McCaw moves kill Wallabies

Joe Rokocoko leaves Australia's Stephen Larkham sprawling on Saturday. Picture / Paul Estcourt

The All Blacks and Wallabies were seduced by their own hype.

During the buildup to their last of three meetings this year at Eden Park, the All Blacks lamented their lack of cutting edge while the Wallabies wanted more mongrel from their pack.

Eventually the All Blacks found some balance in their game after a skittery start but the Wallabies' obsession with Richie McCaw, in particular, and confrontation, cost them penalties, momentum and victory.

The Wallabies had been gifted two tries in the first half as Lote Tuqiri intercepted an ambitious pass before the video referee thought Rocky Elsom's bounced touchdown was good enough.

After mounting discussion about their inability to crack defences, it seemed the All Blacks decided to shift the ball wide at every opportunity.

It was almost like they felt pressured to use the ball after the conservative approach which won them the first two matches in the Bledisloe Cup series.

Some of it was sharp, and there was much to admire in the way they transferred possession in close to avoid some of the thumping Wallaby defence. But there were other moments when they shovelled the ball on just for the sake of it.

One attempt had a grisly end when Jerry Collins biffed a long pass towards two team-mates only for Tuqiri to intercept and easily out-motor Carl Hayman, who recognised the danger but little else as he reeled around, concussed in backplay.

The audacious strategy might work against the Springboks who are not as agile in their defensive systems but the Wallabies are an astute unit who hold and spread extremely well when they are down on numbers.

The All Blacks went wide before they went forward, they neglected some of the bricks and mortar rugby and in any game at this level, lateral attack is easy to defuse.

On one occasion in the first half they created space through the middle of the park for Joe Rokocoko but his pass was so forward even the touch judges spotted it, even if they missed a number of lineball decisions later.

The Wallabies were not averse to moving the ball either but they showed a little more restraint and judgment in their attack. They balanced their ideas, banging away in close with Stirling Mortlock or Stephen Larkham to hold the defence or using them as dummy runners before easing the passes wide.

The All Blacks put themselves under pressure with their ambition and that message appeared to have been delivered at the interval because there was a more considered style after the break.

They did not push their passes so much, instead they used Rokocoko's pace, or Mils Muliaina's judgment to unsettle the Wallabies. The All Black forwards also kicked up a gear, the scrum was purring again, the lineout had lost its graunch, the visitors were struggling to get out of their own half.

They were abrasive but they conceded penalties as they looked for ways to slow the All Black momentum. Often McCaw was their target but he was still too classy.

Pressure levels on the Wallabies rose as the All Blacks gnawed away at their 11-20 halftime deficit. The points ticked over until the lead arrived with a converted Chris Jack try at the start of the last quarter when draw-and-pass accuracy beat the compressed defence.

That pushed the Wallabies into the dangerous arena of catchup rugby. As Larkham tried to bust he had the ball jarred out by a Daniel Carter tackle and into Luke McAlister's hands for a 45m unchecked run to the line.

There seemed no way back for the Wallabies. But Matt Giteau and Tuqiri, the best back on the park, combined with the wing chasing down a beautifully weighted reverse grubber kick. It was a defiant play but there was to be no miracle comeback.

"The Wallabies were desperate and in the second half we had to get desperate too and showed a lot of character to get out of jail," McCaw said.

His side had to ramp up their physical output to respond to the Wallabies while George Gregan conceded that approach had pinned his team in their territory.

There was also a comeback for the All Black lineout and some serious production from several stirring drives. From one they peeled the Wallabies back 22m before Jason Eaton banged the ball over the whitewash.