All Blacks shut out Wallabies in second half to end Wellington hoodoo

The All Blacks have beaten Australia to banish their Wellington hoodoo and send departing veterans Sam Cane and TJ Perenara out on a high.

Their 33-13 win at a sold-out Sky Stadium in the second Bledisloe Cup test was the All Blacks’ first in the New Zealand capital for six years and condemned the Wallabies to more misery on this side of the Tasman.

Scott Robertson’s men made a nervous start and conceded the first try for just the second time this year, but they finished strong and kept Australia scoreless in the second half.

Fraser McReight had given the Wallabies the early lead inside eight minutes after boldly turning down an easy shot at three points moments earlier.

But Australia barely threatened after that and went the entire second half without scoring a point as the All Blacks defence held strong.

Fears that the Cake Tin curse would strike again were eased when Caleb Clarke scored the first of his two tries, right before halftime to send the All Blacks into the sheds with a 19-13 lead – a lead they would never relinquish.

The All Blacks were forced to make twice as many tackles as the Wallabies in the first half but they withstood the pressure and their outside backs took their opportunities, slicing through the opposition defence with ease at times on a night where four of the five tries were scored by the players in jerseys 11, 14 and 15.

The All Blacks didn’t exactly find out their answer at No. 10 but Will Jordan solved half the piece of the puzzle with a sublime performance at fullback, which should see him retained at No. 15 for the Northern Tour.

Jordan scored the best try of the night when he broke the tackle from McReight and sprinted through to score the All Blacks’ second try.

First five-eighth Beauden Barrett put a solid shift but failed to seize his chance at No. 10 after being handed his first start in the main playmaker role since 2022.

He sprayed his first conversion wide and failed to find touch from a penalty, though Dylan Pietsch deserves credit for the aerial skills he showed to keep the ball to prevent the ball going out.

Left winger Clarke’s game-breaking qualities were on full display, dotting down twice, including the crucial go-ahead try right before halftime.

But he watched the final three minutes from the sin bin after being pinged for infringing from an offside position.

Although Perenara got the perfect send off in his final match for the All Blacks in his hometown, the veteran halfback endured a frustrating night before being replaced by Cortez Ratima.

He was guilty of throwing a pass directly out, and sliced a box kick.

Cane got through a mountain of work on defence in his 100th test before leaving the field to a standing ovation from sections of the Wellington crowd.

Source: Stuff.co.nz