The All Blacks ripped apart the Wallabies 49-28 to take control of this year’s Tri-Nations series at Docklands stadium here on Saturday.
Ruthless New Zealand won their 12th consecutive Test and their eighth in a row over the Wallabies to lead the southern hemisphere championship by 11 points over Australia, with South Africa yet to register a point.
The All Blacks scored seven tries to three and were far too strong for the Wallabies, who played the last 37 minutes without winger Drew Mitchell, who was red carded by South African referee Craig Joubert after his second yellow card.
Only the All Blacks’ 50-21 romp in Sydney in 2003 ranks above their highest score against the Wallabies.
Next week the Wallabies will be battling in Christchurch to prevent the All Blacks from stretching their winning sequence over them to nine Tests, their worst losing run in the last 63 years of Bledisloe Cup trans-Tasman Tests.
“To score seven tries against Australia in Australia is a great performance,” All Blacks coach Graham Henry said.
“I thought there was some scintillating rugby and the game has improved immensely this year as a spectacle and we’re pleased to be part of that.”
Fullback Mils Muliaina scored two tries in his 86th international and fly-half Dan Carter claimed 19 points from a try, four conversions and two penalties for New Zealand.
While the All Blacks were again dynamic following their two home Test wins over South Africa, they were helped along by the error-prone Wallabies and had the game shot to bits with a 32-14 halftime lead.
“We didn’t have any consistent possession in the first half and that was a big contributing factor to our circumstance,” Wallabies’ coach Robbie Deans said.
“Obviously, playing with less than 15 men for the greater part of the game compounded that.”
The Kiwis bounced back from an eighth-minute charge down try by Mitchell to wrap up a bonus point with four tries in four minutes before the interval.
No sooner had the Wallabies celebrated Mitchell’s try off a Carter clearing kick than Carter scored off his own charge down of Berrick Barnes’s kick minutes later.
The All Blacks produced a magical try after 13 minutes when Brad Thorn kept the ball alive for winger Cory Jane to get in his kick as he was tackled.
Muliaina swept on to the ball and dashed away for a wonderful try.
The All Blacks were in again off another Australian mistake when fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper lost possession in a maul and Kiwi skipper Richie McCaw picked up the ball and ran 25 metres to score.
The All Blacks finished the half strongly with a try by Jane to claim New Zealand’s third bonus point in three Tri-Nations matches this season.
Referee Joubert sent All Black prop Owen Franks and Wallaby Mitchell to the sin bin for shoulder tackles in the opening half.
Minutes after halftime Mitchell was red carded for cynically interfering with a quick throw-in at the lineout.
Joubert was heard to tell Wallabies’ skipper Rocky Elsom “I’m not responsible for how this affects the game because I warned you...”
The All Blacks pulled further away six minutes after the resumption when Muliaina scored his second try and his team’s fifth.
The Wallabies pounded the All Blacks’ try-line in over 20 phases before flanker David Pocock was held up by McCaw to deny the Australians.
The home side finally breached the tenacious Kiwi defence through Ashley-Cooper in the 56th minute with Giteau’s conversion reducing the deficit to 39-21.
But Joe Rokocoko, New Zealand’s all-time most-capped winger in his 64th Test, scored his side’s sixth try midway through the half to again stamp the All Blacks’ authority.
Elsom scored Australia’s third try nine minutes from the end and replacement Corey Flynn dashed over for his side’s seventh in the final minutes.
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