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34 min: 16 phases with Australia in possession and it ends with a New Zealand penalty. A Wallaby line-out down the right is well worked with Valetini collecting it in the air and dropping it for Samu on the run down the blindside. A few players approach. Foketi, Ikitau and Gordan head for the line, but nothing. The black wall holds and they eventually win a turnover penalty.
32 mins: Another scrum penalty for Australia. They are making mincemeat out of the All Blacks set. Foley kicks in the corner just short of the New Zealand line.
Updated at 11.38 BST
30 mins: You’ll want to watch this Koroibete hit on Clarke again. It was HAYUUUGE! Before that, Samu comes up the field as a centre, pumping his powerful legs after finding space from the back of a scrum. He then kicks the ball on his butt and Foley kicks in the All Black 22m. Clarke clears but is nailed by Koroibete. New Zealand do well though to hold the maul, resisting the counter-ruck and Jordie Barrett clears the contact. The Wallabies will not want to end this half without at least one more score. They are all over New Zealand.
28 mins: Momentum is a strange concept in rugby and it’s easy to overstate its impact. But there’s no denying that the tide has turned and everything is going the Wallabies’ way. After the restart, the All Blacks up, but Valetini (again) is involved, holding the All Black ball carrier and winning a scrum after forming the maul.
TRY! Australia 10-10 New Zealand (Valetini, 26)
Doesn’t he deserve this? The big No.8 was everywhere this evening and rewarded his captain’s bravery. Slipper could have gone for an easy three, but asks Foley to kick into contact. A clean line-out turns into a maul that breaks and charges towards the line. The ABs try to pull him down and Papali’i (on the pitch, while Cane is seen after a headbutt) is booked, but not before Valetini gets up and over the bar. line up close
Foley reverses with a wobbly kick and we’re all square.
25 mins: Slipper opts to kick for touch. A sloppy lineout ends in another penalty for Australia. Foley tags him back in. Australia smells blood.
David Havili fails his HIA after a hard blow to the head. I will answer you about who replaced him. Skipper Sam Cane is also out.
It all goes the Aussies way as they win a scrum penalty inside kicking range.
Hold on! Don’t try!
20 mins: Australia should have their first try and would have if it wasn’t for Riko Ioane’s left arm denying Kellaway a goal. It was a blistering move from the Wallabies that started slowly in the middle of the oak tree and moved quickly right where Kellaway joined the line and burst into space. But he couldn’t put the ball down. Great moment of the game.
Penalty! Australia – New Zealand 3-10 (Foley, 18)
Great rugby from the Wallabies. The line-out goes long to Samu on the charge and he goes over the gain line. Quick hands from Foley and others cause Wright to find space. The ball is worked left to Koroibete but runs out of space. The ball is turned over but there is a penalty right in front of the posts. Foley takes the easy three.
16 mins: Ding dong rugby. The All Blacks get upfield with Clarke shaking the tackles, but he’s spun to ground and a clever kick behind the line means Jordie Barrett has to clear with his heels touching his own line. A quick chase from Foketi is hastened by the throw-in and the Wallabies have the feed inside the New Zealand 22m. This is more like the Wallabies. More aggressiveness is needed on the ground.
13 mins: An attacking penalty against the Wallabies after they finally got their gloves on the ball. Holloway secures a clean ball from a line-out on the right and the ball snakes across the field. Kellaway joins the line from the back as his team push forward. But Jordan beats the ball and wins another AB pen.
Penalty! Australia 0-10 New Zealand
He hits it really well. That pen came out of the back of the relentless pressure on the floor and in the collision. A clean hit takes the cushion beyond a couple of scores.
10 mins: Mo’ongu shoots from a flat start but finds space. The Wallabies return the favor but the All Blacks gape downfield through a bursting Clarke run. Many runners on both sides with big prop De Groot also got involved. The Walalbies almost steal an equalizer but are fouled on the ground. Penalty to the All Blacks.
9 mins: It was a difficult kick and Barrett can’t find his radar. He pulls it lightly.
8 minutes: it’s a one-way traffic. James Slipper coughs up a scrum penalty after some aerial handling errors by the Wallabies. Jordie Barrett rises to point from distance and angle.
TRY! Australia – New Zealand 0-7 (Taukei’aho, 3)
It’s a dream start for the All Blacks who have been slow to get out of the blocks this year. Not this time. A third out a touch away from the line sees Retallick scrambling. A maul is formed with several backs joining in the push. It finally sinks in with Taukei’aho emerging with the ball. Mo’unga makes a difficult conversion look easy.
Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
Updated at 11.38 BST
1 min: It’s a tight start for the Wallabies. Holloway misses the kick-off and Foketi makes contact to give the All Blacks an early feed on the way out.
He goes to the back where he picks up Whitelock. The push against the Wallaby is ruled illegal and the All Blacks are awarded a penalty. They put him back in contact at 5 m.
Aussies for a boomerang form to counter the Haka. I always love it when teams do something a little different to cater to New Zealand’s battle cry.
Oh! They are making progress. They have progressed to the Haka. Aussies are ready for this! Start the game!
Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images
Updated at 11.36 BST
These are the hymns done. Two charming performances by the main cast members of the musical Hamilton. Both teams hope this can revolutionize their game plan. See what I did there?
First, a minute’s silence for Queen Elizabeth.
50 for Koroibete. The flying wing shows its landmark. One of four Australian wingers to make it there.
Scenes! Marvel Stadium looks amazing! I’m watching from London, but man, this is one stadium that has shot up the list. What a stage! It’s not long now.
What is your favorite Wallabies vs All Blacks clash? Mine is this one, with Jonah Lomu beating it to death. The best, though, is Christian Cullen, the absolute maniac, who chases and chases even after the last blow with his team already in the lead. That’s why he was my favorite (non-Springbok) player when I was growing up.
Updated at 10.55 BST
All eyes on Scott Barrett. Blindside has been a problem for the All Blacks for some time. And with Shannon Frizell injured, the burly of the Barrett brothers moves from his favored blocking position to loose for this clash against the Aussies.
It’s a formula that has worked for South Africa and England. Pieter Steph du Toit and Courtney Lawes began their careers at lock but are now among the pre-eminent full-backs in world rugby.
His manager is backing him to step into the role: “We were very pleased with his tests against Ireland,” said Ian Foster. “Circumstances meant we didn’t go there again, but it’s an option we clearly want to keep up our sleeve and use and it’s a great occasion for that.”
Either way, the Aussies will look to isolate him every chance they get.
We mentioned the George Gregan clash, referring to a baffling tackle that denied the All Blacks a try-winner in 1994, the last time these two sides met on a school night, and here it is. Skip to 1:57 if you don’t like the preamble, but the buildup is worth it if you have a few minutes.
Updated at 10.28 BST
How good is that? It may be a midweek meet but Melbourne have come out strong!
Updated at 10.19am BST
All Blacks XV. Do you notice anything? Or should I say, look at anyone. Anyone missing this. Ardie Savea, for my money the best All Black at the moment, is unavailable as he is with his partner for the birth of their third child. That means it will be a big test for Hoskins Sotutu, playing just his 12th Test. Wallabies will appear to be dogs on the loose, scrapping, gnawing and biting anything loose. Not Shannon Frizzell with a rib injury. Big afternoon for skipper Sam Cane. It’s true for most rugby games, but those wearing the numbers 6, 7 and 8 on their backs will change the course for their sides.
Updated at 10.17am BST
Here’s the Wallabies line-up. The starter is Foley at 10, on a rugby field for the first time since May and in the green and gold for the first time since 2019. No pressure mate
All Blacks skipper Sam Cane has spoken this week and expects the Wallabies to look to capitalize on the absence of loose forward Ardie Savea and dominate the breakdown.
Savea has played 80 minutes in each of his four Rugby Championship Tests and made 51 carries for 275 metres, more than double his other forwards apart from hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho, but will miss the first game while he waits the birth of their third child. New Zealand.
“They’ve picked a trio of loose forwards who are all good strong ball carriers and we expect the game to be quite physical,” Cane said. “Breakdowns are always important, but often the result of a breakdown is how well the team is playing up front, in terms of getting over the line of scrimmage with carries. Our job is to undo that.”
ICYMI, here’s Angus Fontaine’s preview:
And it all boils down to that. Australia v New Zealand. The Bledisloe Cup on the line. Neither team is in form, with two dazzling wins and two dizzying defeats each in this Rugby Championship. But in the fourth round a fortnight ago, the All…