Powerful effort allays doubts

The All Blacks have made their fans despair at times, but when they’re good, as they were last night, they’re very good.

The good All Blacks turned up at a chokka Eden Park last night to put themselves in the box seat to claim another Rugby Championship, if not answer the doubts that continue to hover over this Jekyll and Hyde team.

First things first. This was a commanding and impressive display by Ian Foster’s men as they ran in five tries to two to secure a bonus-point 40-14 victory over the Wallabies and leave the Springboks needing to do likewise, and win by at least 39 points over Argentina in Durban to haul them in.

It was an excellent response to the entirely unconvincing nature of the 39-37 victory in Melbourne in Bledisloe I. That was the bad All Blacks that night at Marvel Stadium as they blew an 18-point lead in the final quarter and only got over the line via a contentious 79th-minute call from French referee Mathieu Raynal.

This was much, much better. The forwards muscled up excellently, grabbing three tries off the drive, the defence showed few of the fallibilities of Marvel and there was a sharpness about the attack, led by standout performances by Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane, and excellent contributions from the Barrett brothers, Beauden and Jordie.

Jordie, it should be said, made an excellent fist of his first test start at No 12 and his robust, direct running, solid option-taking and strong defence will give Foster plenty to ponder going forward. There is certainly a school of thought that says the All Blacks are the better for having both Barrett brothers on the field for as much time as possible, which the younger sibling’s move to midfield allows.

Up front it was good to see Codie Taylor put in a strong showing on his return to starting duty, the team was definitely better for having Ardie Savea’s leg drive back and Brodie Retallick and Dalton Papalii also put in big shifts among a strong pack effort.

There was not a lot to fault all round as the All Blacks continued their remarkable record at their Auckland fortress in front of a sellout crowd of 47,031, and carried on the Wallabies’ abysmal one at a ground they haven’t won on since 1986, and in a country they haven’t tasted success in since 2001.

The wait continues.

But, as mentioned, this has been a rollercoaster season by the All Blacks who are now 5-4 for the year, but could easily be 4-5 if not for a massive rub of the green their way in Melbourne.

When they’re good, like at Eden Park, they’re very good. But when they’re bad, such as Mbombela, Christchurch and, yes, Melbourne, they’re well off the pace. Consistency remains this team’s next big challenge if it’s to be a true contender at next year’s World Cup..

The All Blacks got things rolling with a much more convincing first half, securing two tries, and a 17-0 lead, in a more measured performance than in Melbourne.

Their defensive work through the first 40 was much tighter, led by Papalii’s 12 first-half tackles without a miss, and they dug in well in their red zone to deny the visitors on a number of occasions. The Wallabies had their chances, despite two yellow cards through the first 40, and did well to end the spell with 48% possession and 60 territory – though with nothing on the scoreboard to show for their efforts.

The All Blacks, on the other hand, were nice and clinical, putting Jordan across for his 21st try in his 21st test midway through the half, after Ioane had carried strongly and Jordan loomed up outside Beauden Barrett to leave replacement Wallabies back Jordan Petaia for dead with a burst of acceleration.

Soon after, the try tally doubled when a well organised lineout-drive, following a brilliant Ioane break could only be prevented by foul means, with referee Andrew Brace awarding the automatic seven-pointer and Dave Porecki dispatched to the bin.

In the second spell it was all about putting the Wallabies away, which the All Blacks did nicely with two more tries off the drive and a dubious one to Sam Whitelock.

Now it just remains to be seen if the Boks can produce something special to deny the New Zealanders an eighth Rugby Championship.