The All Blacks won the second Bledisloe Cup game in Sydney, 43-21. The All Blacks’ performance was built around their first-half dominance, which saw them take a 36-7 lead into the break.
They completed their scoring shortly after the halftime break and were able to take it easier in the second half as the Wallabies emerged.
George Bower- 7
A solid scrum platform allowed the All Blacks to attack freely, and he put in a massive defensive shift, attempting 15 tackles, but he did miss four.
Codie Taylor- 8
Very strong carry for 40 metres allowed the All Blacks to escape their line. Great hands in the narrow channels allowed Josh Moorby to score in the corner at the beginning of the second half. Led the All Blacks well in their first-half dominance and had to come back on in the final portion of the game.
Fletcher Newell- 7
Like his front row partners, he gave a great scrum platform for the All Blacks to attack from and completed 13 of his 15 tackle attempts.
Scott Barrett- 8
Nice hands allowed for the break, which led to the second try. Great intervention with Holland to hold up the Wallabies over the line in the 39th minute. A huge defensive shift saw him attempt 22 tackles and cause a nuisance in the ruck.
Fabian Holland- 8
Massive lineout intervention turned over the ball, which resulted in the fourth try. Great combination with his second row partner to hold the Wallabies up over the line in the 39th minute. Involved in a huge 30 tackle attempts, but did miss nine. Completed four more tackles than any other player on the pitch.
Tupou Vaa’i- 6
A quieter performance from the back rower, only making four carries and 12 tackles in a game where the players around him were getting through a lot of defensive work and carrying.
Peter Lakai- 9
A brilliant carry to make 15-20 metres allowed for the All Blacks to get into position to score their second try. He worked well with Cam Roigard to score the third try. Led the game for carries and made 59 metres when carrying the ball.
Wallace Sititi- 8
Brilliant line in the 30th minute caused chaos in the Wallabies backfield and led to a yellow card for the defence. Scored directly off the base of the scrum. Made 53 metres when carrying and was second behind Holland for tackles, even though he did miss eight. Came off in the 54th minute so would likely have led the way in many of these stats otherwise.
Cam Roigard- 9
Drew in two defenders and got a slight offload away to Peter Lakai to score the third try. Quick tempo from the base of a Sititi carry led to a Wallabies yellow card on 30 minutes. Incredible intervention to stop Declan Meredith from scoring. Made the tackle and then managed to get his leg between and stop him from putting it down. Was checked for foul play but cleared as he only used it to prevent the score.
Damian McKenzie- 8
So good when attacking an open field. Made 16 carries, just two behind Lakai, who led the match. He beat three defenders and his offloading ability brought the rest of his backline into play.
Josh Moorby- 8
Scored the opening All Blacks try with a smart finish and managed to power through Rob Valentini’s covering tackle. Great dummy on the blindside managed to fool two defenders and get over in the corner for his second try of the game.
Timoci Tavatavanawai- 7
Quiet first half but got his first big carries in the 41st minute and made a massive impression by bouncing two Wallaby attackers. Beat six defenders in total, making 40 metres.
Quinn Tupaea- 5
Came off for an HIA within the first two minutes as his head came off the ground hard. He failed his HIA, and Reiko Ioane replaced him for the remainder of the game.
Will Jordan- 6
Great wrap-around play saw Jordan pop up on the opposite wing and set up Ioane for the fourth try. Came off at halftime, but was quiet compared to his usual standards, only making 24 metres.
Beauden Barrett- 8
Scored the All Blacks’ second try, picking a good line from five metres out. Brilliant read on the stroke of halftime saw him intercept in the wide channels and manage to run it in for his second try of the match. Covering back managed to dislodge the ball out of Declan Meredith’s hands over the line. Made a huge 112 metres in total as he heads towards the record for most All Blacks caps.
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