All Blacks survive Wallabies assault to sweep Bledisloe Cup series

The All Blacks have swept the Bledisloe Cup series with a 33-13 win over the Wallabies, showing their class after an early Australian assault.

The Wallabies led as late as the 40th minute and starved the All Blacks of the ball in a much-improved first-half showing in Wellington on Saturday.

However, the All Blacks flipped the switch after the break, denying Australia even a second-half point.

Caleb Clarke doubled up in a brilliant display of line-breaking rugby, with Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and Tamaiti Williams also scoring tries in the bonus-point win.

Fraser McReight scored the Wallabies’ only try as their night fizzled out in an all-too familiar story.

This was a 30th match in New Zealand without success for Australia over their arch-rivals, and their ninth straight loss anywhere to the All Blacks.

The win snapped a rare home hoodoo for the All Blacks, who were winless in the capital in five Tests.

It also allowed the full house to farewell Sam Cane, in his 100th Test, and hometown hero TJ Perenara on their last home internationals with a win.

Australia will finish bottom of the Rugby Championship standings – and by a distance – but Joe Schmidt’s side could at least point to a much-improved first-half showing from last week’s Bledisloe opener in Sydney.

The Wallabies were unrecognisable from the side that shipped three tries in the opening 15 minutes, holding on to the ball and putting the All Blacks under pressure early.

They should have scored in the third minute when Andrew Kellaway’s kick eluded Jordan and Beauden Barrett, only for Jake Gordon to fumble a metre from home.

After 14 phases in their possession, McReight cashed in to give the Wallabies an eighth-minute lead, which was duly converted by Noah Lolesio.

The Wallabies’ aggression was made plain by Dylan Pietsch – who impressed on his first Test start – smashing into the towering Rieko Ioane in the hunt for territory.

The All Blacks barely touched it in the first 15 minutes but replied courtesy of the twinkle toes of Wallace Sititi, who broke through before Reece went over.

A Barrett miss and a Lolesio penalty put the score at 5-10, before Jordan broke Harry Wilson’s tackle to find a way through the middle and put New Zealand on equal terms.

Barrett, in for Damian McKenzie at fly-half, found the middle to give the hosts their first lead of the night.

Clarke made sure of a half-time lead after another run through the guts in the 41st minute, the scoreboard reading 19-13 at the interval.

That advantage might have been the only pleasing thing for Scott Robertson, who saw his side leak penalty after penalty.

Scott Barrett’s pre-game plea to hold more of the ball fell on deaf ears, with Australia enjoying 68 per cent possession in the opening stanza.

The All Blacks kept their heads after the break, pushing over through substitute Tamaiti Williams just before the hour mark.

Two tries to the good, New Zealand suddenly looked safe but had another box to tick: finding a way to late points.

Incredibly, the Kiwis hadn’t scored in the final 20 minutes of any of their five Rugby Championship clashes, but Clarke changed that when he stormed over after 64 minutes.

Clarke ended the match in the bin after infringing in an offside position, but it was too late for Australia to reply.

A 31-28 win in Sydney meant the Bledisloe Cup was already in New Zealand’s safekeeping for a 22nd straight year.