Bledisloe Cup rugby 2020: All Blacks bombard Wallabies to secure record win over Australia

Close the Bledisloe Cup and throw away the key for the 18th consecutive year. With a first half performance of devastating dominance and the largest margin of victory against Australia, the All Blacks embarrassed the Wallabies 43-5 in Sydney to secure the first silver of Ian Foster’s tenure.

After opening the door with the first draw in Wellington, the All Blacks subsequently slapped the Wallabies’ fingers on the hinge in the next two tests to give Australian rugby a brutal reality check.

It’s one thing to lose at Eden Park, where the Wallabies last won in 1986. It’s another to get spanked at home. Dave Rennie now needs to start from scratch and regain confidence again before facing the All Blacks in a fourth consecutive Test in Brisbane next week.

What a daunting prospect now appears.

The All Blacks will take pride in the way their defensive line speed pushed the Wallabies to make mistakes early on; his breakout work and strong set pieces that allowed Richie Mo’unga to produce his best performance in a black jersey, with a personal loot of 23 points.

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With cross kicks, dancing feet, mannequins, and two attempts, Mo’unga separated the Wallabies on the back of the patient platform positioned next to the pack.

Four attempts in the first half and a 26-0 lead could have been much worse for the Wallabies, as Dane Coles and Caleb Clarke denied more goals, against a disappointing 26,000 turnout.

Rennie, lacking seasoned figures James O’Connor and Matt Toomua through injuries, gave New Zealand-born Brumbies playmaker Noah Lolesio his test debut, but the 20-year-old endured a Tough night with defensive errors and kicking the ball from a penalty that overshadowed his only team attempt after halftime.

As is customary in the battle for the Bledisloe, the Wallabies fired many shots off the field, but then missed the action when the whistle blew.

Defensively the Wallabies were poor and again committed 21 turnovers and 13 driving errors. Such inaccuracies will always be punished by the All Blacks.

Wallabies wing Filipo Daugunu said this week that “I can’t wait to hit” Clarke. Five minutes later, Daugunu couldn’t wait for Clarke to hit the ground after receiving a high ball and receiving a yellow card for his problems.

Jordie Barrett, ruled by forearm lead while in possession, followed Daugunu to the container shortly after, but his absence did little to stop the All Blacks attack.

The All Blacks found regular success peppering the blind side with shifting moves and using the maul as a platform to launch their attack. This is where Mo’unga easily pushed his way past the Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and smashed through Lolesio to claim his first try.

Mo’unga’s second will please Foster, as it was a nod to the dual playmaker association ploy, with Beauden Barrett placing a perfect tile to create the breakout.

While the All Blacks didn’t always have the same relentlessness about their second spell work, when the Wallabies tried to inject some respectability into the scoreboard, two late hits from Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett sealed the crushing loss.

Hoskins Sotutu, on test debut, delivered a brilliant pass from the back of the scrum to send his Blues teammate Ioane into the corner.

The only minor concern will be for All Blacks captain Sam Cane, who left the field in the 68th minute after hitting Harry Wilson’s shoulder on the head leaving him stunned and flexing his neck.

The triumphant mood was clouded, a bit, by a late yellow card to Shannon Frizell for a high shot.

But there is no mistaking the emphatic nature of this result and the pleasure the All Blacks take in retaining the coveted Bledisloe.

On the other side of the fence, Rennie is widely recognized as an excellent coach. This result, however, exposed the reality of Australian rugby’s limited depth and the class gap that remains.

Test-ready prospects cannot be manufactured overnight.

All Blacks 43 (Richie Mo’unga 2, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Dane Coles, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett tries; Mo’unga 5 cons, pen)

Wallabies 5 (Noah Lolesio tests)

HT: 26-0