The Rugby Championship began in Sydney this past Saturday as Trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand squared off in the first Bledisloe matchup with a very attritional 12-12 draw during very difficult conditions, and in doing so, the Wallabies ended the All Blacks’ 17-game winning streak.
Wallabies End All Blacks Winning Streak
Australian Rugby went into the game riding a wave of optimism after seven straight victories; with the feel-good factor increasing as the Sydney based NSW Waratahs, containing many Wallaby representatives, securing their first Super Rugby triumph.
But there was also a lot of caution, as the Wallabies’ recent record against the All Blacks being pitiful at best. New Zealand had won their last seven head to head meetings, while holding the Bledisloe Cup for an astonishing 11 straight years. On top of that they had won 36 of their last 38 tests since the 2011 World Cup, an incredible run of form cementing their reputation as one of the most formidable forces in World Sport.
So it’s understandable why Kiwi fans were very relaxed before the contest and not reading too much into the hype of the Aussie press and the chances of the Wallabies winning their first Bledisloe Cup since 2002.
A matchup, which many predicted to be a wide open affair with attack-minded players on both sides, turned into a largely forgettable encounter. Stormy and very wet conditions in Sydney meant it was impossible to play this style as both teams grinded out a very physical arm-wrestle, where dominance up front was always going to decide the contest.
With Australia having improved massively in this department from 2013, with a more competitive scrum and forward pack, they were able to match the All Blacks, and not get overrun like they did in this fixture last year, where the All Blacks racked up 47 points.
This meant discipline was the name of the game with Kurtley Beale and Aaron Cruden trading penalty goals throughout, with the Kiwis failing to build on a 9-3 half time lead as the Wallabies fought back to tie the contest.
It mirrored the contest back in 2012, as the All Blacks travelled to Brisbane to face Australia on the back of another 17-game winning streak. The record for most test wins in a row is 18, held by New Zealand during 1965-69 and South Africa during 1997-98. It was predicted that this would be broken but an 18-18 draw ended the streak then just like the 12-12 draw ended the streak in 2014.
It seems destined that the 18-game winning streak will forever be intact.
Despite ending their 7-game losing streak to the All Blacks, Australia will be disappointed with this result. Against a surprisingly subdued New Zealand, and with the form and confidence of many Wallaby players being high, the match was there for them to win. Some good scoring opportunities were wasted in the second half along with excellent field position towards the end of the 80 minutes as the Wallabies seemed likely to edge to victory.
Australian captain Michael Hooper summed up the feeling by saying – “It felt like a defeat”.
As the Antipodeans face off once more at Auckland’s Eden Park this Saturday, a ground the Wallabies haven’t tasted victory since 1986, Australia have missed a great opportunity in taking advantage in the Bledisloe series and The Rugby Championship as a whole.
With the Springboks battling to a 13-6 victory over a spirited Argentina in horrendous conditions, The Rugby Championship has gotten off to a rather anti-climactic start, albeit with both games being played in difficult circumstances.
There will be expectancy for an improvement in action as focus switches to Auckland and Salta for round 2.
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