Twenty minutes of All Blacks shock and awe was enough to continue a 35-year Wallabies losing streak at Eden Park as New Zealand took the early Bledisloe Cup points with a win which could serve as an entree to an even better main course next week.
There was a significant attacking fervour from the undaunted Australians who scored the final three tries and served notice that next week’s same-time, same-place encounter could demand more from the home team.
The late rally, however, plus an 80-minute powerhouse performance from captain Michael Hooper and an 18-9 penalty count in Australia’s favour, wasn’t enough to secure their first win against the Kiwis in Auckland since 1986.
Instead the 33-25 score line came on the back of four Kiwi tries in just over 20 minutes starting with one right on the halftime whistle and followed by three more inside the first 20 minutes of the second half…
