All Blacks make it a rousing finish
by Gavin Rich | 19 September 2009 (11:44)
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| Cory Jane © Gallo Images |
They may have conceded the Tri-Nations title to South Africa but at least New Zealand finished the 2009 southern hemisphere season in style as they scored an emphatic 33-6 win over Australia in Wellington.
It has been a strange Tri-Nations season, and not just because of the way the Springboks dominated from start to finish and were able to celebrate their victory a full week before the official close of the competition. The other feature of the season was the manner in which the All Blacks, even though they struggled against South Africa, were able to whitewash their old enemy from the other side of the Tasman Sea.
Up to this game the Wallabies had gone a long sequence of matches where they had led against the All Blacks at half-time and then seen the Kiwis dominate them in the second half. The only difference this time was that in this game it was not the Wallabies in front at the break, but Richie McCaw’s team.
The rest was almost a replica of what went before, for while the All Blacks led 19-6 at half-time, it was a lead that quite flattered them. The real difference between the sides in the first 40 was an excellent piece of work from Cory Jane off a high ball that forced the Australians to play catch-up after that.
It was again in the second half where the All Blacks were really dominant, with the forwards taking complete control of every phase with the exception of the set scrums, which were messy and never settled and for which you could not say there was a winner or a loser.
The aspect New Zealand supporters will crow about the most is sure to be the lineout which represented a seismic shift from the performance delivered in Hamilton last week, where they were dominated by the Boks.
Admittedly there was no Victor Matfield there this time, and they should temper any enthusiasm or tendency to euphoria with that knowledge, but it was noticeable how much settled and composed the All Blacks were once they knew they had their lineout working.
Tom Donnelly, one of five newcomers to the team in comparison to last week, had a solid game and added the physical substance he was selected for. But it was Jason Eaton who came on in the last quarter who posed a question which has not been asked much this season but maybe should have been – where was he when the All Blacks were struggling?
Eaton was noted for his lineout prowess when he first made his mark in Super rugby, and he showed he had not lost any of his old touch by poaching two balls in quick succession right on the All Black line at a critical stage of the game.
At that stage the Wallabies, still down by the half-time score, were battering away at the All Black line in a desperate quest to close the gap between the 68th and 72nd minute. The two poaches robbed them of momentum and attacking opportunity, and shut out the Wallabies as Ma’a Nonu scored down the other end just minutes later to shut out the match.
Nonu, back in his preferred No12, had a strong game in the All Black midfield, and threatened on a couple of occasions. But his try was set up by the forwards, who drove upfield before the ball was spread to the left and a switch pass saw Nonu bursting through a couple of tackles before dotting down.
The All Blacks, after conceding the territory battle in the first half, were all over Australia in the second half, as they were in the battle for possession, and they quickly got back down into the Wallaby half, with another series of forward drives creating the space for the backs to put Joe Rocokoco over in the right.
The last two tries came in the last five minutes of the game, so you could say the end score was slightly flattering, but it wasn’t far from mirroring the dominance enjoyed by the All Blacks after half-time.
Were it not for their high error-rate, the Wallabies would have been in it at half-time, for they had enough of the game and enough opportunities. However, instead of them pressurising their opponents, as they did in the South African game in Brisbane, it was the other way around this time, and James O’Conner in particular had a nightmare at the back.
It was O’Connor that Jane soared up ahead of in chasing a high kick in the 31st minute that he gathered to himself after it bobbled momentarily and he was over on the right. All Black centre Isaiah Toeava had just been carded by South African referee Craig Joubert for a high tackle so it was an important moment in the game as that was the period Australia, down just 9-6, should have been trying to stamp their authority.
Giteau put the first points of the match on the board to give Australia a 3-0 lead, but Dan Carter, after an initial miss, recovered to drum home three penalties to make it 9-3 at the end of the first quarter.
The game was provided an entertaining spectacle and was a fitting way for the Tri-Nations season to end, with the All Blacks proving in maintaining their dominance over the Wallabies that they remain South Africa’s main challengers for the top ranking.
Scores
New Zealand 33 – Tries: Cory Jane, Ma’a Nonu and Joe Rocokoco; Conversions: Dan Carter 3; Penalties: Dan Carter 4.
Australia 6 – Penalty: Matt Giteau, Drop-goal: Berrick Barnes.
Read more on the Tri-Nations page.
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