The Aussies have taken a series of dramatic tumbles against the All Blacks at their national stadium. Photo/Photosport
The Aussies have taken a series of dramatic tumbles against the All Blacks at their national stadium. Photo/Photosport
As flowcharts go, it doesn't look good for the Wallabies when they take on the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
The last three Bledisloe Cup tests at Sydney's giant Olympic venue have resulted in ugly defeats for the Aussies.
They also include one very famous All Black try,and 50 minutes of what former coach Steve Hansen described as perfect rugby.
We go back a little further, to give the Wallabies some hope. There was an ugly draw and a very fine win for the Aussies before an avalanche of All Black tries - 20 in three tests - turned Stadium Australia into home away from home for New Zealand.
Overall, the Aussies have fared quite well at the ground since the teams first met there in 1999, with the All Blacks winning 10, Australia seven, and two draws.
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw shows the pain of a draw. Photo/Photosport
2014: 12-all. Crowd: 68,627
Heavy rain shaped this try-less encounter, which saw the All Blacks fall short of creating a new world record of 18 consecutive wins.
A draw in Brisbane two years earlier had also stopped the All Blacks matching the record set by New Zealand in the 1960s, and South Africa in the 1990s.
Australian captain Michael Hooper turned down early penalty shots as Australia tried to attack their way to victory, and they probably had the better try scoring opportunities.
Referee Jaco Peyper was in the spotlight, with one report claiming his "pedantic and at times bemusing referring reduced the much-anticipated trans-Tasman showdown to a dour, stop-start affair."
The All Blacks' cause wasn't helped by having Beauden Barrett and Wyatt Crockett sin binned. Australia ended a three year losing streak against the men in black.
Killer blows...Nic White on the way to the tryline, after also landing a big goal. Photo/Photosport
2015: Australia 27 – 19. Crowd: 73,824
A fabulous second half after a muddled first spell saw the Wallabies prevail, a result which won them the Rugby Championship.
This match marked the briefly glorious career of the sharp stepping Nehe Milner-Skudder who scored two tries and went on to be one of the World Cup stars that year. Richie McCaw equalled Brian O'Driscoll's world record of 141 tests.
Australia took a 68th minute lead when super-sub halfback Nic White landed a booming penalty. He nailed the victory a few minutes later with a superb dart between Nepo Laulala and Kieran Read for a classy try.
The brutal Jerome Kaino during the massive 2016 win. Photo/Photosport
2016: New Zealand 42 – 8. Crowd: 65,328.
A six-to-one tries thrashing of the Aussies, after the All Blacks blitzed them in the first half and took a 32 – 3 lead into the break.
The Wallabies were hit by a series of backline injuries in the game which saw little halfback Nick Phipps end up on the wing marking giant Julian Savea.
There was pre-match drama with claims that the All Black hotel was bugged. But it was the All Black lineout which seemed to have the inside knowledge, wrecking five of the Wallaby throws.
Beauden Barrett was among the stars as the Wallabies suffered their worst home defeat.
The All Blacks celebrate again during the 2017 rampage. Photo/Photosport
2017: New Zealand 54 – 34. Crowd: 54,846
Another All Black rampage at the Olympic stadium. The All Blacks led 40 – 6 at halftime and 54 – 6 early in the second half before the Wallabies mustered four consolation tries in the last 17 minutes.
The Wallabies missed tackles all over the place as the All Black scored their highest total against the Aussies. Halfback Aaron Smith was among the many stars.
In a very weird game, Australia's total was their second best against the All Blacks, and the ABC claimed the final score flattered the Wallabies. It was a record low crowd for a Bledisloe Cup game at the stadium.
Coach Steve Hansen reckoned: "The first 50 minutes was probably as good as rugby as you'll see and the last 30 was probably the ugliest…we got seduced by the scoreboard. That first 50 minutes was pretty special."
Brodie Retallick scores one of the greatest tries in test history. Photo/Photosport
2018: New Zealand 38 – 13. Crowd: 66,318.
Australia's Olympic Stadium was starting to feel a bit like Eden Park, as the All Blacks went on another spree.
Hard to believe, but the Wallabies led 6 – 5 at the break before five second half All Black tries created a familiar story.
The home side had a strong first spell, but a try on halftime ignited the All Blacks.
The match will always be remembered for the Brodie Retallick try. The big lock started the move with a defensive ruck steal and finished it with an extravagant dummy and 30-metre run to the line. It won world try of the year.
