Bledisloe Cup: Rennie era explodes as Wallabies draw with All Blacks

The Wallabies and All Blacks have fought out an epic 16-all draw in an astonishing start to Dave Rennie’s career as Australian coach.

Wallabies winger Filipo Daugunu dives over to score a try against New Zealand at Sky Stadium in Wellington

Reece Hodge had a 60 metre kick at goal to seal an incredible win but missed it off the posts as the Wallabies and All Blacks fought out an epic 16-16 all draw at Sky Stadium in an astonishing start to Dave Rennie’s career as Australian coach.

Australia came back from 13-3 down to seize the initiative and when NZ referee Paul Williams put his arm out to signal a penalty to the Wallabies in the 81st minute, it seemed that history was about to repeat itself. It was on this ground 20 years ago that John Eales kicked a famous penalty goal after the bell and Reece was almost equal to the challenge. His kick hit the right hand upright and bounced away but no-one was alert enough to kick the field goal.

The day started well for Australian captain Michael Hooper, as it should for a man celebrating reaching his 100 Test cap, making him the 12th Wallaby and the youngest Australian ever to reach that milestone. He won the coin toss and elected to kick to the northern end of the ground. It provided an early insight into how the Wallabies were attempting to ease their way into the match, relying on their hard-hitting defence.

But there was some drama in the New Zealand camp in the 24 hours before the match with reserve All Black prop Nepo Laulala withdrawing from the squad for personal reasons and being replaced by former Melbourne Rebels front-rower Tyrel Lomas, while on Saturday Beauden Barrett pulled out with a tight Achilles tendon. That allowed long-time Test fullback Damian McKenzie to come into the starting side.

Filipo Daugunu of the Wallabies celebrates with Matt To'omua of the Wallabies after scoring a try. Picture: Getty

Australia territorially had the better of the first half-hour but still found themselves trailing on the scoreboard. After some promising early onslaughts in which debutants Harry Wilson and Filipo Daugunu made some dangerous inroads down the right-hand touchline, Australia just slipped up marginally – and that was all the invitation the New Zealanders needed.

The Wallabies lost their lineout and the All Blacks drove the ball deep to fullback Tom Banks who replied in kind. Unfortunately he did not find touch and his All Black counterpart Damian McKenzie launched the inevitable counter-attack, the ball eventually making its way out along the line, with McKenzie having a second touch to put inside centre Jack Goodhue into the clear. Quick hands out to Shannon Frizell and then to winger Jordie Barrett just left the Wallabies with no-one out on the right wing to prevent the try.

Marika Koroibete of the Wallabies dives over to score a try. Picture: Getty

Or was it as try? Replays showed that in the build-up outside centre Rieko Ioane put his left boot clearly on the line – nothing like wearing iridescent pink boots to make that apparent – but still Australian touch judge Angus Gardner missed it.

So there may have been an element of justice when Ioane shot himself and the All Blacks in the foot by missing a gift try by bouncing the ball in the act of scoring after a lineout move between Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga’a and winger Marika Koroibete had broken down ridiculously. All Black hooker Sam Cane scooped it up and immediately released his backline for what should have been a 13-3 lead right on the halftime hooter. Instead, the All Blacks had to be satisfied with an 8-3, with Barrett (28th minute) and James O’Connor (30th minute) each having landed a penalty goal for their side.

There were promising signs and worrying moments for the Wallabies in the first half. Running into the fickle Wellington wind, they dominated both territory and possession in the opening stanza but twice took play to within a metres of the All Black line before conceding a penalty. Queenslanders Daugunu, Wilson and Taniela Tupou led the match in ball carries – and effective ball carries they were too, repeatedly making inroads into the Kiwi front line.

But the Australian lineout was showing signs of coming unglued, with two Fainga’a’s throws being ruled crooked and another set piece also going astray. The Wallabies also were twice free kicked by going early in the scrum. The All Blacks set piece work, by contrast, was flawless.

Overall the stats favoured the Wallabies – with metres gained favouring them 423 to 206 in the first half, linebreaks in their favour 4-0, along with offloads.

But stats matter for very little against a side with the ability to score from everywhere and the All Blacks demonstrated that just four minutes into the second half when they bamboozled the Wallabies defence close to the lineout as winger George Bridge unleased halfback Aaron Smith on a run the line. His Australian rival White looked to have made the tackle but Smith slipped free and planted the ball for an important try.

Australia needed to be the next to score and they rose to the challenge, working a set piece move that put O’Connor marginally into the clear. Too often he runs sideways at moments such as this but this time he straightened and threw a cutout pass to winger Koriobete who outpaced McKenzie to score a brilliant try.

O’Connor missed the conversion but the momentum was now decidedly with the Wallabies. Matt To’omua wasted an brilliant attacking opportunity by kicking ahead inside the All Blacks 22 but it all added to the pressure. Finally it told when lock Matt Philips thundered the ball up but McKenzie opted to attempt the strip. It worked too, the ball coming back on the Kiwis’ side but there was no-one at home to exploit it and White atoned for his earlier miss on Smith as he acrobatically flicked the ball into the hands of Daugunu who raced away for the try.

At 13-13, the conversion was all-important but it missed. Still, the match wasn’t over.

The Test worked its way nervously into the final 10 minutes, each side making crucial mistakes. The All Blacks looked to have been given the advantage when Barrett shaped up for a shot at penalty goal in the 72nd minute but his kick drifted wide. Two minutes later it was Australia’s time and on this occasion O’Connor was up to the occasion. Still, it was only the 74th minute and Australia has been in this position before.

Sure enough, replacement lock Rob Simmons was caught out coming around the side in a driving maul and this time Barrett was up to the task, levelling the scores at 16-16 with only two minutes remaining.

But the drama wasn’t over and when Australia was given a penalty in the 81st minute, Recce Hodge stepped up to do what John Eales did on this same ground 20 odds years ago – try to win with a last-minute penalty goal. He hit it beautifully from the 60m mark but it drifted a little and at the last moment crashed into the right-hand upright and bounced away. Australia should have taken a snap at a field goal as they were camped right in front of the posts but no-one seized the moment and in the end O’Connor had to clear the ball into touch from behind their own line to secure the draw.

It means they must win two of the remaining three Tests to win the Bledisloe — on this effort today, who is to say they can’t — while the series is guaranteed to be alive when it returns to Australia for the final two matches.