In a week when the Wallabies began an ad campaign “proving dads wrong”, those know-it-all fathers were once again wondering when Australia might end the Bledisloe woe.
It’ll be one more year before the Wallabies get another chance to win the gargantuan trophy after the All Blacks put on another clinic.
All told, it was 38-7 to the visitors at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground that had as many vocal All Blacks fans as Wallabies supporters.
Watch every match of the 2023 Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup on the home of rugby, Stan Sport. All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand
The All Blacks ran in six tries while the Wallabies scored just one in the sixth minute courtesy of Rob Valetini. The men in gold were otherwise kept out of the contest.
“Yeah, gutted,” said Tate McDermott.
“I mean, just disappointing – 83,000 people showed up tonight to support us and we didn’t give them much.”
Angus Bell added, “It’s just hard. Let down all the Melbourne people that came out to watch us. We trained pretty hard this week and are trying to put out a good performance.
“We’ve let down Eddie, we let down Australia, and it’s hard because we work so hard. I guess we’ve just go come back next week and change a few things.
Brutal tackle gifts epic All Blacks try
Shannon Frizell scored the opener when Scott Barrett steamrolled Tate McDermott, who lost possession as a result.
The ball conveniently fell into the pocket of nearby flanker Frizell, who eased over the line.
Valetini’s response came shortly thereafter and it would be nearly 20 minutes before the All Blacks registered their second try.
A rolling maul gave Codie Taylor a chance to score and the All Blacks duly extended their lead in the 33rd minute.
Blinding Nawaqanitawase run nets Wallabies try
If the Wallabies weren’t already down in the dumps, then captain Allan Alaalatoa’s injury just shy of half-time condemned them.
He was carted off and didn’t return to play with reports of a ruptured Achilles.
In classic All Blacks fashion, just on half-time Will Jordan made it 19-7 after a deft touch from Richie Mo’unga put the right winger across the line in the corner.
A flurry of tries came in less than 10 minutes. Caleb Clarke continued the scoring in the 58th minute before Mark Telea and Rieko Iaone crossed over the 63rd and 66th respectively.
All Blacks run rings around Wallabies defence
Ioane’s try capped off the perfect night for the All Blacks, having nearly run the length of the field.
The All Blacks threatened to continue scoring but were held out by the Wallabies. Chances for the home side came and went and their tally remained at seven points.
The dread word ‘discipline’ once again reared its head. Marika Koroibete was sent off for cynical play, which nearly gifted the All Blacks a try after Mark Telea fumbled a tap-and-go.
Taniela Tupou also copped a yellow card having just been substituted, meaning his replacement Angus Bell had to come off the field.
The Wallabies conceded seven penalties, the lowest in the three Rugby Championship contests to date.
Injured Tupou binned for tackle
Despite losing the Bledisloe Cup, there was reason for optimism.
“The cauldron of professional sport is unforgiving,” said former Wallabies star and Stan Sport commentator Justin Harrison.
“We’ve seen multiple examples tonight. The fine line between excellence and mediocrity.
“The Wallabies, we know that there were times in that match where they were dominant. They were accelerating through contact. They were moving bodies around. They were controlling possession, advancing the ball, putting the All Blacks under pressure.
“Let’s remember, that first 20 minutes; loose passes, mistimed off-side, the All Blacks were on the wrong side of the penalty count.
“Lots of those things are positives to hold onto. Marry them to an 80-minute performance and then we can start to really see this forward pack and this team being successful.”
The Wallabies will head to Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium for the second leg of the Bledisloe Cup and the final Rugby Championship match on August 5.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Eddie Jones’ remarkable career in pictures: Wallabies coach’s prescient Bazball warning for England
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
