All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup

Richie McCaw of the All Blacks holds up the Bledisloe Cup after tonight's 20-10 victory. Photo / Getty Images

Exhausting!

The All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup with a 20-10 victory in a high-octane trans-Tasman test in Christchurch.

The Tri-Nations is still not decided but the All Blacks have one hand on the silverware before they set off for the next test in a fortnight against the Springboks in Soweto.

The Christchurch test began at a frenetic pace and barely faltered to the end as the weather gods allowed the teams to play a brand of rugby which is light years ahead of anything seen in the Six Nations this season.

This was a high quality test where sides of similar fitness, skill and ideas hammered away at each other in a contest of nerve, ambition and endurance.

The 39,000 crowd watched three tries in the opening 13 minutes before the regular rivals settled into a gripping defensive joust broken by penalty goals from Daniel Cater and Matt Giteau.

For 67 minutes after the opening flurry there was not another try as the thrust and counter-thrust continued.

Don't let anyone tell you that try-scoring drought was boring. This test was a level up on anything the All Blacks have met this season.

They were forced to make double the tackles as their rivals delivered sustained and relentless attacking surges. But the All Blacks line held strong against a Wallaby attack which just lacked a magic touch.

Spectators could scarcely believe the opening fury before Muliaina scored from a turnover.

Hooker Keven Mealamu manipulated the defence and Joe Rokocoko put Muliaina into a narrow corridor.The fullback gassed it to the line and Carter with all the aplomb of a man used to the ground, pushed the sideline conversion through the target.

It looked ominous for the Wallabies and they must have wondered whether they were going to get another belting like last week in Melbourne.

They answered in positive fashion when the Wallabies claimed a turnover and from 60m out they put Kurtley Beale into the clear aand the fullback outran the chase line.

Game on, big time. Carter eased through the defences again and from that momentum, they shifted wide and Conrad Smith banged the ball down to the approval of the television match officials.

From there it was all attrition and anxiety before the relieved All Blacks heard the fulltime whistle.

All Blacks 20 (M Muliaina, C Smith tries; D Carter 2 con, 2 pen
Wallabies 10 ( K Beale tries; M Giteau, con, pen Halftime: 17-10