Greg Growden: Wallabies have a ball with a foreign object

COMMENT

It's amazing what can happen in a test if you can actually get your hands on the ball.

In the first match in Wellington, Australia were basically drowned out of the game, with the brilliant ball retention skills of the All Blacks enabling them to turn their opponents into little more than drenched tackling bags. The Wallabies never saw the ball.

But a vast improvement up front at Telstra Stadium turned all their problems around. Australia won the ruck and maul count, upset the All Black lineout and at important times their scrum held.

The overall effect was that the Australian backline found something foreign in their hands during the match. A football.

With it came enough possession for the most spirited of triumphs, and a Southern Hemisphere test which may for a change delight those poor, misguided Northern Hemisphere critics.

There was only one try, but test football doesn't get much better than this, with bright, vibrant attacking play being matched by incredible defence, especially by the Wallabies in the final quarter when they weathered endless All Black charges.

The Springboks succumbed to the same pressure in Christchurch, but the Wallabies showed greater steel and savoured the rewards. And while New Zealand's flatline attack was never really on show, the words of at least one All Black official were proven right.

During the week, assistant coach Steve Hansen eulogised George Smith, saying the Wallaby flanker was such a talented, resourceful player that he would be a star in any position from 1 to 15.

Hansen made Smith sound as if he was rugby's version of Gigantor. The message was that Australia had got it wrong in Wellington by not starting with Smith, instead trying to improve their lineout height by picking Radike Samo. With Smith back in the starting line-up, Hansen argued that what Australia lost at the lineout would be more than gained at the breakdown.

Many Australian supporters weren't certain, worried that the All Black lineout prowess could stifle the Wallabies. But that wily old dog Hansen was right yet again.

With Nathan Sharpe picking up the slack in the lineouts, as he did the previous weekend against South Africa in Perth, the lineout was not a problem, with Australia even winning several of New Zealand's throws. And at the breakdown, Smith's impact was overwhelming and he fully deserved his man-of-the-match status.

Smith stole ball which should have been New Zealand's, several of his tackles ended dangerous All Black charges and his presence was a constant bother for the visitors. The All Blacks were forced to look out for him all night, and with Phil Waugh and David Lyons also on song, the Wallabies distinctly won the back-row battle.

Australia also won the tactical game. New Zealand were again hoping Australia would kick away a lot of their possession. They didn't. Instead New Zealand did that, while they forgot where the offside line was, and, like South Africa in Christchurch, could have been penalised even more by referee Jonathan Kaplan.

The sinbinning of Ali Williams was unnecessary, but the All Blacks cannot complain Kaplan was too hard on them. So often in the middle part of the game, the All Blacks were allowed to wander around in no man's land.

Their indiscretions, and a succession of penalties, enabled Australia to get back into the game, and then with that foreign object in their hands in the second half were able to finish off the most special of Wallaby victories.

* Greg Growden is chief rugby writer for the Sydney Morning Herald.