Wallabies v All Blacks: Bledisloe 3 at Suncorp Stadium

After 26 consecutive Super Rugby defeats and two international losses, an Australian side has beaten one from New Zealand.

Reece Hodge scores a try in the early minutes of play.

Welcome to The Australian’s coverage of Bledisloe III, Australia v New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium.

10.07pm: Wallabies triumph

The Empire Strikes Back as Foley doesn’t realise that a kick from TJ Perenara has been touched in flight and hoofs it into touch, only to find that the lineout is formed from where he kicked it.

The All Blacks don’t waste such chances like this and when Foley missed the tackle on Sonny Bill Williams and Kieren Read was able to put Reikoi Ioane over for a try. But when McKenzie missed the conversion, Australia clung to a 20-18 lead and when Hodge banged over a massive 53m penalty goal, the All Blacks were left with no option but to score a try at 23-18.

How mightily they tried but when Sam Cane knocked on at the base of a ruck, it was all over. The Wallabies had broken the spell. It was only their second win in 19 Bledisloe Tests. How the Wallabies must have rued not taking their chances in Dunedin because the Bledisloe Cup would have been at stake today but somehow that didn’t matter so much.

Australia has beaten the All Blacks. Let that soak in.

After 26 consecutive Super Rugby defeats and two international losses, an Australian side has beaten one from New Zealand.

Israel Folau in action.

9.56pm: Koroibete thunders over the line

Foley misses again with a shot at goal that would have put the Wallabies into the lead. Dempsey had won the penalty at the breakdown but from 38m he hooks his kick to the left. He is now three from nine in his last two Tests against the All Blacks. Meanwhile, Hodge bides his time and there must come a moment when he is given a chance.

Sonny Bill Williams of the All Blacks is tackled by Sean McMahon.

The Wallabies are building the pressure, however, and receive another penalty directly in front of the posts. Incredibly, Genia takes a quick tap and it breaks down but the Australians are unrelenting in their determination. Another penalty and this time Hooper goes for broke and calls for a kick into the corner. The Wallabies form up to drive their rolling maul over but are repelled. Again Barnes signals a penalty to Australia but they don’t need it as they engage their backline - Beale to Foley to Folau to Koroibete. He thunders for the corner and Damian McKenzie braces himself but there is no stopping him and the Wallabies are over for the third try.

Again Foley misses the conversion but Australia is in front 17-13 and when Hooper finally gives Hodge his chance off the kicking tee he shows what he can do as he steers over a magnificent goal from the sideline to take it out to 20-13.

Marika Koroibete is congratulated by teammates.

9.18pm: Simmons suffers apparent neck injury

Poor start by the Wallabies to the second half with Adam Coleman unable to pull down the kick-off but it gives their defence a time to shine as they force the All Blacks back over the 22 line. Granted, the wet ball makes it tricky for the New Zealanders to attack with their usual crisp precision but the Australians are totally committed and force a penalty at the breakdown.

Still, they pay a price for it, with lock Rob Simmons suffering what looks like a neck injury and the game comes to a halt as he is attended. During the break in play, Lukan Tui comes on as his replacement - his third Test cap at the age of 21.

HT | An @IzzyFolau try on the stroke of halftime has made it a one-point ball game at the break.#AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/t6DSkfK2so

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 21, 2017

9.10pm: Australia scores on the brink

For all that, it is the Australians, not the All Blacks, who score on the brink of halftime. Flanker Jack Dempsey puts the men in gold on the front foot when he yet again breaks the first tackle to take the Wallabies into the New Zealand 22. The Wallabies pour in, with captain Michael Hooper also making a charge in to get behind the defensive line. All that is needed is quick hands and Genia and Beale provide them to give Israel Folau a half-chance out on the left flank. That’s all the opportunity he requires as he bursts through the tackle of Naholo to cross for Australia’s second try in the tackle of Liam Squire right on the bell. Sadly, Bernard Foley is wide to the right with his conversion attempt, leaving Australia trailing by a point at the break, 14-13.

The Wallabies would probably be happy to be so close after an inaccurate first half. They were all astray at the breakdown, several times missing with their clean-out and their handling was appalling, turning over the ball nine times in the half. Still, their defence was strong, with only six missed tackles to 14.

Kieran Read of the All Blacks takes the ball at the lineout.

8.50pm: Wallabies trailing

In the blink of an eye, the Wallabies find themselves trailing by six points, as Sopoaga lands two penalty goals, one a long-range shot that bounced off the crossbar, the other from point-blank range after Jack Dempsey failed to retreat behind the last feet in the ruck. To be fair, the All Blacks thoroughly deserve to be in front as the Wallabies are guilty of sloppy play as they attempt to exit their territory.

In the 35th minute, Australia is awarded its first scrum feed of the match but are happy to accept a free kick as the All Blacks push early. All the indications are that New Zealand has the superior scrum but the Wallabies do manage to clear from their first completed scrum. But it comes to nothing as Beale knocks on for the third time in the half.

Sean McMahon is tackled.

8.28pm: Scores level

Sloppy start from the Wallabies with turnover ball being wasted with a poor pass to Marika Koriobete but how quickly they bounce back with a stunning intercept try to winger Reece Hodge.

The All Blacks has a perfect attacking opportunity with a centre field scrum on the Australian 22 but Genia hounded Sopoaga in defence, causing him to lob a pass to his outside men. But Hodge, defending at inside centre, snatched the ball out of the air and sprinted 70m for a try.

The All Blacks weren’t long in fashion a reply, aided by a stupid penalty against Rob Simmons for back-chatting referee Wayne Barnes. New Zealand went on the attack from the lineout and showed tremendous skill as they kept the ball in hand for nearly two minutes before Smith fired out a long pass to Waikasa Naholo on the wing. The Australian defence couldn’t regroup in time, with Tevita Kuridrani left to cover no-one as the All Black right winger waltzed over. Ominously, Sopoaga made an excellent start off the kicking tee, landing the conversion from touch as the men in black levelled the score at 7-7.

Aaron Smith's pass is just 🔥#AUSvNZL #AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/GlGVEnV3y9

— The Loose Head 🏉 (@TheLooseH) October 21, 2017

Waisake Naholo of the All Blacks.

7.54pm: An historic night

This is, of course, an historic night for Australian rugby, with the Wallabies kitted out in an indigenous jersey for the first time. Indeed, it is the first time any national team has worn a jersey representing Aboriginals and Torres Straits islanders. In all, 14 indigenous players have represented Australia, with the Australian Rugby Union finally acknowledging the first of them all, Cec Ramilla, who at the time he played two Tests against the All Blacks in 1938 did not acknowledge that he was Aboriginal.

Say cheese 😄 #BledisloeCup #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/9QgbEEWk3l

— Qantas Wallabies (@qantaswallabies) October 21, 2017

7.40pm: Nothing dead about it

Technically-speaking, this is a dead rubber with the All Blacks having claimed the trophy for a 15th consecutive year in Dunedin eight weeks ago. But somehow, any time the Wallabies take aim at the men in black, there seem to be nothing “dead” about it.

Seven straight Wallabies defeats in the lead-up to this fixture hardly augurs well for Australia but at each match they wind the scoreboard back to 0-0 and anything can happen. Certainly the fact that the Wallabies led the All Blacks in Dunedin until basically the last minute gives the Australians confidence that, if things go well, they can match it with New Zealand.

There is much interest in how New Zealand is able to perform without its two best players, five-eighth Beauden Barrett and lock Brodie Retallick, but if there has been one constant this season it’s that the All Blacks keep firing no matter what personnel they put in the field. Still, there is no doubt that the Wallabies will test out playmaker Lima Sopoaga in the hope of shutting down the visitors at the source of the problem.

All Blacks players huddle together during the captains run at Brisbane Boys' College on Friday.

Australia has built so much of its attack on halfback Will Genia and inside centre Kurtley Beale and it’s curious that the two dangermen are the only two players who didn’t play Super Rugby this season but instead played in Europe. There is no doubt that the the trans-Tasman blot-out of Australian team - which finished up at 26-0 throughout the season - scarred the Australians but, bit by bit, the men in gold are rebuilding their confidence.

It will be interesting to see what impact the heavy rain in Brisbane has on proceedings tonight. It looks to have stopped as the two sides go through their warm-up on the pitch but th4e damp conditions will put a premium on skills - and that may not favour Australia.

This will be the final time that former Wallabies captain, reserve hooker Stephen Moore takes the field for a Test in Australia and certainly the entire team is committed to sending him out a winner.

There was a late change in the All Blacks yesterday with Matt Todd ruled out and Ardie Savea installed in his place.