Australia mustered sorely-needed spirit while All Blacks showed human side in second Test

Alex Broun 22:16 26/08/2017
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  • New Zealand edged to a 35-29 victory.

    This was a great Test and one that was desperately needed to restore some of the battered pride in Australian rugby.

    In the end it was a few moments of All Blacks genius in the 78th minute that clinched an absorbing match, but the Wallabies did enough to win it and will be bitterly disappointed to lose.

    Indeed if Bernard Foley had not had an extremely off day with the boot – striking the post a remarkable three times – Australia would have claimed a famous victory.

    It’s harder to remember a greater turnaround in international sport than the Wallabies over the last seven days.

    Diabolical in the opening 50 minutes against the All Blacks last weekend in Sydney to go down 54-6, they have outscored mighty New Zealand 57-35 over the next 110 minutes.

    Last week the Wallabies made 112 tackles and missed 32, this week they made 149 tackles and missed 34 – a six per cent increase in efficiency.

    There was no greater difference than No 8 Sean McMahon. In Sydney he was a passenger chasing shadows. In Dunedin he was breathtaking, a constant presence in both defence and attack; making metres with the ball in hand and driving the All Blacks with his ferocious tackling.

    On another day, Australia could have triumphed.

    Compare his stats: in Sydney he made eight runs for 11 metres and six tackles; in Dunedin 13 runs for 31 metres and 11 tackles. McMahon has always had potential but this was the first time he really delivered on the world stage.

    But he was not the only plus for the Wallabies. Kurtley Beale, two games back into his Test career after a season in England, had one of his best games in a Wallaby jersey and his defence on Sonny Bill Williams was staggering.

    I have been extremely critical of new flanker Ned Hanigan but for the first time he looked at home in the Test arena – making tackles, disrupting opposition ball and generally being a nuisance.

    Scrum-half Will Genia was back to his best, setting up a try and scoring another, as was Israel Folau, Foley (except for his kicking) and Tevita Kuridrani.

    Captain Michael Hooper was also impressive in attack but his six missed tackles proved costly, especially on Aaron Smith right on half-time that gave up a crucial try.

    The Achilles heel for the Wallabies was the scrum with All Blacks tighthead prop Nepo Laulala announcing himself as a major new force decimating the Aussie scrum.

    If Australia are to win these tight matches they must find a point of weakness in the All Blacks set-piece. New Zealand won all nine scrums and all 13 lineouts. With that set-piece stability the All Blacks are very difficult to beat.

    The Wallabies also must be more aggressive at the breakdown. The penultimate try from the All Blacks was scored after 22 phases and you simply cannot give New Zealand that consistent possession. Australia just can’t sit back and expect to hold them out.

    But the All Blacks’ performance overall will have deepened the furrows in Steve Hansen’s brow. One off day can be dismissed as an aberration but there are issues that need to be addressed. New Zealand missed 13 tackles and turned over possession in attack 17 times – concerning numbers for any team.

    The All Blacks have tough away trips to come in The Rugby Championship to South Africa and Argentina and maybe, just maybe, the Pumas – and especially the Springboks – will start to believe they are beatable.

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