Record-breaking All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup for the 18th straight year after demolishing Australia in third test
- Fly-half Richie Mo’unga leads the way with 23 points as New Zealand take a 2-0 lead in the four-test series, with the first test drawn
- The match doubled as the opening Tri Nations clash between the two countries, with Argentina also taking part
A ruthless All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th straight year in record-breaking style on Saturday, blitzing a young Australian team 43-5 to reinforce their trans-Tasman dominance.
After winning 27-7 in Auckland, which followed a tense 16-16 draw in Wellington, they accomplished their mission in Sydney by their biggest ever winning margin against the Wallabies, with one match of the series to go next week.
Fly-half Richie Mo’unga bagged 23 points to ensure bragging rights went to New Zealand coach Ian Foster, who like his opposite number Dave Rennie is in charge for his first Bledisloe Cup tournament.
“It’s more than a relief, it’s exciting,” said All Blacks captain Sam Cane, adding that the team would celebrate with “a few fizzies”. “It’s a lot of feelings but I’m just really proud of the group and excited about what’s ahead.”
While the match was the third Bledisloe fixture, it was also the first of the Tri Nations also featuring Argentina – rebranded from the Rugby Championship after world champions South Africa pulled out.