Australia have produced their best bench performance during Joe Schmidt’s brief tenure as the side turned the tables on the All Blacks in Sydney two weeks ago.
With Lucan Salakaia-Lotto, Rangi Gleeson and Brandon Fenga-Amosa coming off the bench, Australia came from behind to trail 21-0 and 28-7 after just 25 minutes to beat the All Blacks 31-28 for three points.
The comeback win after falling behind 28-14 at halftime was a perfect reversal from the 67-27 loss in Argentina two weeks ago, when Joe Schmidt’s team lost 50-7 in the second half.
“Of course it’s frustrating not to get a result there, going 21-0 up against the All Blacks is always going to be tough for us, but I’m really proud of the way we fought and the effort we put in there,” Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said.
Australia Wallabies’ Matt Paysler runs to score a try during the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup match between the Australia Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia on September 21, 2024. (Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“A big round of applause to the crowd. 70,000 people cheering us on really lifted us up and I want everyone here and everyone at home to know how much this jersey means to us. We worked incredibly hard for something and it sucks not to get the results, but I’m really proud of everyone.”
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett knew his team were one goal down as Australia had all the momentum in the second half and the Kiwis struggled in the final 20 minutes.
“It’s a huge relief,” Barrett said. “That’s Australian nature. They never give up and they showed how desperate they are to get the cup.
“We came back from South Africa a little injured and low on confidence, but the players came back with energy.”
The win secured the Bledisloe Cup and will take some of the pressure off new manager Scott Robertson, who is now 5-3. Joe Schmidt is now 4-4.
“The Lasers and the team are feeling the pressure, not because they’re not trying, but because they’re not polished at all,” Barrett said.
Schmidt was left to regret his poor start to the game as the Australian defence collapsed.
“I felt like we gave up too many line breaks. We were too loose with the ball and too dangerous on turnovers, so we had to take care of the ball,” Schmidt said.
“Our lineout was probably under a bit of pressure because we got some field positions where we expected to make a difference but we didn’t. One thing that’s important with the All Blacks is that you have to take the chances that you get. When we first came down here we got seven men and put together some good set pieces to get some confidence. And then we put together a couple of things in the second half.
“I think it takes time to build confidence. And I felt like we gained a little bit of confidence. And if we can just continue to build that confidence, because I thought we were a little bit stagnant in the first half.”
(Photo courtesy of Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Fraser McWright was one of the Wallabies’ best players in his first Rugby Championship appearance of the season and overcame disappointment with a superb second-half push.
“It’s really frustrating. We’re sad. It’s hard,” McWright said.
The All Blacks exploded for a try after just 92 seconds and despite a comfortable win, they regretted not doing more damage to the Wallabies, conceding chances to their opponents in the second half.
They had three tries disallowed, including a chance for what could have been the try of the year when Rob Ballettini forced a desperate forward pass into Damien McKenzie.
Australia appeared fortunate to have escaped a tight knock-on call in the build-up, with Jody Barrett conceding a try just before the break after beating Noah Loretio, but desperate defending by Loretio, Wilson and Nick White denied Ardi Savea after the No. 8 had gone over.
“The Wallabies may have done the impossible. No matter how good Ardi Savea is, he can’t stop them scoring from close to the line,” Morgan Turinui told Stan Sports.
The All Blacks missed at least three clear scoring opportunities, with Rico Ioane and McKenzie both overplaying situations where they could have had five-pointers if they had been more composed.
The Wallabies’ defensive resistance improved after they conceded 28 points in the first 25 minutes, with scrum coach Mike Cron having been largely blunt in the first half.
“We have to press D harder and get into position a little quicker and catch up,” Kron said.
“We’re letting them have too much run-in space for their skill level. They’re not catching us, so we have to step up and be a lot better in the second half.”
The All Blacks ended the half 28-14 up, scoring six tries in the match, and barely held the Wallabies back in the second half despite a tense conclusion as the Wallabies stormed home.
“It’s a great comeback and the Wallabies fans should be really proud,” said former Wallabies player Tim Horan.
“We’re off to a good start, aren’t we?” Robertson joked with relief.
“We looked at it in depth as to how we could have ended the Test match on a bit more positive note. We held them back because we couldn’t just finish it and keep the pressure on them. And like all great Australian teams, they weren’t going to go away. So that was it.”
