Rugby World Cup 2015 final: Wallabies lineout ends dream against All Blacks

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The debates can end and the discussion boards can close down. This All Blacks side confirmed themselves as a special team and the benchmark the rest of the world must chase.

But how the Wallabies made them work for their place among the giants. In a compelling World Cup final, the Wallabies lost two men in the first half to cruel injuries and were on the canvas early in the second half before rousing themselves to temporarily frighten 4 million New Zealanders. Australia can be proud, while also spending a rueful moment wondering what might have been if the lineout had not faltered. Against the All Blacks, it needed to be perfect.

The physicality the Wallabies faced from the opening minutes was ferocious. Israel Folau was completely smashed under the first high ball, blood was running from Stephen Moore's nose within two minutes, and Michael Hooper was hammered by Conrad Smith. The result was a flood of turnovers, not from one All Blacks source but from a variety.

Only the breakdown brilliance of Hooper, David Pocock and Scott Fardy managed to keep the All Blacks at bay as the waves of runners kept coming, all with footwork and all with pace.

Australia's Stephen Moore leaves the field during the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham Stadium, London, on Sunday.Credit: Alastair Grant

In fact, in that facet of the game the Wallabies trio confirmed their status as the best ball-fetching trio in the world. But loose forward play has other components - lineout prowess, dominant tackling and continuity in attack. Here, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw and Jerome Kaino held all the cards, and in the damaging minutes before half-time, with the score at 9-3, they played them all.

From a Wallabies restart, which were nowhere near as effective as they have been, McCaw handled twice as the All Blacks broke out 50 metres upfield. Later, on the Wallabies 22-metre line, Read powered onto a short ball from Aaron Smith and threw a blind offload into space he knew would be occupied by a teammate. In this case, it was Kaino. Then more quick hands from McCaw and Conrad Smith, and Nehe Milner-Skudder was over for a crucial try. It is the All Blacks back row that is slightly more complete.

Australian grumbles will centre on Nigel Owens,who certainly missed an obvious forward pass in the passage of play that led to Dan Carter's third penalty. Kaino also went high in the second half on Pocock but escaped censure. But they are barking up the wrong tree, because the Wallabies lineout was the true villain. Every time the Wallabies' back row managed to get them out of trouble Stephen Moore, Tatafu Polota-Nau and their jumpers put them back in it. Four were either messy or turned over in the first half, errors made all the more costly by the effectiveness of the maul in 53rd minute that yielded a try for Pocock: when the Wallabies did find their jumpers they were a menace.

It sparked a comeback, with All Blacks No.15 Ben Smith in the sin bin. Electric replacement Kurtley Beale provided the energy that was lacking in the first half and the Wallabies started to threaten. Brilliantly, Will Genia, Bernard Foley and Tevita Kuridrani combined to reduce the score to 21-17 with 16 minutes to go. Suddenly, a comeback to rival the French effort against New Zealand in 1999 on the same ground looked like a possibility.

Still going strong: Nigel Owens.Credit: Getty Images

But it was up to Carter to put the sword to the belly. After a spell of pressure again following a Wallabies lineout malfunction the great No.10 knocked over a drop goal just as he had done the previous week, again with precious little time. A lazy swing of Carter's left boot from a scrum penalty minutes later pushed the score out to a converted try and the Wallabies task became insurmountable.

Still, they tried, Beale launching attack after attack with such pace that lesser defences would have opened up. It was to no avail. There will be tears now after a huge eight weeks but sober reflection in the coming months will provide plenty of opportunity for satisfaction. The Wallabies lost, but they have won back the faithful.

Sealer: New Zealand's Beauden Barrett scores in the shadows of full-time.Credit: AP

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