The All Blacks had secured the victory by scoring the four tries for a bonus point before half time, but any chance the Wallabies could stage a remarkable comeback were snuffed out when winger Drew Mitchell received his second yellow card three minutes into the second half to earn himself a red.
The visitors' dominance was so great, that they almost broke their own record for most points against the Wallabies, with Dan Carter missing a final conversion that would have sent them past their own massive score of 2003.
However, the Wallabies kept on fighting and actually came close to winning the second half, but they had no answer at times to the All Black composure and pace which caught them especially in the first half.
If anyone has Alain Rolland’s number, please send him a copy of this tape and mark it “how to referee a top class match.”
South African Craig Joubert gave the benchmark performance of the tournament thus far and showed just how entertaining a game could be when reffed by a quality official who referees the breakdown with an iron fist, and a fair hand.
While the Wallabies may feel aggrieved with Mitchell’s red card, Joubert did penalise both sides repeatedly for throwing the ball away when a penalty was awarded and warned both captains he would revert to cards if it didn’t stop. When Mitchell slapped the ball away in the 43rd minute, there may have been groans, but Joubert was well justified in his actions.
Still, having said that, the All Blacks were thoroughly professional as they placed one hand on the Tri-Nations trophy. The victory means South Africa, with a maximum of 15 points waiting at home, cannot win the trophy anymore, and only the self-destruct button by both the All Blacks and Springboks can give Australia the trophy.
The Wallabies looked more composed when down to 14 men in the second half, but while they scored the first try, they didn’t get a look at the ball for long periods thereafter.
After Matt Giteau and Dan Carter opened the scoring with penalties, both sides scored charge-down tries in a bizarre three minutes to open up the game. First it was Drew Mitchell who stormed down Carter’s kick, picking up at pace and diving over in the corner.
From the ensuing kickoff, Giteau opted to give the ball to Berrick Barnes for the clearance, but Carter was up too quickly and blocked the kick, picking up and falling over the line for the try.
The All Blacks made their domination at the breakdown count, as Jerome Kaino turned over the ball in midfield in the 13th minute, Brad Thorne drew in two defenders and Corey Jane chipped over the defence for Muliana to score an excellent try.
Giteau pulled a penalty back before All Black prop Owen Franks was yellow carded for a shoulder charge. But instead of making the numbers count, the All Blacks furthered their lead as Adam Ashley-Cooper lost the ball on his own 22 metre line and McCaw scooped up the ball to run in and score.
Mitchell was given his first marching orders in the 28th minute, as Joubert was consistent in penalising tackles without arms, giving Giteau a chance to pull back three more points.
But as the game went past the half hour, the All Blacks took control and with Franks back on the field, exploited the extra number and poor tackling by Wallaby Richard Brown for Corey Jane to score.
The writing was on the wall at 32-14 and when Mitchell’s Red spelt the end of Australia’s hopes.
A tighthead win in Australia’s 22 metre line rubbed salt in the wounds as Muliana scored his second, with Joe Rokocoko adding his name to the scoresheet.
Adam Ashley-Cooper and Rocky Elsom managed consolation tries for the Aussies, but Corey Flynn completed the rout with a try in the final minute to give the All Blacks their ninth straight win over the Wallabies and continue their trans-Tasman domination.
Scorers: Australia - Tries: Drew Mitchell, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Rocky Elsom. Conversions: Matt Giteau (2). Penalties: Giteau (3). New Zealand - Tries: Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina (2), Richie McCaw, Cory Jane, Joe Rokocoko, Corey Flynn. Conversions: Dan Carter (4). Penalties: Carter (2).
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