Bledisloe Cup - Game 2 New Zealand All Blacks vs Australian Wallabies

Saturday 26th August, 5.35pm (AEST)
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, NZ

Bledisloe Cup Sydney 2017 – Match 1

Lighting issues delayed kick off to a game that arguably was the best performance we have seen from the Wallabies against New Zealand in a long time. It was a real contest that every single supporter from both sides of the pond want to see and Australia played out of their skins which meant both teams kept us on the edges of our seats till the final whistle blew.

Something sparked in the wallabies camp in the second half of the first test and even though the wallabies lost the match, they scored a whopping 5 tries in 28 minutes. This fortitude continued in game 2 and within a minute of the first whistle being blown Israel Folau snatched up a perfectly timed intercept to score the first try of the game. It took 20 minutes for All blacks to claim their first points on the board by refusing to take the easy 3 pointer from a penalty and playing aggressively back at the boys in gold. With a nice little inside pass to Rieko Ioane he was able to convert that into a try and in doing so put the AB's back in the game but Australia was still leading with a healthy 10 point margin. Some basic ball handling errors which plagued both teams throughout the match, NZ mores so than Australia, stopped either side from putting any more points down until the final seconds of the first half when Aaron Smith was able to impressively step around Hooper to bring the half time score to just 17-14 Aus.

The significance of the this half time score largely goes unnoticed but it is the first time in 8 years that Wallabies have led in New Zealand at half time. So where has this drive come from? How has Australia been able to turn it around so drastically and seemingly "overnight"?

The second half was just as dynamic as the first half, the score board went back and fourth like a yo-yo and picking the winner was anyone's guess. Right up until the 76th minute when Kurtley Beale sailed across the try line after taking advantage of the NZ's non existent defenses, leaving only 1 point difference with 4 minutes remaining, it was the game we had all been dreaming of. In the past even in these last few minutes of a game we have seen that both teams can dominate and this match certainly did not disappoint...

With just minutes remaining in what can only be described as as the battle of the year, heartbreak ensued the bloodied and bruised wallabies, NZ were able to score a devastating and final blow with an amazing try scored right under the posts by Beauden Barrett to seal the deal with a full time score of NZ 35 AUS 29.

New Zealand retains the Bledisloe Cup for another year, which is now 15 in row, but what the Wallabies showed in these last two tests is determination and skill that could make the coming years very interesting. Even though the outcome of match 3 doesn't count, I am sure Australia will be wanting to build on the effort they have shown so far. What's your thoughts? Did you enjoy the game? Do you think Australia can take game 3?

What Australia did right

Australia played exceedingly well and capitalised on NZ's handling errors with tries. I think they may finally realised that the cannot play the 3 pointer game against a team that can put men over the try line so often.

What Australia did wrong

A few small handling errors and clearly their defense still needs a lot of work. On attack they were powerful and kept the momentum building but on defense they let NZ walk over them when NZ weren't fumbling over themselves.

What NZ did right

Constant belief in themselves, they never gave and never let the pressure of the game override their mindset. Also their shear ability to put points down especially in the later stages of the game

What NZ did wrong

Handling errors but more importantly defense. It was not to the usual high standard of the AB's and I think it will definitely be a focus for the upcoming 3rd test in Brisbane on Oct 21st

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and as always Have a great day!!

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