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Two second-half attempts in five minutes have prepared the All Blacks for a 27-7 victory in the second round of the Bledisloe Cup against Australia at Eden Park in Auckland.
All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke
Photo: Photosport
The New Zealanders opened an early 10-0 lead, a Richie Mo’ounga penalty driven by a converted try by running back Aason Smith after 22 minutes.
But the Australians hit back through winger Marika Koroibete as the half hour mark approached, and the All Blacks could only take a narrow 10-7 lead at the break.
It only took two minutes after the restart for fullback Jordie Barrett to join the New Zealand count, after the All Blacks showed patience and time before finding room to score wide.
Another three minutes, and Ardie Savea went on to end a brilliant run for Caleb Clarke.
Ahead 20-7, the All Blacks withstood intense pressure, holding Koroibete over the line to deny the Wallabies before a potential hooker attempt by Brandon Paenga-Amosa was nullified by a double move.
Captain Sam Cane scored after a loss from midfield, and with a 27-7 lead, the All Blacks seemed comfortable maintaining control until the final whistle.
Coach Ian Foster’s decision to readjust his baseline paid off when the hosts snatched the lead in the four-game series.
Foster brought in Clarke for his first left wing start, was able to select a fit again Beauden Barrett as fullback, and restored a more balanced and experienced midfield pair in Jack Goodhue and Anton Lienert-Brown.
The result was a much more offensive display from the side that drew 16-16 in the opening game in Wellington, with Clarke’s performance in particular threatening to sweep the news of Saturday’s general election.
Wearing the number 11 jersey that was immortalized by Jonah Lomu in the 1990s, Clarke’s mighty run electrified the crowd of 46,049 as she set up attempts for Jordie Barrett and Ardie Savea within three minutes of the second half.
“He is an uncomplicated individual,” Foster told reporters of the 21-year-old. “He has a great self-awareness of who he is. He knows what he’s good at on the rugby field and he just believes in it.
“He just wants the ball and run strong. It’s a very good thing for us to give him the ball and let it run strong.”
Foster added that Beauden Barrett had “shown his class” in his decision-making after missing last week’s game with an Achilles tendon injury and the 29-year-old was almost as devastating as Clarke with the ball in the ball. hand.
A skillfully weighted kick from Barrett also set up the attacking scrum with which Aaron Smith scored his first attempt.
“He gave the players a lot of confidence and I think there is more to come from him,” Foster added of the two-time World Player of the Year.
“He is a huge influence on this team.”
–RNZ / Reuters
