Cup clash proves no contest
The Wallabies spent much of the build-up to this test suggesting no one rated them. They would appear to be a prescient bunch.
As destruction jobs go, this was total by the All Blacks. A performance for the ages. In all the years of rivalry between these two teams, rarely has there been such a onesided contest.
There wasn’t a moment of drama. After one half-attack which yielded a penalty, the Wallabies barely featured as a serious force.
They were, largely if not exclusively, awful — their ineptitude in contrast to the All Blacks’ excellence and there is now no confusion as to which of the two sides is under the most pressure.
The Wallabies were not able to even get the gun out of the holster, let alone fire a shot, as much of the damage was inflicted in the first half, a period of relentless excellence from the All Blacks.
They owned the ball, they looked after it supremely well and their decision-making was faultless. The All Blacks looked so easy on the ball, so comfortable and confident.
Beauden Barrett was magnificent — assured, relaxed, accurate and deadly — and made so much happen. The Wallabies couldn’t cope with his speed. He’d accelerate and be through a hole and suddenly there were acres of space around him and he’d stay calm, pick the right next play and drive the dagger in deeper.
His team-mates made it relatively easy for him with the way they angled their support lines and held their depth to ensure there were always a couple of options open to the ball carrier.
Kieran Read was always on hand to bash things a little further forward, as were Dane Coles, Sam Whitelock and Jerome Kaino. All of the forwards were and if there was one staggering difference between the two teams, it was the skill level of the respective packs.
The All Blacks forwards were able to offload at will — take their time, control the collision and then play the ball as they wanted. With so much momentum, the All Blacks were nearly impossible to contain and the points stacked up quickly.
And the forwards, especially, didn’t let the Wallabies breathe. They were ruthless at the cleanout to the extent it was hard to remember at times Michael Hooper and David Pocock were both playing.
They destroyed the Australian lineout with their aggressive competition and perhaps the biggest surprise of all was that they were able to pick off as many turnovers as they did. That was down to their physicality, which was precisely where coach Steve Hansen would have wanted it to be.
As that first half developed, the gulf in class began to look alarming.
The All Blacks exerted crushing pressure with their defence and, with so much going against them, the Wallabies simply fell apart.
They were hit with horrific luck when Matt Giteau was forced off early and his replacement Matt Toomua didn’t last more than 15 minutes before he also had to leave the field with concussion. Unbelievably, the next man, Rob Horne disappeared with what appeared to be a dislocated elbow before halftime.
It was cruel, but not an explanation for why they were so devoid of attacking ideas, so obviously lacking in confidence and structure. They ended up with nothing much else to offer except for some badly executed hoofs in the air and that was after four weeks of preparation.