicks to the corner… and… what on earth was that!? Running from miles out of play Carter somehow manages to keep the ball in play! The long kick downfield turns the Wallabies on their heels. The ball is punted back but J Barrett hits it like a freight train and the All Blacks are on the burst. The breakdown penalty seems inevitable. Huge turnaround in this match. From O’Connor having the opportunity to set Australia on attack to New Zealand being invited to extend their lead.
52 mins: Roigard sends the set play to the right and some neat combinations threaten to break the game open but the Wallabies defend well on their left edge. New Zealand try to keep up the pace of play but as a jamming tackle comes in from Ikitau the ball is offloaded forward.
50 mins: Another gift for New Zealand as O’Connor kicks the restart out on the full. The All Blacks will feed a scrum on halfway.
Penalty! New Zealand 23-17 Australia (McKenzie, 49)
From 35m out, just to the left of the posts, McKenzie makes no mistake and settles some Kiwi nerves. Australia dominated the last 20 minutes of the first half and began this period brightly as well.
48 mins: New Zealand finally gain some momentum following a breakdown penalty on the right. Then there’s another on the left – both disputed by the former Australian internationals on the telly. The latter allows McKenzie a shot for goal.
47 mins: The lineout is crisp and sent off the top in a flash. The Wallabies cross the gainline at speed and just as a promising attack builds Vaa’i is rewarded for getting his body over the ruck first when the ball does not come out.
45 mins: The All Blacks take the scrum and just like the first half are prepared to attack from deep, sending the ball from right to left and inviting Clarke to accept contact. The Wallabies stand their ground, slow the phases down, and McReight earns the breakdown penalty. O’Connor kicks to the right on the 22.
43 mins: Following the kick to touch the Wallabies are pinged for not throwing their lineout straight. Gah!
42 mins: Australia get first use after the restart. Pollard, Bell, Wilson, all cross the gainline from halfway allowing Lonergan to roost an up-and-under. The ball comes to ground New Zealand’s way so Roigard goes straight back to the sky, where O’Connor is winded as he lands heavily competing for the ball with J Barrett. The helter-skelter start is paused when the All Blacks are penalised on the ground.
41 mins: As the golden sunset disappears behind Eden Park, will it be a golden evening for the Wallabies?
The teams are back out for the second 40.
Mango in Munich has sent me an email: “Once again the ARU/NZ Rugby are going up against the AFL grand final. One word… dumb. For a sport trying to survive and maybe even grow in Australia this is just another dumb move, just like putting on a Lions tour match v State of Origin. (That game was totally unforgivable as it was all Channel 9.)”
That would be this AFL grand final, where scores are level at half-time:
Half-time: New Zealand 20-17 Australia
That was a half of two halves. The All Blacks raced into a 20-3 lead and looked capable of running up a cricket score with their slick ball movement and power at the gainline. But the Wallabies regrouped well and took advantage of some poor discipline from New Zealand, as well as some questionable tactics – namely committing so few bodies to attacking rucks – to first stem the flow, then control possession to patiently pick their moments and bring the scoreline to something approaching parity.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 20-17 Australia (Potter, 39)
The All Blacks threaten to steal the lineout but it comes off Kiwi hands and back to the thrower Pollard. The Wallabies get to work 20m out in centre field, and the one-out phase play is quick and crisp. The attack drifts to the left as bodies are drawn into the contest – and Ikitau again is the man to peel off the back, find a gap, and transform the dimension of the attack. Potter is on the shoulder, accepts the offload and crosses with a defender hanging off his back! Two in quick succession for Australia!
O’Connor has another simple task off the tee that he executes with aplomb.
37 mins: Off the back of a scrum in their own 22 the All Blacks attack through hands from right to left. It looks dynamic and thrilling, but it means an isolated Clarke when he’s tackled and Ikitau forces the breakdown penalty. O’Connor kicks to the 22 on the right.
35 mins: Australia win lineout ball on halfway but are fortunate when the ball is allowed to bounce off the palm-down. Again the Wallabies attack laterally through phases, this time from left to right. Jorgensen is lively, Sua’ali’i is manhandled, Ikitau is nailed, as the phase count hits 12 with zero metres gained. Finally, Lonergan box kicks, Toole looks to have won the aerial contest, but in the grapple for possession there’s a knock-on. Much better signs for the visitors.
33 mins: Australia go conservative form the restart but not for the first time today New Zealand are too good under the high ball – J Barrett this time. The All Blacks try to work through some phase play up the middle but it lacks oomph and McKenzie elects to kick into the 22. The Wallabies run the ball out and it pays dividends when they are awarded a penalty for Lomax taking out Wilson off the ball.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 20-10 (Pollard, 31)
Pollard finds Hooper in the middle of the lineout and the maul drives to within inches of the line. Ikitau peels off the back and forces the All Blacks to scramble – but it’s to no avail as Pollard is at the breakdown in a flash and picks and dives over with the minimum of fuss. Straightforward, old-fashioned, clinical.
O’Connor adds the extras and the deficit is cut to 10.
30 mins: From the lineout the Wallabies attack from right to left, but it’s slow and lateral, until they’re awarded a penalty that allows O’Connor to kick to touch for a 5m lineout.
