Wynne Gray: Buried at Homebush yet again

By WYNNE GRAY

The All Black carcass was exhumed for 80 minutes in Sydney and then reburied.

In what has become unpalatable viewing for New Zealand spectators, the Wallabies were the sextons as the bogey of Telstra Stadium was revealed again on Saturday when the Wallabies won 23-18.

In a reversal of Tri-Nations fortunes last year when Wallaby wing Wendell Sailor was sinbinned and the All Blacks ran hot, a yellow card for lock Ali Williams proved to be a deadly decision for the visitors.

It was a dubious judgment because touch judge Chris White identified Williams as the culprit for repeated offside, even though he could tell referee Jonathan Kaplan only that he thought Williams was the offender.

The All Blacks looked flat from their backline through to their attitude. The first was a deliberate plan but you had to wonder how their outlook was affected by a decision to tell the players about a terrorist threat to their trip to South Africa.

Whatever that impact, Williams' sinbinning had the greatest influence on this tight test.

While he was off, the Wallabies scored 11 points and conceded three, before they hung on to win and force the race for the Tri-Nations title down to their final match against the Springboks.

"Closing out games is a skill in itself," said Wallaby captain George Gregan, "and we have shown that in the last two weeks. It is about trust and communication."

A new All Black regime suffered their first defeat this season and felt the despair which has been inflicted five times out of the seven meetings with the Wallabies since test rugby was shifted to the Olympic complex in the western suburbs.

Adding to the woes were serious injuries to wing Doug Howlett and midfielder Sam Tuitupou while Daniel Carter and Kees Meeuws were also hurt.

Howlett hurt his right shoulder while Tuitupou was incapacitated with a blow to his ribs. Replacements Aaron Mauger and Rico Gear were summoned to travel as replacements.

For the opening quarter the All Blacks were in control, winning and kicking penalties although they lacked the backline thrust to score tries.

Then the discipline which has been a strength of their game in the past few tests unravelled. Lineouts became untidy, turnovers were conceded to the marauding George Smith and Phil Waugh and the All Blacks were repeatedly caught for offside illegalities.

Inexplicably, with good ball Carlos Spencer and Joe Rokocoko tried to grubber behind the Wallabies and attacks were repelled.

Spencer did not stand up to the task. He shovelled passes and did not create any rhythm for his outsides and was subbed by Andrew Mehrtens at the 50-minute mark. The change made little difference.

Struggling to find a description for Spencer's performance, coach Graham Henry described his work as "soundish", in a variation of his work against the Springboks.

Backline coach Wayne Smith thought the new approach had made "progress" with captain Tana Umaga making inroads but he also bemoaned the kicking which infected the backs.

"They are decisions you make out there and you have just got to back the player and get on with it," Smith said.

Kicking was not a tactic the All Blacks had used at training.

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones was back to his mischievous best after the victory. He was happy to reassure the All Blacks that their backline approach was wise and constructive.

"There has been a lot of criticism but I think that is unwarranted," he said. "You are not going to immediately come good at it."

It required high skill levels and would take some time to perfect.

He suggested it would be a longterm project like the Wallabies' work-in-progress schemes which were still under construction after 18 months.

However, the Wallabies have gone for much more depth and width from their backs and while they scored only one try, the fluidity of their formation and the brilliance of their passing was eye-catching.

So was George Smith. All Black forward coach Steve Hansen had suggested Smith could play in any jersey in the Wallabies. That prompted the Sydney Morning Herald to run a mock-up picture of a team full of Smiths, an image which must have seemed like reality to the All Blacks on Saturday night.

Without Keith Robinson and Richie McCaw, the All Black pack lacked the workaholic abrasive edge and continuity. They were scrubbed out of the contest.

Carl Hayman played strongly and Kees Meeuws upset the Wallaby scrum while Williams was a strong lineout target. But even with four targets against the Wallabies' two, there was a lack of decisive All Black work in that area.

Ball was delivered messily or upset by the Wallabies' lineout defence while there was little drive from the pack.

The selectors must be ruing the decision not to have had Sione Lauaki at least on the bench when they needed some impact in the second spell. Vice-captain Xavier Rush was spelled and his replacement, Mose Tuiali'i, made several strong bursts but was untidy at the back of the scrum.

The omens about the lack of attacking thrust had been apparent in the domestic Tri-Nations tests. The defence was much stauncher but the next test in Johannesburg after a long flight will seem like another ambush in waiting.

Springbok coach Jake White said before the start of the series that his side could not wait for Ellis Park, a ground he claimed the All Blacks hated to play on.