It is said that defence will be the key to winning the World Cup this year in France - and the All Blacks' defence must be considered second to none after holding their opponents tryless over the last 160 minutes of rugby.

The Wallabies will be left wondering how they can compete with the All Black forward pack after Saturday's showdown in Auckland. They came off second best in Melbourne and were only saved by their brilliant backs; this time they were beaten convincingly in every position.

The Australian backs played well in the first half, but as their forwards began to lose the battle up front, their quality ball dried up, as did their chances.

'While this victory was by no means a perfect game, it does serve as a warning to the rest of the rugby world that the All Blacks are coming into form at just the right time'


While this victory was by no means a perfect game, it does serve as a warning to the rest of the rugby world that the All Blacks are coming into form at just the right time.

Both sides started tentatively after rain set in just before kick off, making both footing and handling difficult.
Neither team were able to gain a territorial advantage and the scoring was finally opened when All Blacks goalkicker Dan Carter slotted his first penalty attempt.

The Wallabies got on the board via a Stirling Mortlock penalty goal in the 23rd minute and then took the lead three minutes later when Matt Giteau landed a long-range drop goal.

The All Blacks looked to have the dominant scrum once again but their line-out fell to pieces, losing three off their own throw and failing to claim any off the Australian throws. Jumpers failed to claim to ball cleanly and twice hooker Anton Oliver missed his target.

Carter levelled the scores in the 29th minute with another penalty goal. But the lead was shortlived as Mortlock put his side ahead with a similar effort in the 33rd minute.

After drawing level thanks to another Carter penalty, stand-in Wallaby fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper showed his inexperience by first attempting to trap a ball with his foot rather than catch it and allowing the ball to bounce into touch, then threw the ball away - conceding a penalty. Carter made no mistake and the All Blacks went into the break with a 12-9 lead.

The second half saw improved conditions as the rain stopped, allowing the players more freedom to run with the ball. But the game continued to be trench warfare amongst the forwards. The All Blacks had the better of the early exchanges winning two penalties, the second of which was kicked by Carter to extend their half-time lead.

Over the next ten minutes both teams exchanged penalty goals, but the tide was beginning to turn in the All Blacks' favour. In the 55th minute, replacement half back Brendan Leonard intercepted a pass and put the New Zealanders hot on attack, the move ending when replacement hooker Keven Mealamu crashed over the line. But he was unable to ground the ball and the Wallabies breathed again.

From the ensuing scrum, the All Black forwards continued to pound away on the Wallabies' goal line and eventually scored what proved to be the only try of the game. The glory went to prop Tony Woodcock, who drove over in the right-hand corner for his second Test try - the first coming against the Wallabies in Melbourne.

Another Carter penalty put  the All Blacks 26-12 ahead and in total control  But although they created a number of opportunities late in the second half, they were unable to score any further points. The Wallabies were finally able to put together an attacking raid late in the game after being dominated for most of the second half - but it was snuffed out by committed defence and a timely steal by Carter.

The All Black lineout improved greatly in the second half after the introduction of Mealamu, while their scrum was totally dominant through out the match. Like much of the team, the midfield defence was shaky early on, allowing Mortlock to make several breaks before tightening up in the second half.