The All Blacks bounced back from 17-0 down to beat the Wallabies 35-29 in Dunedin and retain the Bledisloe Cup. JON CARDINELLI reports.

The game never wanted for drama. The All Blacks were under pressure at stages. The Wallabies showed a lot of heart, but in the end their goal-kicking as well as their defence in the final 10 minutes cost them dearly.

The Test at the Forsyth Barr Stadium certainly didn’t pan out as many expected it would. The start of the game was delayed by more than 10 minutes due to a problem with the stadium lights. The Wallabies then proceeded to score 17 unanswered points in the first 15 minutes.

The All Blacks failed to convert their set-piece dominance into points in the first quarter. They made 17 handling errors in the first stanza alone. The chief culprit was centre Sonny Bill Williams, who spilled the ball four times during this period.

Credit should go to a much improved Wallabies defence, though. Last week, the Wallabies conceded six tries and 40 points in the first 40 minutes. On this occasion, they made the most of their early opportunities and went to the break with the lead.

The All Blacks eventually made a breakthrough when scrumhalf Aaron Smith found winger Rieko Ioane with an accurate inside pass. Ioane, along with the front row, had an outstanding game for the hosts.

Ben Smith knocked the ball over the tryline right before half-time. The All Blacks enjoyed a further opportunity before the break, though. The scrum fired, and Aaron Smith broke the line to score. The successful conversion by Beauden Barrett saw the All Blacks trailing 17-14.

If Bernard Foley had been more accurate in front of goal, the Wallabies would have enjoyed a greater first-half lead. As it was, Foley missed two conversions and a penalty in the first stanza.

The All Blacks turned down multiple chances to kick for goal in the second stanza. Every time they won a penalty, they opted for a lineout or a scrum.

Brodie Retallick crashed over the tryline in the 54th minute following an All Blacks win at the lineout. Referee Nigel Owens awarded the try, but then changed his decision after a replay showed no clear evidence of Retallick grounding the ball.

The visitors weren’t done yet, though. Will Genia scored in the 67th minute to regain the lead for the Wallabies. Foley hit the post with his conversion attempt. The flyhalf’s wayward goal-kicking cost the Wallabies nine points over the 80 minutes.

The All Blacks controlled possession for 22 phases before Ben Smith received the ball in space. Barrett completed the conversion to give the hosts an important six-point lead with nine minutes remaining.

The Wallabies looked to have burgled a win when Kurtley Beale scored under posts in the 77th minute. This time Foley had no trouble adding the extras.

The All Blacks maintained their composure in the dying moments. Kieran Read soared to win the kickoff. The hosts controlled possession from there, with Read making an important linebreak and Barrett arriving in support at the vital moment. The flyhalf finished the game with a personal tally of 20 points.

The All Blacks hung on to secure the victory and retain the Bledisloe Cup for yet another season. The Wallabies had to be content with a bonus point for losing within seven.

All Blacks – Tries: Rieko Ioane, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett (2), Ben Smith. Conversions: Barrett (5).
Wallabies – Tries: Israel Folau, Michael Hooper, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Kurtley Beale. Conversions: Foley (2).

All Blacks – 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody.
Subs: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Kane Hames, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.

Wallabies – 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio.
Subs: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Rory Arnold, 20 Lopeti Timani/Jack Dempsey, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Reece Hodge, 23 Curtis Rona.

Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images