The All Blacks celebrate a try for Caleb Clarke against the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks celebrate a try for Caleb Clarke against the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport
By Liam Napier in Wellington
Finally, the capital curse is broken.
The All Blacks signed off their final home test of the year by banishing the plucky Wallabies 33-13 and, more importantly, exorcising some demons.
While their performance was clunky at times, with frequent errors frustrating, the All Blacks produced enough attacking spark and defensive steel to claim their first win in Wellington for six years – and score their first points in the final quarter for six tests.
The five-tries-to-one victory allowed the All Blacks to toast Sam Cane’s 100th test milestone and TJ Perenara’s final home appearance on the desired note. Both veterans received appreciative standing ovations when they were replaced in the second half.
Curing their barren run in the capital will please locals, but Scott Robertson will be most heartened by the final quarter where the All Blacks defended their line for prolonged stretches and finally scored a try, with Caleb Clarke crashing over, after failing to do so in this period in their last five tests.
After the Wallabies stole the march to put the All Blacks on the back foot early Robertson’s men scored 21 unanswered points, largely by adopting the direct route, to comprehensively put the visitors away.
While this victory is a step forward from Sydney’s second-half collapse the All Blacks must improve their discipline and ability to consistently build continuity and cohesion before trekking north for their arduous end-of-year tour that includes headline fixtures against England, Ireland and France.
The All Blacks celebrate a try for Caleb Clarke against the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport
The Wallabies are ranked 10th in the world. Despite their 23-year winless run continuing on New Zealand soil, Joe Schmidt’s exposed the All Blacks on multiple occasions.
This was not a statement performance from the All Blacks that will strike fear into the leading northern nations but it should help ease the pressure valve slightly and build confidence after losing the Rugby Championship title and Freedom Cup.
Anton Lienert-Brown, with direct punch in the midfield and classy distribution, and Wallace Sititi were the All Blacks’ leading lights. Sititi delivered another relentless ball-carrying performance, leading the team with 13 charges, though he was caught short by the Wallabies scrum switch moves.
Beauden Barrett made a solid rather than spectacular fist of his first test start No 10 two years. He had a hand in two of the All Blacks three first-half tries and kicked soundly off the tee, missing one of five shots at goal, to leave the debate about the best first-five alive.
Will Jordan regularly threatened from the backfield, running for 152 metres, and Clarke, with two tries and another busy performance from the left wing, continued his strong form before another late yellow card.
Replacement prop Tamaiti Williams was a force off the bench, too.
Heartened by their near thing last week, and with nothing to lose, the Wallabies came to play. They addressed their slow start in Sydney, when they conceded the first 21 points, to embrace a fearless attitude and take it to the All Blacks.
With ambition fuelling their confidence the Wallabies could’ve, should’ve led 14-0.
An early Schmidt scrum switch move caught the All Blacks napping down the blindside and following Andrew Kellaway’s chip kick, Jake Gordon lost the ball over the line.
The Wallabies kept coming, savouring reward for twice turning down shots at goal when Fraser McReight barged over.
Conceding the first six penalties, the All Blacks found themselves frequently pinged by Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli and pinned on the back foot.
While the All Blacks battled to build continuity, with missed lineouts and Barrett failing to find touch from a penalty, they were lethal from turnovers and unstructured play.
Sevu Reece’s first try for the All Blacks emerged from a turnover, with Sititi stepping and offloading and Lienert-Brown delivering a perfect long ball to the edge.
Jordan’s strike was similar with the fullback slicing through to beat McReight after hitting the line at pace from a Barrett pass.
Just before halftime, the All Blacks turned down a shot at goal to steal the lead. Once again it came from attacking a fractured defensive line, with Reece cutting infield off his wing and Barrett finding Clarke charging through.
Leading 19-13 at the break, the All Blacks held the Wallabies scoreless in the second half.
They tightened their work defensively and largely took their chances on attack – other than a Codie Taylor fumble in the lead-up to Tupou Vaa’i’s disallowed try.
Knocking off their Wellington woes and final quarter fades should encourage Robertson but as vastly tougher tests loom, this All Blacks team are far from the finished product.
All Blacks 33 (Caleb Clarke 2, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan, Tamaiti Williams tries; Beauden Barrett 4 cons)
