Tight Win for the All Blacks

What a cracking opener for the Tri-Nations.

Early missed penalties from Carter and Mortlock. Early sustained pressure by New Zealand, but they are unable to convert this into points.

Then a bit of Chris Latham magic, he took Carter’s long kick from the 22 and came back, chipped the ball ahead and picked up his own kick. Great support form Matt Rogers and an easy try for Tuqiri, converted by Mortlock.

Excellent moment at the fourth scrum, from ref , ‘Can you guys stop playing silly buggers’, you mean it applies at their level as well as ours!

All Blacks were absolutely dominant in the scrum, the susceptibility seen in the early game agianst England were exposed again.

Rocky Elsom sinned bin for almost the last 10 minutes of the first half, the Aussies were made to pay immediately. They were exposed in the line out and Keven Mealamu, who I personally admire, stole through to score and Dan, The Man, Carter third time lucky got it through the uprights.

Then good old fashioned graft and grunt by the All Blacks, Mealamu vaults over some prostrate Aussies and scores his second try, Carter bangs it over again. 14-7 to the All Blacks. (Looks like they have gotten over the ‘Handbag’ incident).

First blood to the All Blacks in the second half, a Carter penalty, after a jinking Leon MacDonald run after sustaining a lot of Aussie pressure. Suddenly a huge break by Major and the All Blacks looked to have scored when Larkham knees have trapped the ball. Bizarrely the try is awarded, McCaw score, not sure he was aware that he had scored. Carter converts.

Suddenly the Aussies score, Scott Fava, through a non contested line-out by the All Blacks, that the Aussies drove on. As McCaw and co waited for the attack from the fringes of the ruck, Scott picked up the ball and squeezed it into the hole that had already been punched through. Mortlock misses the conversion.

Another silly penalty and Carter slots another three points, George Smith penalised – he’s had a quiet game.

The Wallabies suddenly seem to have gained control over the game and all the All Blacks are doing is defending and looking for the counter attack.

Moment that made me smile – Jack passes the ball out, Collins misses it thinks it goes into touch, McCaw has actually caught it, Collins has stopped running and then realises it’s still going on ahead of him. Then beautiful cross kick by Carter, knocked down by Ali Williams (on for Jason Eaton, who has had an enormous game) and Rico Gear just couldn’t catch it with the line at his mercy. But Smith should have scored for the Wallabies at the other end, just a minute before.

Wallabies are definitely not out of this match. All Blacks offside, collapsing mauls, but Wallabies just can’t break through…..All Blacks charge down a Larkham kick for the corner, Carter again and catches it and passes to, Toeava 60 m run and touches it down. This is heartbreaking stuff for the Wallabies. Bonus point for the try and then Carter’s kick bounces off the uprights.

That’s it. Great first half All Blacks in the ascendency, second half really scrappy – end to end stuff with some periods of heavy pressure taht the All Blacks just absorbed. (bit like England when the won the World Cup)

Man of the Match for my money – Keven Mealamu.