All Blacks coach Graham Henry is hopeful No 8 Kieran Read will at least play a limited role in the rugby World Cup.

Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper has escaped suspension for kneeing All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw.

If there is a consolation for the All Blacks to find in defeat, it is that the team that wins the Tri Nations has never won the World Cup.

The All Blacks Rugby World Cup preparations hit a snag in Brisbane as they went down 20-25 to the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium.

The Wallabies bid to annex rugby's Tri-Nations trophy for the first time in a decade appears to have lurched into dangerous territory.