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.

Live updates of the Tri-Nations decider between the All Blacks and the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Robbie Deans' face is usually hard to read, but it was a shade pinched at Eden Park three weeks ago as he watched his side come second, by a reasonable distance.

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

A loss to the Springboks has never been considered career-enhancing for an All Black, but for a host of borderline World Cup selections the Tri-Nations loss in Port Elizabeth has had positive repercussions.

The All Blacks were left to reflect on what might have been after their 18-5 loss to South Africa.

Highlights from the Tri-Nations rugby match in Port Elizabeth.

Wallabies wonder boy James O'Connor faces the chop after apparently sleeping in and missing a vital team meeting in Sydney.