Wallabies put an end to Carisbrook losing streak

By NICK STANLEY

The All Blacks unbeaten run against the Wallabies at Carisbrook has come to an end.

The world champions put on a polished display to win 23-15, recording their first-ever victory in Dunedin and ensuring the Bledisloe Cup will stay in their possession for another year.

The All Blacks threw everything at the Australians, but came up short as the Australian defence absorbed the pressure and forced New Zealand to take risks.

The game started perfectly for the All Blacks as Jonah Lomu, who lead the team out in honour of his 50th test, lead them onto the scoreboard with a try two minutes after the kickoff.

As the Australian swept onto attack, a Stephen Larkham kick was stopped and toed down into the Wallaby half by Jeff Wilson.

Matthew Burke cleared the ball to touch and from the resulting lineout the All Black backline swung it wide to Tana Umaga, who put in an intelligent grubber kick behind the Aussie line.

Wallaby winger Joe Roff could not handle the ball cleanly as he retreated and Lomu quickly regained his footing to pounce on the ball for the try.

Brown missed the conversion from near the sideline and shortly after missed an easier penalty attempt that would have given the All Blacks a 10-0 lead.

They rued those misses as the Australians drew on their reserves of patience and struck back with a try to Burke.

Some swift passing put the fullback into the gap out wide, Burke kicked ahead, regathered and skidded over the line in the tackle of Doug Howlett.

Burke converted his own try and kicked a straightforward penalty, after Troy Flavell was penalised for dangerous rucking, to give the Australians a 10-5 lead.

He had the opportunity to extend the Australian lead with two further penalty attempts, but pushed one wide and didn't have the distance with the other.

New Zealand were right back into the match ten minutes after the halftime break, with a Brown penalty closing the gap to 10-8.

Not to be outdone, Burke kicked a penalty shortly after to restore the Wallabies five-point lead.

After another Brown miss, the game was effectively put beyond the All Blacks when referee Steve Lander awarded the Australians a penalty try.

From an All Black turnover, Larkham ran into space and kicked ahead for Joe Roff. With the line open, Roff toed ahead but was brought down without the ball by a desperate Ron Cribb.

The easy conversion to Burke and his third penalty put the Australians beyond two converted tries, a gap that proved too much for the All Blacks to close.

Throwing everything at the Wallabies, they did score the try of the match - Jeff Wilson's 50th in tests - after another storming run from Lomu.

Tana Umaga's acceleration put him into a hole and he fed outside to the big winger who brushed aside several tackles before finding Wilson, who had showed his pace earlier in the half to chase down a runaway Roff, running unmarked inside.

Replacement first five-eights Andrew Mehrtens converted and the All Blacks had a chance at a bonus point - for losing by less than seven - with a very kickable penalty as the fulltime hooter sounded.

Captain Anton Oliver chose to run the ball, but like so many of the moves the All Blacks tried, the ball went forward in the movement and a single Tri-Nations' point went with it.

(M Burke try, penalty try; Burke 2 con, 3 pen)

(J Lomu, J Wilson tries; T Brown pen; A Mehrtens con).

Halftime: 10-5.