Wallabies losing streak nears two decades and the gap has never been wider

It’s been 19 years since the Wallabies last won the Bledisloe Cup and now they have never been further from breaking the drought.

That’s the harsh reality facing Rugby Australia and Wallabies coach Dave Rennie after conceding more points at Eden Park than any team in Australian rugby history last night.

Australia’s Bledisloe Cup drought will continue for another year with the Wallabies suffering a record defeat, 57 - 22 to the All Blacks.

The 57-22 defeat only added to the mental scars which have hindered the Wallabies’ development for almost two decades.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports one play defined the difference between one of the best teams in the world and a team simply making up the numbers.

Trailing 21-15 with a one-man advantage after Ardie Savea was sent to the sin bin after 41 minutes, the Wallabies had a lineout deep inside the All Blacks’ half.

New Zealand did not contest the lineout. They elected to set their defensive maul, as most teams do in that situation.

It was therefore the most basic of throws for Brandon Paenga-Amosa, but the Wallabies hooker couldn’t execute. The throw wasn’t straight.

Rather than applying pressure and possibly scoring a try that would have put the Wallabies 30 minutes away from breaking the Eden Park drought, the All Blacks marched up the other end and scored.

When Savea returned, the All Blacks had a 31-15 lead.

While Paenga-Amosa’s crooked throw was the play that defined the difference between the two teams, there was another play that was an example of the big brother-little brother relationship.

A bizarre Matt To’omua kick well after the final siren found a grateful Beauden Barrett.

In any other match, Barrett would have belted the ball high into the nearest grandstand and started celebrating with his teammates.

But Barrett could smell blood. A 50-22 win wasn’t enough. The All Blacks wanted more.

The superstar fullback set off a counter-attack which finished with a try to David Havili.

The All Blacks didn’t need to score. The tired forwards that could barely pick their legs up probably would have preferred Barrett to end the game then and there.

But it must have made the Wallabies feel helpless.

That’s how Australian rugby fans feel after watching their team sink to another embarrassing defeat in New Zealand.

Last night's result means the third and final Bledisloe Cup test in Perth in two weeks is now a dead rubber.

[Source: Sydney Morning Herald]