Bledisloe Cup live: Wallabies eye end to 22-year Bledisloe Cup heartache in Sydney test
Stern Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has warned his side not to get carried away with their thrillingly close defeat to the All Blacks, saying second is not good enough. Read how it happened inside.
Stern Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has warned his side not to get carried away with their thrillingly close defeat to the All Blacks, saying second is not good enough.
While the Wallabies won over long-suffering fans with a brave display to go down 31-28 at Accor Stadium, losing the Bledisloe Cup for a 22nd straight year, Schmidt revealed the ruthless mentality he is bringing in as the new boss.
Relive the action from Accor Stadium below, and read Jamie Pandaram’s expert analysis here.
“We really rolled our sleeves up in the second half, the reality is they could’ve had more of a margin on the scoreboard if they didn’t miss a couple of chances, we’ve got to be realistic about that,” Schmidt said.
“There is not a lot of water in the glass. We lost the Test match. We can’t finish a close second.
“There’s some things to be proud about … the way we were building our way back into the game.
“But you give New Zealand a start like that, it’s too tough to overcome that.”
The All Blacks led 21-0 after just 15 minutes, and 28-14 with 15 minutes remaining in the match before the Wallabies desperately fought back to get within three points.
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson, who was part of the last All Blacks team to lose the Bledisloe in 2002, was asked if the victory was bittersweet given the Wallabies’ stunning comeback.
“Bittersweet? We got the Cup,” Robertson said.
“We found a way to win, I’m really pleased.
“The last three Tests have come down to a pass, a ref’s call, a moment. That’s Test footy.
“We’re getting good experience to win these tight games.
“It all tastes good, so thank you.”
Robertson praised the Wallabies’ resilience.
“They showed a lot of grit, it just shows how much any Aussie team you play, they just won’t go away,” Robertson said.
“They turn up. They haven’t won [the Bledisloe] for a long time, we knew at some stage we were going to get into a fight like that.”
Kiwi captain Scott Barrett lamented the numerous missed opportunities by his side.
“We got down into their 22 a few less times in the second half, [there were tries] called back, held up,” Barrett said. “We did have them under the pump.”
The Cup is gone, but the second Bledisloe will be played next Saturday in Wellington.
Schmidt was pleased that his team was able to expose the Kiwis on several occasions, with the Test finishing four tries apiece.
“I thought there was some pretty good detail out there, the All Blacks felt a bit stressed when we did get into some shape,” Schmidt said.
“It’s not perfect but it’s something to build on. And the grittiness, you’ve got to have that, you want that.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Bledisloe Cup live: Wallabies eye end to 22-year Bledisloe Cup heartache in Sydney test
Sweet 16! Smart, dangerous Next Gen Sevens player you need to know about
There are former elite netballers, touch footballers, the daughter of a gun and a teens with speed. New faces and rising stars you need to know about in the Next Gen Sevens series. SQUADS
‘A little clunky’: Aussie U18s battle NZ Barbarians in high-scoring thriller
It was a taste of things to come between Australia and New Zealand rugby and while it didn’t disappoint there’s room to improve. Stars, result wrap of Australia U18s v Barbarians.