Scott Robertson’s selection gamble pays off as All Blacks keep Rugby Championship title hopes alive with record-breaking 11th straight victory over Wallabies
Quinn Tupaea's brace helped fire the All Blacks to a strong victory over the Wallabies in Perth
The All Blacks kept their slim Rugby Championship title hopes alive with a gritty 28-14 win over the Wallabies in Perth.
Scott Robertson’s side were far from perfect, but four tries and three Damian McKenzie kicks were enough to steer them to a record-breaking 11th successive win over Australia, further tightening their grip on the Bledisloe Cup.
They didn’t have it all their own way, though, with Australia in the fight right until the final whistle.
Click here for the scorers
The game began at breakneck speed, with both sides getting on the scoreboard in the opening 10 minutes. Australia’s points came courtesy of a Tane Edmed penalty, but the All Blacks hit back almost instantly with a Leroy Carter try, with the winger burrowing over from short range.
After two more Edmed penalties, a Wallabies disallowed try for a croc roll from Tom Hooper and a few chances for either side, the All Blacks struck with two tries in a 10-minute splurge.
Both came through Quinn Tupaea, but in contrasting circumstances. His first score came after the ball ricocheted off Jordie Barrett’s head to send the onrushing back racing onto the ball before he put in a clever grubber kick to dot down.
He didn’t have to wait long for his second, which came in a far less bizarre fashion as he bashed his way through multiple defenders to score from close range.
A Len Ikitau yellow card at the start of the second half threatened to see the Wallabies fall even further behind, but if anything, it just galvanised Schmidt’s side.
An increase in ruck speed from Jake Gordon, alongside repeated penalties at the breakdown, saw Australia pile the pressure onto the All Blacks, but just as quickly as it came on, a misplaced Hooper pass allowed the visitors an easy way out.
That set a precedent for the Wallabies as their error and penalty count began to creep up. In turn, that gifted the All Blacks opportunities, which then saw McKenzie finally add the first points of the second half off the tee.
You felt if they stood any chance of mounting a comeback, Australia needed to score next. And they did just that.
After a strong driving maul and some powerful pick-and-goes, Ikitau’s quick thinking saw him dot the ball down from short range. The conversion struck the uprights, but Australia had a fighting chance heading into the final 15 minutes.
Test rugby can be a cruel beast at times, and that certainly proved the case for Australia again, as McKenzie pushed the All Blacks’ lead out to nine points with his second penalty of the half.
New Zealand were now out for the kill, looking to make sure of an 11th-straight win over their nearest and dearest.
A string of penalties gifted them possession in the Wallabies 22, resulting in replacement prop George Bower powering over and bringing the curtain down on an enthralling Rugby Championship tie.
The teams
Australia: 15 Max Jorgensen, 14 Harry Potter, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Tane Edmed, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Rob Valetini, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Josh Flook
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 George Bower, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Rieko Ioane, 23 Ruben Love
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (RFU), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Marius Jonker (SARU)