James Slipper and Quade Cooper of the Wallabies watch on. Photo / Getty Images.
James Slipper and Quade Cooper of the Wallabies watch on. Photo / Getty Images.
How the world media reacted to the All Blacks’ 31-point win over Australia in Melbourne.
All Blacks timing World Cup run beautifully
Charlie Morgan, Telegraph
Eventually, any bombast was made to look rather silly because Australia were second-best by some distance. A 31-point victory did not flatter the All Blacks, who scored six tries without really leaving third gear and seem to be timing their World Cup run beautifully.
Prior to this Bledisloe Cup opener, played out in front of 83,994 fans, Eddie Jones suggested that the New Zealand economy would tank if the hosts won at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia’s head coach could also be seen fronting a series of amusingly bullish adverts.
In one, set in a barber’s shop, he had a trim and promised that the Wallabies would not be heading to France later this year merely to eat croissants. Unfortunately, his team crumbled like pastry in the face of markedly superior opponents.
We know that Jones relishes World Cups. Australia have a favourable draw and, in defiant patches on Saturday evening, produced a performance that hinted at an effective template to bring into the tournament.
New Zealand appear infinitely more assured than they did as Ireland ousted them in an absorbing series 12 months ago. Indeed, the game reinforced the lopsided nature of the World Cup draw; not that the All Blacks will be too intimidated by anyone in this mood. Ardie Savea looked particularly hungry.
It is conceivable that Jones will begin the 2023 World Cup against Georgia with a record of five losses from five matches in this second spell as Australia head coach. The bombast will continue; it just may be even less convincing.
#AUSvNZL, the pitiful excuses from EJ is cringeworthy. NZ steamrolled AUS, and this is not acceptable. Every sentence started with aaaghh. The gold team was the stronger team is laughable. 5 down after 4 minutes, NZ were amazing, and the post-match interview was almost childish.
— Master of the Chainsaw (@BernardRef) July 29, 2023
Shannon Frizell in action against the Wallabies. Photo / photosport.nz
‘Everything went black’
Angus Fontaine, The Guardian
For a hot half-hour the Wallabies were golden. After two dismal defeats, they had rolled the dice in the biggest game of the year. This Bledisloe clash at one of the few venues where the All Blacks have a losing record was to be Australia’s last on home turf before the World Cup and coach Eddie Jones had issued a young side licence to thrill and to “light up the MCG”.
But after leading early, everything went black. From 7-5 up at the 30-minute mark, Australia went to the break 19-7 down after New Zealand scored twice in six minutes. In the end the huge crowd watched Australia obliterated 38-7 to give the new Jones era a dismal 0-3 start and leave the Bledisloe Cup to stay where it has for 21 long, dark years.
Big win for the All Blacks tonight vs Australia. They looked like a team who can win the #RugbyWorldCup. The ABs just moved ahead of France on the world rankings too. #rugby#AUSvNZL@RugbyPass
The All Blacks blew out the candles on the 21st year of holding the Bledisloe Cup after fighting off a spirited early showing from the Wallabies and racing away to a 38-7 win in Melbourne on Saturday night.
The sting of defeat was compounded by a “serious” Achilles tendon injury to tighthead prop Allan Alaalatoa, who was stretchered off and will almost certainly miss the World Cup.
A huge crowd of 83,944 jammed into the MCG - the biggest attendance at a Wallabies game since 2000 - but the home fans’ cheers were limited to the opening half-hour, when Australia played with pace and ambition, and led 7-5.
But when discipline problems reared their head again - the Wallabies received another two yellow cards - the All Blacks made them pay, scoring two tries before the break and then unleashing in the second half.
Kiwis scored 19.5 points tonight beyond phase 5. In all Tier one rugby in 2023 the average was 4.2 - with 82% off play never reaching phase 5.
The ghost of Joe Schmidt is roaming. The All Blacks are basically Leinster on steroids.
“Big crowd. We wanted to show that this is a new team but, and there is always a but, our first 20 minutes showed what we are capable of.
“At the moment, when we put pressure on we can’t turn that into points and then we release pressure.
“We still seem to get disappointed on the field when we don’t get the rewards we think we deserve, which is an area we continue to work on.
“All in all it’s disappointing, but I really like the way we came out in the first 20 minutes and the first 15 or 20 minutes in the second half as well.
“They scored four of their six tries through yellow cards. They made us pay for that.”
“The team is very much a work in progress but what I liked about the team tonight was the way they tactically took on New Zealand in the first 20 minutes.
Eddie Jones has taken the Wallabies backwards quicker than I used to run to the buffet! Whoever sacked Dave Rennie at Australian Rugby needs sacking for being inept at their job! #EddieOut
In front of nearly 84,000 spectators, New Zealand eventually overwhelmed Australia to retain the Bledisloe Cup for an amazing 21st consecutive year. They also won the Rugby Championship with plenty to spare. The question is: will they win the World Cup? They certainly look the part - but then they did when the championship was a three-team tournament, minus the welcome presence of Argentina.
In 1999 they travelled to the northern hemisphere looking invincible. They also won the southern hemisphere title in both 2003 and 2007 yet failed when it most mattered under the weight of expectation and perhaps too much exposure.
This team have bounced back from one of the bleakest periods in Kiwi rugby history. Some of the stuff they are producing is exceptional but teams such as France and Ireland will be carefully watching their every play, the long lineouts over the top to Jordie Barrett, the way Aaron Smith obsessively works the blindside with his highly-skilled tight forwards among them.
New Zealand are a fantastic rugby side. The best. But Australia could have been level at the half, if not for odd selections at halfback, poor kick choices and bizarre decisions when penalties were awarded, making things even harder. Selection and gameplan is down to Eddie Jones.
This wasn’t the “blow them away early” sort of performance that did in the Pumas and Springboks, more a slow, steady grinding job that chipped away at the Wallabies until they disintegrated in the final quarter.
As an example of how to break an opponent down patiently, clinically and absolutely, this was an almost perfect example.
At the core of the performance was patience and certainty - a conviction, even, that the All Blacks had the right plan, and as long as they believed in it and stuck to it, the rewards would come.
Which they did, when Australia appeared to hit an invisible wall after 60 or so minutes and all but give up the ghost.
The Rugby Championship title and Bledisloe Cup aren’t this year’s pinnacle prizes but retaining those trophies represents the All Blacks’ brick-by-brick building mantra in World Cup year.
The All Blacks’ performance to humble the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of an 83,994-strong crowd, the largest Australian rugby has witnessed in 20 years, wasn’t super stylish or overly impressive until their last-quarter blitz. Their breakdown work in particular will be a major focus for improvement.
Yet a third commanding victory this season is notable for the confidence it will continually grow within a squad that endured extreme adversity last year.
The All Blacks are, indeed, back with a vengeance.
