The First Half
There were a lot of tactics in the first half. The All Blacks looked to dominate the Wallabies with ball in hand and this is just what they did. Israel Dagg once again proved why he is one of the best young players in world rugby as he broke the line, offloaded to Ma’a Nonu who went over for the first try of the match. Piri Weepu missed the conversion and it was 5 – 0 early. The Wallabies’ defense was terrible and left too many holes for the men in black to run through. Missed tackles were the biggest problem for Australia. After a drop goal from Aaron Cruden the All Blacks moved to an 8 – 0 lead. There were a lot of penalties in the first half, following a collapsed scrum the All Blacks were awarded a penalty and Weepu converted making it 11 – 0 at Eden Park. Controversial Wallaby first five Quade Cooper had a patchy first half but managed to get himself a drop goal. With the score at 11 – 3 the Wallabies' lack of discipline cost them again as they gave away another penalty. Weepu converted just before the break to make the score 14 – 3.
A good first half from the All Blacks and a poor effort from the Wallabies. Cruden looked good, and Corey Jane was proving strong under the high ball taking many catches. This match could still go either way but Australia would have to score first in the second half to get some momentum going.
The Second Half
Discipline in rugby is a very important thing. The Wallabies were terrible in this area all game long. It was in the breakdown and scrums where the All Blacks really began to dominate in the second half, getting a lot of turnover ball and therefore shutting out any Wallabies’ attack. Cooper was looking better with the ball in hand but kept kicking possession back to the All Blacks. Dagg proved he is a good kicker too, making some very long touch finding punts forcing the Aussies back into their own half. Following a penalty to the Wallabies, the score was 14 – 6 early in the second half. Weepu played a lot better in the second half, landing two penalties and making the score 20 – 6 at Eden Park. The Wallabies backline looked too stiff and there was no room to try and create some space. The constant kicking away of possession was not helping the cause at all, in fact it was hindering it. Sonny Bill Williams made a brief appearance only to be yellow carded for a shoulder charge on Quade Cooper late in the piece. The final score at Eden Park was 20 – 6 to the All Blacks.
Summary
This game was a big surprise. It should have been a lot closer than it was. The All Blacks dominated the better part of the match especially at the breakdown. The Wallaby forwards just did not play well enough on the night. David Pocock had a terrible game. Israel Dagg was once again in glittering form whilst none of the Wallabies backs did much at all. After all the hype and anticipation, a very poor Wallabies effort took place on the field tonight. The Wallabies will now take on Wales in a playoff match for third place in the Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks and their fans will now gear up for the biggest game of their lives, the Rugby World Cup final. How ironic it is, in 1987 the All Blacks played France at Eden Park in the final. History will repeat itself next Sunday in front of 60,000 fans.
