Will Genia is a problem the All Blacks are beginning to have no answer for. The Wallaby halfback was the point of difference last night, deciding the game with an electric break that tore the All Black defence and led to Kurtley Beale touching down for the winning score.
Itwas the second major game Genia has won with an act of brilliance - the first being the Super Rugby final a few months back.
And it wasn't just that break; Genia was the dominant figure for most of the game. Tactically he pulled all the right strings and his execution was outstanding. The Wallabies fed off his brilliance and in these tight encounters, one man can make all the difference.
For Wallabies coach Robbie Deans, the satisfaction was obvious. What pleased him was the fact that his troops closed it out.
"We haven't gone 80 minutes in the past and we had to tonight," said Deans. "In terms of the World Cup, the win was irrelevant. But in terms of the Tri Nations, very significant. The All Blacks came back into it, they were building and it was looking ominous. But our blokes held their nerve and that is very pleasing. I guess if anything, we might have raised the bar for the World Cup if we are fortunate to meet the All Blacks."
That's certainly what the All Blacks will be hoping. They have lost two consecutive tests for the first time since 2009 and their aura of invincibility, which began in November of that year, is starting to fade.
The edge has come off their work. The forwards didn't have the physicality in the first half and were knocked off the ball by the Wallabies.
Their scrum was creaky, too, and if they start another test like that in the knockout rounds of the World Cup or against France in the pool stages, they can forget it.
They so nearly fought back last night, but the fact they didn't is a slight worry. Almost as much of a worry as the fact Mils Muliaina didn't spark the way everyone wanted given the pressure he was under from Israel Dagg.
"We are disappointed by the way we started," said All Blacks coach Graham Henry. "I'm proud of how they came back and we have a couple of injuries that we are not sure how they are going to pan out. We are not sure how serious they are [injuries to loose forwards Adam Thomson and Kieran Read]."
