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ANZ Stadium - scene of the All Blacks v Wallabies Test - Source: Photosport -
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Follow the action as it happens in the 2012 Rugby
Championship/Bledisloe Cup opener between the All Blacks and
Wallabies in Sydney.
Fulltime: Wallabies 19 All Blacks 27 - Carter makes sure the Wallabies don't get the bonus point for a close finish. Deserved win for the visitors but not a match to relive.
76 mins: Wallabies 19 All Blacks 24 - Given themselves a chance as Barnes capitalises on another breakdown offence. The accuracy level in this game is poor. Good night to miss the TV coverage.
65 mins: Wallabies 16 All Blacks 24 - Tony Woodcock off and Ben Franks on. Sitaleki Timani comes off for the home side with might be the first instance of the IRB's concussion rulings.
63 mins: Wallabies 16 All Blacks 24 - And another. Some promising lead up with Carter looking to run the show. Pocock is caught again, slowing the ball right in front to gift Carter penalty number four.
56 mins: Wallabies 16 All Blacks 21 - Keven Mealamu shows his breakdown prowess, winning the penalty with Pocock prone and alone with the ball. Carter can't reach the 51 metre target though.
53 mins: Wallabies 16 All Blacks 21 - Romano off for Brodie Retallick. Great game by the lock in his second outing.
50 mins: Wallabies 16 All Blacks 21 - This is starting to sound like a netball game. Penalty for Barnes to knock over from forty on the angle as Read infringes at the lineout. Twenty penalties in the game thus far with half hour to go.
48 mins: Wallabies 13 All Blacks 21 - The whistle goes again as David Pocock cynically slows it down in front of the sticks on the first phase from the attacking lineout. Carter, no problem.
44 mins: Wallabies 13 All Blacks 18 - Read shows the kids how to tackle an Australian captain with a perfect midriff hit, except he was a touch offside. Barnes strokes it over from 40 out in front.
41 mins: Wallabies 10 All Blacks 18 - Carter starts the second forty. Let's hope Alain chills out a bit!
Halftime: Wallabies 10 All Blacks 18 - Sixteen penalties from Rolland and thats the main stat. No flow to the game, with the Australians making alot of errors also. They can consider themselves lucky to be so close at halftime but both teams struggling to really build.
39 mins: Wallabies 10 All Blacks 18 - TRY! Barnes makes the initial break, Digby Ioane keeps the flow going then Nathan Sharpe falls over from the next phase as Genia shifts it blind. Bit lax from the black defence after their pack had stalled any forward progress. Coach killer.
34 mins: Wallabies 3 All Blacks 18 - TRY! Great hands from Dagg at the end of the backline chain puts Cory Jane past his defender in the right corner. The AB's make it look easy from the scrum after the Kurtly Beale hands howler. Conversion just dragged.
25 mins: Wallabies 3 All Blacks 13 - Genia almost makes up for his previous error of judgement, sparking an attack that came oh so close but Luke Romano's heroic tackle gets the AB's out of trouble.
17 mins: Wallabies 3 All Blacks 13 - Easy three for Carter in front as the Wallabies infinge at the breakdown, losing that battle. Lauded pre game for being the game's smartest player, it doesn't say much for rugby players as Will Genia taps the penalty from ninety metres out and gets his team in a world of trouble. Some strange rugby from the Wallabies.
14 mins: Wallabies 3 All Blacks 10 - TRY! Carter switches blind from the 45 metre scrum, dummies to SBW and Hosea Gear and Dagg, loitering behind them all hits the pass and slinks around the cover defence to canter in. Conversion good from left touch.
10 mins: Wallabies 3 All Blacks 3 - A scrum penalty against the yellow scrum this time, loosing their footing. Dan Carter's attempt is from five in on the left, 25 out and is nailed.
2 mins: Wallabies 3 All Blacks 0 - A gift three points as the black scum bores in on the angle. Sonny Bill's attempted flick in front of his own posts is called forward. Sloppy start from AB's.
1 min: Wallabies 0 All Blacks 0 - The inaugural Rugby Championship is underway courtesy of Berrick Barnes and referee Alain Rolland. Ten years of Bledisloe dominance to become eleven?
We're almost set for the anthems and the haka. Conditions at ANZ stadium are dry and despite concerns, the house is full. No one is giving these Aussies a chance.
PRE-GAME
Whatever was said about the series against Ireland in July, tonight marks the real start to Steve Hansen's reign as All Blacks coach.
No one really expected the NZ team to have any trouble with the Irish and apart from some late-game pulputations in the second Test, those encounters provided a gentle introduction to international rugby for Hansen (as head coach) and some of the players he introduced to the black jersey.
The Rugby Championship - with its Bledisloe Cup sub-plot - is a very different proposition and the stakes much higher.
New Zealand has tended to dominate this trans-Tasman rivalry in recent years - including a comprehensive display in the Rugby World Cup semifinals - and the last thing Hansen will want to do is let his foot off the throat of old friend/now rival Robbie Deans.
The game will be just as important to players like Aaron Smith, Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick and Luke Romano, who have not yet established themselves in the national team. This is a chance for them to consolidated regular positions in the All Blacks rotation.
There will be interest in how motivated Sonny Bill Williams will be to leave his mark, knowing that his future away from New Zealand and rugby is apparently secure. There's no reason for him to perform other than personal pride and pride in the jersey, and the latter has certainly been questioned.
All Blacks: 15 - Israel Dagg, 14 - Cory Jane, 13 - Ma'a Nonu, 12 - Sonny Bill Williams, 11 - Hosea Gear, 10 - Dan Carter, 9 - Aaron Smith, 8 - Kieran Read, 7 - Richie McCaw (captain), 6 - Liam Messam, 5 - Sam Whitelock, 4 - Luke Romano, 3 - Owen Franks, 2 - Keven Mealamu, 1 - Tony Woodcock.
Reserves: 16 - Andrew Hore, 17 - Ben Franks, 18 - Brodie Retallick, 19 - Victor Vito, 20 - Piri Weepu, 21 - Aaron Cruden, 22 - Ben Smith.
Wallabies: 15 - Kurtley Beale, 14 - Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 - Rob Horne, 12 - Anthony Faingaa, 11 - Digby Ioane, 10 - Berrick Barnes, 9 - Will Genia, 8 -Scott Higginbotham, 7 - David Pocock (captain), 6 - Dave Dennis, 5 - Nathan Sharpe, 4 - Sitaleki Timani, 3 - Sekope Kepu, 2 - Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 - Benn Robinson
Reserves: 16 - Stephen Moore, 17 - James Slipper, 18 - Rob Simmons, 19 - Radike Samo, 20 - Michael Hooper, 21 - Nick Phipps, 22 - Drew Mitchell.