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Sun Feb 12 13:31:13 SAST 2012

Wallabies whacked

SAPA-AFP | 01 August, 2010 00:000 Comments

The All Blacks ripped apart the Wallabies to take control of this year's Tri-Nations series at Docklands stadium yesterday.

Ruthless New Zealand won their 12th consecutive Test and their eighth in a row over the Wallabies to lead the southern hemisphere championship by 11 points over Australia, with South Africa yet to register a point.

The All Blacks scored seven tries to three and were far too strong for the Wallabies, who played the last 37 minutes without winger Drew Mitchell, who was red-carded by South African referee Craig Joubert after his second yellow card.

The Wallabies will now be battling to prevent the All Blacks from stretching their winning sequence over them to nine Tests in Christchurch on Saturday.

This is Australia's worst losing run in the past 63 years of Bledisloe Cup trans-Tasman Tests. Yesterday's loss was also the Wallabies' worst home defeat in seven years - since suffering a 50-21 defeat to New Zealand in 2003.

Fullback Mils Muliaina scored two tries in his 86th international and flyhalf Dan Carter claimed 19 points from a try, four conversions and two penalties for New Zealand.

While the All Blacks were again dynamic following their two home Test wins over the Springboks, they were helped along by a flood of Wallaby errors and had the game shot to bits with a 32-14 halftime lead.

The Kiwis bounced back from an eighth-minute charge-down try by Mitchell to score four tries and wrap up a bonus point four minutes before the interval.

No sooner had the Wallabies celebrated Mitchell's try off a Carter clearing kick than Carter scored off his own charge down of Berrick Barnes's kick minutes later.

The All Blacks produced a magical try after 13 minutes when Brad Thorn kept the ball alive for winger Cory Jane to get in his kick as he was tackled.

Muliaina swept on to the ball and dashed away.

The All Blacks were in again off another Australian mistake when fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper lost possession in a maul and Kiwi skipper Richie McCaw picked up the ball and ran 25m to score.

The All Blacks finished the half strongly with a try by Jane to claim New Zealand's third bonus point in three Tri-Nations matches this season.

Referee Joubert sent All Black prop Owen Franks and Wallaby winger Mitchell to the sin bin for shoulder tackles in the opening half.

Mitchell paid again for his lack of discipline when he was red carded for cynically interfering with a quick throw-in at the lineout.

Joubert was heard to tell Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom: "I'm not responsible for how this affects the game because I warned you..."

The All Blacks pulled further away six minutes after the resumption when Muliaina scored his second try and his team's fifth.

The Wallabies pounded the All Blacks' tryline in more than 20 phases before flanker David Pocock was held up by McCaw to deny the Australians.

The home side finally breached the tenacious Kiwi defence through Ashley-Cooper in the 56th minute, with Matt Giteau's conversion reducing the deficit to 39-21.

But Joe Rokocoko, New Zealand's all-time most-capped winger in his 64th Test, scored his side's sixth try midway through the half to again stamp the All Blacks' authority.

Elsom scored Australia's third try nine minutes from the end and replacement Corey Flynn dashed over for New Zealand's seventh in the final minutes.

Said Elsom after the defeat: "Thankfully for us we get another crack at them next week."

SCORERS:

Australia - Tries: Drew Mitchell, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Rocky Elsom. Penalties: Matt Giteau (3). Conversions: Giteau (2).

New Zealand - Tries: Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina (2), Richie McCaw, Cory Jane, Joe Rokocoko, Corey Flynn. Penalties: Carter (2). Conversions: Carter (4).

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