NEW ZEALAND SECURED the Bledisloe Cup for the tenth consecutive season with an impressive 22-0 win over Australia in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The All Blacks looked in control throughout the game against an Australian outfit lacking any sort of imagination in attack, despite the return of Quade Cooper to fly-half.
New Zealand looked the better team from the start, with only a last gasp tackle from Adam Ashley-Cooper denying Israel Dagg, before Liam Messam was held up over the line.
Dan Carter finally gave the All Blacks a deserved lead with a penalty after 25 minutes.
The game began to slip away from the Wallabies when Will Genia was sin binned before Carter added another three points from the resulting penalty.
The visitors, though, continued to defend manfully and the home side were disappointed to go into the interval with only another Carter penalty to show for their dominance.
Carter landed his fourth successful penalty with a huge kick just two minutes into the second half before the win was secured when the All Blacks went through numerous phases rounded off with a superb run by Dagg to score the game’s only try.
Carter converted easily and then added another penalty to move New Zealand into a 22 point lead.
Only then, with did game out of reach, did Australia come alive but their best wasn’t good enough as Kieran Read denied Berrick Barnes with a brilliant try saving tackle.
It was the first time Australia have been held scoreless by New Zealand in 50 years and the result extends the home side’s unbeaten run at Eden Park to 30 tests.
