KEY POINTS:
Loosehead prop Tony Woodcock was rebuked for his scrummaging tactics by referee Jonathan Kaplan, leaked plenty of claret from a cut lip but still had the grit and gas to dash for the try which started the All Blacks' revival at Suncorp.
His wounds removed him from the speaking circuit after the 28-24 victory, but his resilience underlined the All Blacks determination to save the series and the silverware.
Crusty coach Graham Henry signalled the exploits of his rugged prop when he spoke about the team's "guts" in the series and final scoreline revival in Brisbane. His side had not begun well but transformed their game after the break and got the boost when Woodcock barrelled 20m to the corner after a slippery break from Conrad Smith.
Skipper Richie McCaw acknowledged his side felt a shift in momentum after that riposte. They had played with a high intensity against a smart and willing foe but had not rediscovered their own desperation until Woodcock scored.
"We had to make sure we did not panic," said McCaw, who once more led the side with his workaholic aggression.
On the back of Woodcock's try, the selectors introduced new "legs" in the shape of Piri Weepu and Stephen Donald who, if anything, upped the tempo.
The All Blacks got across the advantage line more. They supported the ball-carriers far more clinically and retained possession. That increased intensity eventually told on a Wallaby side which lacked the punch to kill off the test.
For McCaw, the secret in such a close campaign was all in the preparation.
"It is easy to step up when you come off a loss. It is when you have won a couple in a row and done the preparation during the week and prepare as though you have had a loss, that is what the key is. That is what we try and emphasise. It is not a big secret, but we do not gloss over things that perhaps you would if you'd had a good performance.
"You have to go back to the start of the week and prepare exactly the same ...
"In our situation the senior players did that. They led that, they demanded that in training we keep our standards high.
"If you do that, you get consistency.
"Everyone knew just after halftime when they [the Wallabies] scored that we weren't actually in the game. But you can't just look at each other. You have got to think of ways of getting back into the game.
"We had to look at ways of getting field position, so when we had the ball we had to get across the advantage line and play.
"Once we did that we started to make better decisions and felt like we were in the game. So I think the key was not to panic and trust each individual would do their little bit to ensure we started to play some rugby."