All Blacks inflict record 43-5 defeat on Wallabies to retain Bledisloe Cup

The All Blacks demolished an inexperienced Wallabies side by romping to a record 43-5 victory in the Tri-Nations opener last night and claiming the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year.

All Blacks flyhalf Richie Mo’unga scored two brilliant individual tries in six first-half minutes and forwards Karl Tu’inukuafe and Dane Coles also crossed as the visitors raced to a 26-0 lead in just half an hour.

The pain eased for the crowd of 25,689 at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium early in the second half when Australia flyhalf Noah Lolesio scored a try on his Test debut but Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett blew out the score in the last 10 minutes.

Mo’unga converted five of six tries and added a penalty to take his personal match tally to 23 points and ensure the highest victory margin for the All Blacks in 169 Tests against their trans-Tasman rivals.

All Blacks captain Sam Cane says the victory was more than relief, it was really exciting.

All Blacks coach Ian Foster says winning the Bledisloe Cup means a lot to them because they have a lot of respect for the Wallabies.

The Wallabies had gone into the first Test on Australian soil this year with hopes high but Dave Rennie’s inexperienced side made too many errors and were ruthlessly punished for them.

The loss combined with a 16-16 draw and a 27-7 defeat in New Zealand earlier this month handed the All Blacks the Bledisloe Cup with next week’s fourth Test in Brisbane to spare.

Wallabies wing Filipo Daugunu talked the talk but he walked off the field after a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on All Blacks opposite Caleb Clarke.

In the lead up to the third test, Daugunu said the Wallabies were out to 'smash' Clarke following his impressive starting debut at Eden Park.

The Tri-Nations, which also involves Argentina, replaced the Rugby Championship after world champions South Africa withdrew from the annual southern hemisphere tournament citing player welfare concerns.

The All Blacks meet the Wallabies again in the Tri-Nations at 8.45pm next Saturday.