Well, a great win by the Ardie Savea led All Blacks over Australia (Who had lost Allan Ala'alatoa in the process with what looks to be a serious lower leg injury which rules him out of this years Rugby World Cup tournament) in front of 80,000 fans to lock away both the Bledisloe & the Rugby Championship for another year (And that's the first time the AB's have done it by winning the Rugby Championship in a Rugby World Cup year since 2007 which was during the Tri Nations era in which I was so stoked about the result but the Aussies will be so gutted that they have lost another game but they have their soul searching to do going into the next game under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium (AKA the glass house which is the only covered stadium here in New Zealand but Te Kaha in Christchurch has already been confirmed since it had already been given the green light & is expected to be open in 2026 as the new stadium is designed to be built to replace the dreaded Lancaster Park in which the stadium has since been demolished as a result of earthquake damage sustained in 2011) in Dunedin in our last Aotearoa test of 2023 (In which the Wallabies have never won against the AB's, on New Zealand soil since 2001 in which the John 'Ealesy' Eales led side spoiled New Zealand's party at the old house of pain at Carisbrook in Dunedin in the late Jonah Lomu's 50th test (He made his test debut in 1994 against France in Christchurch, 8 years before his last against Wales in Cardiff in 2002) according to my previous blogs) as well as the penultimate test before the World Cup as the road to France is near) so here is the live updates according to Newshub (And it'll be the 1st time I'll be doing live updates of rugby games since last year when the Black Ferns had taken a memorable close win against England to retain the Women's Rugby World Cup crown at a packed Eden Park in the final of the delayed 2021 tournament, but involving the AB's since 2021 where I last did it, but wow! (And I wonder the headlines would say? AB'S WIN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE RUGBY TITLE IN WC YEAR SINCE 2007 or more like WALLABIES TROUNCED BY INCREDIBLE ALL BLACKS IN ACTION PACKED BLEDISLOE CUP TEST, or more like: NEW ZEALAND DRAW FIRST BLOOD IN BLEDISLOE I THEN RETAIN TRC TITLE But what a disappointing end for Australia, what a match for our viewers right around the world):
Kia ora, good evening, and welcome to live coverage of the first Bledisloe Cup clash of 2023, with the All Blacks and Wallabies to square off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
These two sides could not have had more contrasting starts to their years.
Ian Foster's All Blacks are currently two from two, and have comfortably beaten both Argentina and South Africa, firing warning shots in a Rugby World Cup year for good measure.
Eddie Jones' Australia meanwhile, makes for different reading altogether.
After a first-up loss to a weakened Springboks side, the Wallabies fell to a last-gasp defeat to Argentina two weeks ago, and are yet to taste victory in Jones' second stint in charge.
But if there's one coach to upset the apple cart against the All Blacks, it's Eddie Jones - who has made no secret his desire to get a result here tonight.
As the All Blacks look to build towards France, Foster has kept the faith with the side that beat South Africa, with the only change being captain Sam Cane's omission as precaution due to a neck injury.
Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks in Cane's absence, while Dalton Papali'i starts at No.7 as the only change to the starting side.
On the bench, keep an eye out for Hurricanes halfback Cam Roigard, in line to become All Black No.1210 should he take the field for Aaron Smith.
Victory tonight would see the All Blacks not only secure a Rugby Championship clean sweep, but also lock away the Bledisloe Cup for another year.
The Wallabies meanwhile have backed the pair of Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon at halfback and first-five respectively, in their quest to win back the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002.
Teams:
All Blacks: 1-Ethan de Groot, 2-Codie Taylor, 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-Brodie Retallick, 5-Scott Barrett, 6-Shannon Frizell, 7-Dalton Papali'i, 8-Ardie Savea (c), 9-Aaron Smith, 10-Richie Mo'unga, 11-Mark Telea, 12-Jordie Barrett, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Will Jordan, 15-Beauden Barrett
Reserves: 16-Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17-Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 18-Nepo Laulala, 19-Sam Whitelock, 20-Luke Jacobson, 21-Cam Roigard, 22-Anton Lienert-Brown, 23-Caleb Clarke
Australia: 1-Angus Bell, 2-David Porecki, 3-Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 4-Nick Frost, 5-Will Skelton, 6-Jed Holloway, 7-Tom Hooper, 8-Rob Valetini, 9-Tate McDermott, 10-Carter Gordon, 11-Marika Koroibete, 12-Samu Kerevi, 13-Jordan Petaia, 14-Mark Nawaqanitawase, 15-Andrew Kellaway
Replacements: 16-Jordan Uelese, 17-James Slipper , 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Richie Arnold, 20-Rob Leota, 21-Nic White, 22-Quade Cooper, 23-Izaia Perese
TEAM NEWS: Australia - A host of changes for the Wallabies for the first Bledisloe clash. In the front row Angus Bell comes in to join Dave Porecki and Alan Alaalatoa as James Slipper drops to the bench. Nick Frost comes in to join Will Skelton with Richie Arnold on the bench. Tom Hooper joins Jed Holloway and Rob Valentini in the loose trio. Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon are the new halves pairing with Nic White and Quade Cooper providing the back up. Samu Kerevi gets Jordan Petaia for company in the midfield and Andrew Kellaway replaces Tom Wright at the back.
TEAM NEWS: New Zealand - Just the one personnel change from the starting XV that beat the Springboks two weeks ago with Dalton Papali'i coming in for the injured Sam Cane. Ofa Tu'ungafasi comes onto the bench for last week's debutant Tamaiti Williams, with Sam Whitelock and Luke Jacobson also joining. In the backs, Anton Lienert-Brown comes in for Braydon Ennor while Cam Roigard is in line to make his international debut off the bench. Ardie Savea will captain the side in the absence of Sam Cane.
It's a huge clash gearing up as Australia and New Zealand kick off the final round of the Rugby Championship in Melbourne tonight. The Wallabies have had a bit of a poor showing in the first two matches this season, with a huge loss to the Springboks in Pretoria in the round 1 before a narrow loss to Los Pumas in Sydney two weeks ago. The All Blacks, on the other hand, are unbeaten, and a win here today will secure them the title for the 2023 season.
The Wallabies came heartbreakingly close to beating their trans-Tasman rivals in 2022 when the two sides met in Melbourne, but a late refereeing decision cost them the result as the Kiwis were given the opportunity to put one last score on the board right at the death. Their second meeting to close out the Rugby Championship competition was far less flattering for the Aussies.
This is a clash that the All Blacks have absolutely dominated in recent years. The Wallabies last lifted the Bledisloe Cup in 2002, and last beat their trans-Tasman rivals in 202 by just two points when they met in Brisbane for a truncated Rugby Championship season that didn't feature the South Africans due to travel restrictions. However, just a week earlier the Kiwis racked up over 40 points against the Wallabies again, showing just how inconsistent the Aussies have been lately.
Both sides have named massive lineups for this clash, with some huge fliers in the backline that the pack will be looking to get the ball to. The biggest surprise perhaps is the rookie halfback pairing Eddie Jones has called upon for the Wallabies in Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon. The battle of the fullbacks is going to be huge and could play a major role in the outcome of this game as errors under the high ball and some well-placed kicks will put huge pressure against the opposition.
Australia need to learn a lesson from the mistakes of the Springboks in Auckland two weeks ago. New Zealand were quick to open a huge lead on the scoreboard against their biggest rivals on that occasion, and while the Boks did come back at them in the second half you really can't play catchup rugby against this All Blacks side. The Wallabies will need a good start, and will need to keep up that intensity throughout the game if they are going to have any hope of shutting this Kiwi side out.
The Wallabies showed a much improved performance against Los Pumas two weeks ago after a shocking start in Pretoria, but they still fell short with their major issue being their discipline. The All Blacks will be only too happy to pounce on ill-discipline and will absolutely make use of a numbers advantage if the Aussies find themselves playing with men in the bin, so they will have needed to have cleaned that up drastically in the last fortnight.
The teams are making their way out on the pitch to thunderous applause in a packed MCG, and we'll have the Welcome to Country before the anthems and the Haka before we get this clash underway!
Rousing renditions of both anthems, and it's just the Haka to go before kick off!
Wayne Barnes is the man in charge for this clash, while Tom Foley will keep an eye on things from the TMO booth.
KICK OFF, 1ST MINUTE: And we're off! The Wallabies gather the ball just outside their 22, and McDermott sends it back for the kick ahead. Barrett returns with an up and under that puts Kellaway under pressure. Recycled infield to Bell who drives up into contact. Alaalatoa stopped short, and Kerevi with the hoist. Telea takes for the Kiwis and runs it back to the halfway line into contact. A couple of short passes up the left wing there, but the last one is loose and off into touch.
2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Frost brings the ball down in the air. Quick ball through the midfield and then chipped ahead. Telea under pressure as he takes the high ball. Slow on the floor before Smith sends it infield. A couple of phases going nowhere, so again it goes high. Kellaway can't gather this one! The Kiwis clean up the loose ball and Smith puts the kick downfield that sends Gordon and Barrett racing into the corner, but the ball bounces to touch.
3RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS (S. FRIZELL, 0 - 5): Quick ball off the lineout for McDermott, but he gets absolutely smashed backwards in the tackle by Barrett which forces the ball loose, and Frizell is there to pounce on it in-goal to score the try! (OH MERCY ME! WHAT A TACKLE! THAT COULD'VE PUT HIM IN WARD 4! I HOPE NOT, THAT'S A MATERNITY WARD! There's the first try!)
4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION MISS ALL BLACKS: Conversion wide from out on the right wing.
6TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks boot the ball back downfield off the restart. The Wallabies spread it wide to the right wing where they work it up to the 10m mark. Shift back infield where Nawaqanitawase bursts away in the midfield! He's up into the 22 before the All Blacks react to drag him down!
7TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TMO REFERRAL: Quick ball wide to the right wing where the home side are on the charge making metres with every carry! Porecki brings it back infield before Valetini dives right under the sticks! Millimetres short! Now they spread it wide to the left wing for Koroibete who stretches for the corner as he's thrown into touch! They are going upstairs here...
His arm is on the touchline before he manages to get the ball down. That's no try, but they also want to check under the sticks for Valetini's go!
8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY AUSTRALIA (R. VALETINI, 5 - 5): Definitely looks short as he hits the ground, but he is allowed to stretch out for the line... He's got it down right on the chalk! That's going to put Australia on the board right under the sticks! (Now here's the decision, they've been given it!)
CONVERSION AUSTRALIA: Gordon puts the Wallabies into the lead from out in front!
9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION AUSTRALIA (C. GORDON, 7 - 5): Gordon puts the Wallabies into the lead from out in front!
10TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Kellaway under pressure as he takes the restart with Barrett bearing down on him. Cleared to touch from the base of the ensuing ruck.
11TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Quick ball off the top is popped infield to Jordan who bursts up! The All Blacks are quickly into the 22! Strong carry from Savea as he drags two with him almost up to the 5. Frizell gets it onto the mark. Smith slows things down at the ruck before sending it infield, but Skelton comes flying in at the next breakdown and forces the turnover! Recycled back to Gordon who clears to touch.
12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA (HOLDING ON): This time Barrett brings the ball down into a rumbling rolling maul that drives up into the 22. It's halted there, and the Kiwis spread it infield. A monster tackle from Koroibete on Telea in the midfield! Wallabies over the ball to win the penalty!
13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA: Lineout set up just over the 10. Quick ball infield to Valetini who drives up into contact before the kick ahead. Nawaqanitawase goes chasing up the right wing after it, but Telea comes away with it in the air. Shortside ball for Savea who is stopped short on the 10. Popped back infield where it's kicked ahead. Koroibete darts back up to halfway with ball in hand. Porecki bashes his way up for a metre or two as well. Ripped free in the tackle, but still there for the Aussies to clean up. Gordon with a strong carry before Kerevi hands off one. Penalty for the home side on the floor!
14TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL MISS AUSTRALIA: Gordon pushes it wide from out on the right.
15TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA: Gordon claims the 22 restart and pops it to Valetini to run into contact. The box kick off the base of the ensuing ruck has gone nowhere but up! The All Blacks gather out on the left wing and barge up into contact out wide. Telea up into the 22! Recycled infield to Frizell who is stopped short, and then Barrett is driven out of the red zone and the Wallabies are over the ball on the floor again! Another penalty for the home side!
17TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Touch not found! Thumping kick sent back downfield onto McDermott. Gordon kicks it ahead, and Barrett returns. Koroibete also opts to go to the boot... This is just devolving into kick tennis now... Nawaqanitawase under pressure as he takes a chip kick out on the right wing. Slow ball on the floor is eventually hoofed back, and Barrett misses it! Jordan has to scamper backwards to gather, aaaand here's some more kicking...
18TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS: Kerevi pinged for taking out Barrett as he was trying to chase the kick.
19TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA: Lineout set up on the 22. Quick ball off the top is popped infield to Barrett who is muscled backwards. Back to the shortside where McDermott puts in a good tackle. Barrett again on the inside before Taylor has a go, and there's a penalty for taking out the man way past the ruck on the clean out!
21ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Gordon sets up the lineout around his 10. Valetini gets it off the top to drive up into contact, and McDermott puts the box kick ahead. The Kiwis gather on their own 10, carrying it up into contact once before returning off the boot. Alaalatoa with a strong carry into contact in the midfield before the Wallabies switch it back to the right wing where Kellaway sprints away! He's up to the 22 before he's dragged down!
22ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS (OFF FEET): Shift back infield to Bell who is stopped short, and now they send it wide to the left wing for Koroibete. He's taken down on the 22, and the Wallabies are straight off their feet at the breakdown!
23RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS (OFFSIDE): Lineout set up just over halfway. Quick pop off the top and it's then sent back to the shortside for Telea! He bursts up the left touchline to the 22! The visitors with some quick recycling and huge carries gets them right onto the line! Wallabies have given away the advantage as they have inched offside here. Quick pick and drives... Smith dives for the line, but he's just short and has the ball ripped away. We'll go back for the penalty.
25TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Into the left corner! Retallick brings the ball into the maul, but the Aussies are all over it and manage to send them backwards! Smith pops it infield, and here come more pick and drives! Retallick stopped short under the posts. Smith back to the left for De Groot, for Taylor, for Barrett who manages to get back up over the 5 after the Wallabies shoved them back a little out wide.
26TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED ALL BLACKS: Shift back infield again, and Koroibete a mile offside and knocking the ball...
Telea taps and goes and dives right through under the posts, but on the TMO check they've ruled he didn't tap it properly! They'll restart with a scrum to Australia in the shadow of their posts instead.
YELLOW CARD (M. KOROIBETE): And because the All Blacks haven't capitalised on that, Koroibete is going to the bin for the penalty that the Kiwis should have had for knocking the ball down right under the posts.
27TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Quick ball out the back and Gordon clears to touch up over his 10.
28TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Infield ball to Papali'i who drives up into contact. Wide through to the right wing where Mo'unga has a go into contact. Popped back on the inside, and knocked at the base of the scrum as Smith tries to recycle it!
29TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Openside ball to Kerevi who thumps the kick downfield. Jordan gathers, flicks it infield to Barrett who flicks it right back to him... Now they shift it wide to the left wing where Telea can't shake of Petaia. Back on the inside for Barrett who puts the chip ahead to chase. Valetini manages to gather under pressure.
30TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED ALL BLACKS: Wide to the right wing from the Wallabies before the pop back on the inside. Nawaqanitawase with a snipe up the side of the ruck that isn't really going much of anywhere... Back on the inside where McDermott coughs it up in a crunching tackle!
31ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Not steady at all there... They'll have to reset.
33RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Strong scrum from the Wallabies! Smith told to use it as the packs wheel around though. Shortside ball and a flick pass on the inside to Taylor who goes flying up to the 22! Popped up on the inside before it goes back to the left wing, and then on the inside to Retallick. Taylor with another carry on the shortside, and then popped to Telea who tries desperately to offload back on the inside as he's thrown over the touchline, only for Petaia to bat the ball into touch.
Time off as there's some running repairs and water drinking going on.
34TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS (C. TAYLOR, 7 - 10): We're restarting with a Kiwi lineout. Barrett into the maul, and this is a huge drive! The Wallabies manage to briefly halt them, but the All Blacks reset their drive and wheel towards the shortside to get Taylor closer to that line to drive through the defense and right onto the chalk! (There's the try! He's broken through the defence, well done)
35TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS (R. MO'UNGA, 7 - 12): Great kick from Mo'unga from out on the left wing to add the extras.
36TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED ALL BLACKS: Gordon's restart has barely gone 5m, let alone the required 10...
37TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS: All Blacks with a huge shove! They force the Aussies down at the front to get the advantage! Wide to the left wing where they manage to make it up to the 10, but it's a bit lateral bringing it back infield. Barnes will take them back to the penalty.
Time off as Alaalatoa has also not managed to get back up after that scrum. Looks like the stretcher is being called onto the pitch.
They have managed to get Alaalatoa onto his feet, but he's not even touching the ground with his left foot as he's helped onto the stretcher. Not a good sight, particularly in a World Cup year.
38TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lineout set up just outside the 22. Savea takes it at the front and pops it infield to Telea who loops around the back of the set piece and hands off three as he bursts up into the 22! He's finally dragged down 10 out. Recycled through a couple of phases in the midfield before the All Blacks set up the pick and drives right on the chalk. Savea held up over the line!
40TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Barrett takes the goal-line drop-out on the 10 and barges up into the tackle of Frost. His brother makes a carry back up into the 22 before the Kiwis spread it wide to the left wing. Retallick stopped short on his carry, prompting a shift back infield. Frizell hands off one while offloading to Barrett.
40TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS (W. JORDAN, 7 - 17): Time up on the clock now as the All Blacks switch back to the left wing. Savea stopped short, as is Scott Barrett. Papali'i going nowhere before Beaudy has a go. Taylor makes some metres with the pick and go! Telea quickly pulled to ground as he gets to the 5. 20 phases from the visitors! Now they spread it wide, and it's some lightning fast tip along passes out to the right wing where Jordan steps on the inside of one, the outside of another, and dives over in the corner! (And in the corner! Try scored!)
40TH MINUTE + 3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS (R. MO'UNGA, 7 - 19): Mo'unga with a great kick from almost out on the right touchline to add the extras!
HALF TIME: AUSTRALIA 7 - 19 ALL BLACKS
It was a huge start from the All Blacks who pounced on an error in judgement from a Wallabies lineout right on their tryline, but the Wallabies managed to hit back not long afterwards and with the successful conversion the home side took the lead. It wasn't until after Australia were once again reduced to 14 players that New Zealand were able to get more points on the board, and it was enough to give them momentum to score two more tries before the break to take a good lead into halftime.
The Wallabies have looked good at the breakdowns again, with Will Skelton in particular making a nuisance of himself and forcing a couple of turnovers with the pressure he's put on the All Blacks. The Wallabies do need to make better use of their possession though, because at the moment they aren't getting themselves into the right areas of the pitch to really build momentum and pressure on the Kiwis.
New Zealand are once again looking excellent in the set pieces. Their scrum has already won them one penalty, and both their scrums and their lineouts have been a great attacking platform for the backline. Telea has made a couple of breaks off the lineouts, and one rolling maul got them over the line through Taylor. The Wallabies need to avoid giving their guests the opportunity to set up the set pieces if they want to unravel this attack a little, and need to string together more phases rather than simply kicking the ball away as they have at times. They have made some great breaks so far and they need to capitalise on that in the second 40 if they want to come back into this.
41ST MINUTE, START OF SECOND HALF: Deep restart onto the All Blacks who drive up out of the 22 before having the ball ripped off them! Infield from the Wallabies to Petaia who kicks it away... I'm sure I just covered this... The Kiwis are able to scoop it up inside the 22 and clear to touch.
43RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS: Taken quickly by the home side. Infield ball through the hands where Tupou drives up towards the 22, but it's Valetini who gets it there with a huge leg drive! Hooper gets the pop pass on the inside, but he has two hanging on around his waist. Quick hands to Bell on the left. He hands off one before he's pulled down. Wide to Kerevi on the wing, and then back on the inside to Tupou. Advantage called again. Infield for the crossfield kick for Nawanqanitawase, but that beats him to touch. Back for the penalty.
44TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lineout set up in the left corner. Frost brings the ball into the maul, but it's a great counter from the All Blacks who are forcing them backwards, off their feet, and the turnover!
46TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Down at the front from the Wallabies, and the Kiwis have the advantage! Openside ball is spread wide through the hands to the left wing where Telea bursts up to the 10 before he's dragged over the touchline. That's advantage over too.
47TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA (OFF FEET): Quick ball across the width of the pitch to the left wing as the Wallabies secure the lineout ball. Popped back on the inside where Petaia is driven backwards. Shortside for Skelton who offloads well in contact to keep the ball alive, but Taylor is trying to play the ball off his feet at the next breakdown.
48TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lineout set up in the left corner again! Valetini with the pop off the top to Leota who loops around the back of the set piece up into contact. Infield for another two phases as they drive up towards the line before the shift back to the left where Kerevi is held up by one of the Barrett brothers!
49TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA, THEN PENALTY ALL BLACKS (HOLDING ON): Back for a penalty almost right under the sticks, and the Wallabies tap and go! They drive up under the sticks, but it's a huge effort from the All Blacks on defense and Savea gets over the breakdown to win the penalty!
Time off as Tupou is now down and looking like he's in no small amount of pain.... This could be very bad news for the home side.
50TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA (NOT ROLLING AWAY): Looks like Tupou is going to play through the pain for now... Touch not found! Nawaqanitawase keeps it infield and the Wallabies spread it wide through to the left wing where they drive back up towards the 22. Penalty for the home side as the All Blacks aren't rolling on the floor!
51ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED ALL BLACKS: Back into that left corner. Arnold takes the ball into the maul, but again the All Blacks are managing to hold them steady... Strong second shove up the right gets them inching up, but then Australia fall off their feet and the Kiwis will come away with another scrum off a Wallabies maul!
52ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Scrum wheeling around, and Savea bursts away off the base. Shortside ball to Taukei'aho who is stopped short. Kicked ahead off the base of the scrum, and that's landed in touch on halfway.
53RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Arnold with a flick off the top. Infield to Kerevi who gets man and ball. Korobete going nowhere either as he runs into Taukei'aho. Back to the shortside where Tupou is dragged down. Arnold drives up over the 10m mark. Frost eakes out another metre or so.
54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), SCRUM FEED ALL BLACKS: Huge counter ruck from the All Blacks, but they've knocked the ball on in the process. Scrum time.
Tupou looking in really bad shape here... It looks like they're going to bring him off now. This is going to cause problems for the home side...
Sounds like Bell is not going to be allowed to scrum on the tighthead side, so Tupou is opting not to leave the pitch. This is not a great idea health wise...
55TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Strong second shove from the Kiwis has both packs wheeling around. They'll have to reset as White can't dig the ball out in the middle of 16 big bodies...
56TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Straight down at the front this time.
57TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY AUSTRALIA: Wheeling around again on Tupou's side, and Valetini is under enormous pressure trying to get the ball away... The Kiwis have forced the turnover on the floor! Mo'unga with a carry in the midfield before it's spread out to the right wing. Jordan scoops up the loose ball as it squirts out the back of a ruck. Penalty for the home side at the next breakdown!
Tupou officially leaving the pitch and Bell is returning to the game. Sounds like Slipper is shifting to tighthead.
TMO REFERRAL: There's a check here on Tupou's last tackle as well, and this is going to be even more trouble...
58TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS (HIGH TACKLE) & YELLOW CARD (T. TUPOU): Tupou being yellow carded to add insult to injury... He's gone in very upright in the tackle -- probably due to whatever injury he's harbouring -- and made contact with the head of Laulala, and that means that Bell will have to leave the pitch again and wait until that 10 minutes is served.
This is going to review actually, so this could still be upgraded to a red.
59TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS (C. CLARKE, 7 - 24): Lineout set up inside the 22. Quick ball off the top from the All Blacks is spread infield, but going nowhere. Smith switches it back to the left wing where he snipes up the side of the ruck himself! He's 2m short as he's dragged down! Offside advantage called, but they won't need it! Pick and go from Clarke who drives straight over the line as he ducks low under Valetini's attempted tackle! (What a try! Surrounded by the defence, & he still manages to score!)
60TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS (R. MO'UNGA, 7 - 26): Mo'unga just slips it inside the right post from out on the left wing.
61ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Deep restart onto New Zealand who quickly drive up out of the 22. Popped up on the inside for another carry before it's recycled back to Mo'unga for the kick ahead. The Wallabies spread it through to their right wing, and the pass from Nawanqanitawase has gone to the AR...
SCRUM FEED ALL BLACKS: It's been knocked on as well, so we'll have a Kiwi scrum. Bell will have to come on here, and the Wallabies will have to sacrifice someone..
62ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS: Penalty for the All Blacks as the Aussies are straight down thanks to overextending.
Confirmation that the yellow card will remain a yellow card.
64TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS (M. TELEA, 7 - 31): Lineout set up just outside the 22. Huge maul from New Zealand! They're up into the 22 before the Wallabies are starting to come through the middle. Infield ball off the base and some huge carries as well get them up to the 5. Shift to the left wing before sending it back infield. Tu'ungafasi stopped short, as is Taukei'aho. Slow ball on the floor before Roigard sends it to Whitelock under the posts. He's 2 short. Now they spread it to the right wing with some quick hands and it's Telea who gets the ball down in the corner! (For the corner!)
66TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), CONVERSION MISS ALL BLACKS: No extras as the ball just slips past the outside of the right post from out on the touchline.
67TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY ALL BLACKS (R. IOANE, 7 - 36): Deep restart onto the All Blacks who are now full of running! Some quick hands with stunning offloading up the left wing gets them up over halfway, the 10, and into the 22! Wallabies scrambling on defense! Quick shift wide to the right wing, and it's Telea who totally steps Koroibete before flicking the pass on the inside to Ioane who sprints straight through and over for the try! (He puts it down, he's broken through the defence & has scored a very good try!)
68TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION ALL BLACKS (R. MO'UNGA, 7 - 38): No mistake from Mo'unga this time from out on the right wing.
70TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Whitelock takes the restart just outside the 22. Popped up on the inside for another carry before the kick ahead. The Wallabies spread it to the right wing where Nawaqanitawase is dragged quickly down. Shift through the hands to the left wing where Arnold is stopped short. Bell on the inside going nowhere either, nor is Kellaway. Slow ball from the Wallabies before Cooper makes a metre or two up the right wing. Slipper stopped as well, but they spread it back to the left wing where Bell breaks straight through a gap! He's deep into the 22 before he's taken to ground!
71ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Recycled to the shortside for a phase or two before they spread it to the right wing where Valetini gets man and ball. Popped back on the inside again. Cooper sends a long pass to the left wing for Perese. Knocked on by Cooper back on the inside! The All Blacks clean up and smash the kick back up over halfway.
72ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS: Nawaqanitawase scoops up the bobbling ball and runs it back into Kiwi territory. Popped up to the shortside for Valetini who is out on the wing again. Direction switch back infield through the hands where the All Blacks come up with the steal again! Wide to the right wing for Telea to sprint away, but a huge hit drags him down and there's no support! Penalty for the home side!
73RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Lineout set up on the New Zealand 10. A loose pop off the top sends White backwards to clean up. Shortside ball for Koroibete to carry up the touchline before the shift infield. Another loose pass in the midfield for Frost to scoop up. Kerevi under pressure out on the right wing as he gets man and ball. New Zealand rip the ball away and put the chip ahead.
74TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), NO TRY & PENALTY AUSTRALIA: Gathered by the Wallabies back outside their 22, and Kellaway bursts away up the middle of the pitch! He's up over halfway and the 10 before he's caught, and there's no support! The All Blacks snatch it right back and there's another kick downfield to chase! A footrace ensues between Koroibete and Mo'unga, and while the All Blacks flyhalf manages to grab the ball and dive over under the sticks it's only because he's first pushed the Wallabies winger off the ball. Penalty for the home side.
76TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Lineout set up just outside the 22. White sends the ball infield off the lineout to Cooper to Kerevi who is stopped short on the 22. Wide to the left wing where they make it up towards the 10 before coughing up the ball again... New Zealand clean up and send it through the hands to Clarke on the left wing. Roigard recycles back infield as the winger goes to ground. Whitelock makes a couple of metres with a strong leg drive.
77TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Shift back to the right wing where Perese makes a good tackle to drive the Kiwis backwards. Popped back on the inside where they keep it alive through the midfield to spread it to the left wing. This is a little static from the visitors... Mo'unga opts to put the ball high, and Kellaway returns.
78TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Wide ball to Papali'i out on the left wing, and he's up into the 22! Shift infield and a crossfield kick that's gone backwards... Jordan manages to get back for it and runs it back into the 22 into contact. Back to the midfield where the grubber through is scooped up by Cooper. The pass back to Kerevi is a horrible one! Somehow he manages to juggle and dodge the chase to be able to get the clearance kick away!
79TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Quick ball off the top to Clarke who drives back up to the red zone. Popped through the hands in the midfield for Taukei'aho who makes a couple of metres. Wallabies over the next breakdown to win the penalty!
80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Kellaway sets up the lineout just short of his 10. Arnold brings the ball safely off the top, and infield they go. Perese carries up into contact out on the left wing before the shift back on the inside. Shortside again for Hooper this time, and then Bell on the inside with a huge leg drive!
80TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY ALL BLACKS (OBSTRUCTION): Obstruction from the Wallabies off the back of Bell's carry, and the clock is in the red! The All Blacks are only too happy to tap and send it into the stands!
FULL TIME: AUSTRALIA 7 - 38 ALL BLACKS
Well, that was definitely not what the Wallabies would have been hoping for tonight. They started off fairly strong in the first half, but things devolved quickly in the last 10 minutes before halftime. Once again the Wallabies discipline did them no favours. Two yellow cards again this week, with the All Blacks scoring four tries in the 20 minutes their hosts found themselves playing with just 14.
The Wallabies had plenty of opportunities throughout the 80 minutes. They found themselves with good possession in the right areas of the pitch, but they couldn't actually convert those into actual points on the scoreboard. Two lineouts right in the corner in the 22 resulted in turnover ball for New Zealand when Australia should have been able to get themselves over the line, and it was a confidence killer for the home side as they got more and more desperate with every missed opportunity.
The All Blacks looked good at both set pieces, putting pressure on the Wallabies pack at scrum time to win a couple of penalties, and defending the rolling maul with such ferocity that Australia kept finding themselves on the wrong end of the scrum just seconds later. They were steady under the high ball as well, and put a couple of excellent chips ahead to chase and put huge pressure on the Aussies.
Despite all the issues for the home side, they did have moments where they looked stunning. They were strong on defense at the breakdowns, forcing some turnovers and winning a couple of good penalties on All Blacks ball. The handling was good from both sides, with just a couple of knocks throughout the game, although one of those cost the Wallabies another potential try from deep in the New Zealand 22.
Aside from their discipline being an issue, the Wallabies really put themselves under pressure on a couple of occasions with what should have been little errors that made it all too easy for the All Blacks to pounce on. The most obvious example being the opening try of the match, with New Zealand scoring the points thanks to McDermott not getting the ball away quickly enough off the lineout and being smashed backwards over the tryline. You can't make mistakes like that on your own tryline against a team like the All Blacks.
The final scoreline doesn't really fairly reflect the effort the Wallabies put in for the first 50 or so minutes, but the All Blacks have always been an opportunistic side who will capitalise on any gaps or errors. Aside from a very disappointing result, the Wallabies will also have to deal with two major injuries in their front row as both Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou left the pitch in bad shape during the game, with Alaalatoa in particular a concern as he has a suspected ACL injury.
These two sides will come up against one another again next weekend for Bledisloe II in Dunedin, but the trophy has already been secured for a whopping 21st year in a row by New Zealand. As with their last two matches, there's a lot the Wallabies need to work on if they want a different result, especially seeing as they are playing in the House of Pain. The All Blacks will be taking plenty of confidence into that clash after this result!
And in Formula One news such as the twice defending world champion & points leader Max Verstappen (Who had his first grid penalty of the 2023 season which demoted him to 6th on the grid for a gearbox alteration) in the Red Bull (His Mexican teammate Sergio Perez had finished 2nd behind him), wins his 8th straight race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit where it played host to the Belgian Grand Prix in Stavelot, Belgium (His winning streak began in Miami then Monaco, Spain, Canada, Austria, Britain, Hungary & now Belgium to add to his other wins in Bahrain & Australia while ties the record with the late Italian great of Alberto Ascari, but is one shy of the all time record for most consecutive wins is Sebastian Vettel with 9 in 2013), his 10th of the season while Sir Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes has just gained the extra point for setting the fastest lap of the race to be 1 behind Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in the race for 3rd in the championship as he finished 4th in the race ahead of Alonso but behind Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari in which he finished on the podium.
And the Football Women's World Cup report that the Football Ferns have missed out on advancing through to the round of 16 after a goal less draw against Switzerland in which they should've won but they'll be so disappointed that they didn't make it, not only was our defeat against the Philippines in Wellington proved costly after our upset win against Norway in the opener & we were so gutted about it, but here are the other results just come in:
Portugal 2 - 0 Vietnam
Canada 2 - 1 Republic of Ireland
Australia 2 - 3 Nigeria
Argentina 2 - 2 South Africa
England 1 - 0 Denmark
China 1 - 0 Haiti
Sweden 5 - 0 Italy
France 2 - 1 Brazil
Panama 0 - 1 Jamaica
Korea Republic 0 - 1 Morocco
Norway 6 - 0 Philippines
Germany 1 - 2 Colombia
Japan 4 - 0 Spain
Costa Rica 1 - 3 Zambia
Republic of Ireland 0 - 0 Nigeria
& Canada 0 - 4 Australia
UPDATED
Vietnam 0 - 7 The Netherlands
Portugal 0 - 0 United States
China 1 - 6 England
Haiti 0 - 2 Denmark
Argentina 0 - 2 Sweden
South Africa 3 - 2 Italy
Panama 3 - 6 France
Jamaica 0 - 0 Brazil
Morocco 1 - 0 Colmobia
& Korea Republic 1 - 1 Germany
And finally here are the confirmed matches being played in the round of 16 stage in this years Football Women's World Cup tournament:
Switzerland Vs Spain
Japan Vs Norway
Netherlands Vs South Africa
Sweden Vs United States
England Vs Nigeria
Australia Vs Denmark
Colombia Vs Jamaica
& France Vs Morocco
*: Key matchups
So that is my 512th blog of the year 2023 (MMXXIII) & my 36th of this year, viva Ukraine.
P.S. And a shoutout to my Moroccan Jewish mate & self proclaimed football fan of Leon Benbaruk wishing him all the best to link up with Michelle by moving to the UK while awaiting his visa (He stayed at our place a couple of times but I miss him now, I miss him already since he left on the 31st of July (The day of my most recent meeting with him compared to the last day of December on the 31st in 2004 (That was my final year at Raetihi Primary School before getting ready to attend Ruapehu College where I spent 2 years & 4 months there), bidding farewell to Whanganui & New Zealand) where that was my first meeting with Leon), but he is in Wellington now at Sophia Ong's place, but my last thoughts after Leon left Whanganui? May god bless you all.
And the AB's team has been named to play against the Wallabies of Australia (Who are out for payback after defeat in the previous test in Melbourne in which they haven't beaten New Zealand since 2020 during the truncated Rugby Championship, but it's been 22 years since the last time the Wallabies had beaten the AB's on New Zealand soil, & it was way back in 2001 at the then old house of pain at Carisbrook (That was 10 years before the glass house at Forsyth Barr Stadium opened its doors as a replacement for the Brook) for our 2nd Bledisloe Cup test under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin in our penultimate test before the Rugby World Cup takes place in France this year as well as the last Aotearoa test of 2023, & after that, we play the world champions South Africa in part 2 of international rugby's most storied rivalry at Twickenham in London, England, which is obviously our last before the tournament, so here is the starting lineup according to coach Fozzy (Ian Foster):
PLAYING XV
FORWARD PACK
FRONT ROW
1 (Loose head prop): Tamaiti Williams (Crusaders/Canterbury)
2 (Hooker): Samisoni Tau'keiaho (Chiefs/Waikato)
3 (Tight head prop): Nepo Laulala (Blues/Counties Manukau)
SECOND ROW
4 (No.4 lock): Brodie Retallick (Chiefs/Hawke's Bay)
5 (No.5 lock): Sam Whitelock (Crusaders/Canterbury)
LOOSE FORWARDS
6 (Blind side flanker): Samipeni Finau (Chiefs/Waikato)
7 (Open side flanker): Sam Cane (Captain, Chiefs/Bay of Plenty)
8 (Number 8): Ardie Savea (Hurricanes/Wellington)
BACK LINE
HALVES
9 (Half-back): Finlay Christie (Blues/Tasman)
10 (First five-eighth): Damian McKenzie (Chiefs/Waikato)
MIDFIELD
12 (Second five-eighth): Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs/Waikato)
13 (Centre): Braydon Ennor (Crusaders/Canterbury)
OUTSIDE BACKS
11 (Left wing): Leicester Fainga'anuku (Crusaders/Tasman)
14 (Right wing): Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs/North Harbour)
& 15 (Fullback): Will Jordan (Crusaders/Tasman)
& REPLACEMENT PLAYERS
16 (Reserve hooker): Dane Coles (Who takes Samisoni Tau'keiaho's place with Tau'keiaho elevated to the starting lineup to replace Codie Taylor)
17 (Reserve loose head prop): Ofa Tu'ungafasi
18 (Reserve tight head prop): Fletcher Newell (Who makes his first appearance of the year on the bench, making way for Nepo Laulala who is elevated to the starting lineup to replace Tyrel Lomax)
19 (Reserve lock): Tupou Vaa'i (Who returns to the fold as he makes way for Sam Whitelock who is elevated to the starting lineup to replace Scott Barrett to be on the bench as the reserve lock forward position)
20 (Reserve loose forward): Luke Jacobson
21 (Reserve half-back): Aaron Smith (Who takes Cam Roigard's place as he is dropped to the bench to also make way for Finlay Christie who hasn't played since the South Africa test in South Auckland)
22 (Reserve first five-eighth): Richie Mo'unga (Who is dropped to the bench, replacing Anton Lienert-Brown who is moved to the starting lineup to replace Jordie Barrett)
& 23 (Reserve back): Dallas McLeod (Who is in line to make his test debut off the bench in which the man known as 'The Muscles from Methven' had an impressive Super Rugby Pacific season for the Crusaders & he hasn't played since he took a head knock in the final caused by foul play).
And finally the rugby community here in New Zealand & around the world as former All Black captain who led their side to a test series win in 1977 against the British & Irish Lions of Tane Norton (Who joins the likes of Bruce 'The prince of centres' Robertson as the list of former New Zealand rugby players passing away along with Billy Guyton) has passed away, so all thoughts, prayers & condolences to the family (Whanau), mates & colleagues of Tane Norton during this most sad & difficult time.
