Ian Foster hails All Blacks fighting win over Wallabies

DUNEDIN – All Blacks coach Ian Foster said their fightback to beat the Wallabies 23-20 in Dunedin on Saturday was “ugly” but showed they are on track to challenge for September’s Rugby World Cup.

New Zealand surged back from 17-3 down at half-time, snatching victory with a 79th-minute penalty goal from Richie Mo’unga to make it four Test wins from four in 2023.

Just a week after crushing the Wallabies 38-7 in Melbourne to retain the Bledisloe Cup, an error-prone All Blacks were outplayed in the first half.

They needed tries from two debutants – winger Shaun Stevenson and flanker Samipeni Finau – to get back into the contest before fly half Mo’unga landed his winning penalty shot from 35 metres out.

Foster’s men had cruised through the Rugby Championship, posting easy wins over Argentina, South Africa and Australia to extend their unbeaten run to 11 Tests.

He said a team featuring 12 starting changes from last week would have learnt a lot from being pushed close, five weeks out from the World Cup in France.

“Not every lesson’s a bad lesson. This lesson’s a good one,” he said.

“We certainly put ourselves in a hole and the Aussies put us there. But I love the confidence we’ll get out of winning a Test that looked like it might go the other way.

“As long as I’ve been here, most years have had Tests like that. When you’ve had a great year, it’s because you’ve had a couple of ugly wins that you’re pretty proud of. We’ll take it.”

It was a heartbreaking result but an encouraging performance from the Wallabies, who remain winless in four games under Eddie Jones since he returned in 2023 for his second stint in charge.

A vastly inexperienced side, led by new captain Tate McDermott, scored two tries in the first seven minutes and threatened to produce a first win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil since 2001.

Jones was encouraged by his team’s progress after losing all three Rugby Championship Tests. “We don’t want to forget this feeling today. We’ve got devastated men in there but if we learn from it, it’s going to be the most potent lesson,” he said.

Asked if that lesson could help Australia win the World Cup, Jones responded: “100 per cent. As a matter of fact, I think we will. If I could bet on it, I would, but I think you get in trouble if you bet.”

In a physical encounter, New Zealand lost lock Brodie Retallick and centre Braydon Ennor to knee injuries which require scans, while Australian hooker Dave Porecki (shoulder) and midfield back Samu Kerevi also exited with injuries.

A turning point was the introduction off the bench of experienced halves Mo’unga and Aaron Smith, who provided direction.

Starting fly half Damian McKenzie was guilty of wayward kicking and was replaced early in the second half after being outplayed by Australia’s inexperienced opposite Carter Gordon.

The visitors snatched early command and silenced a crowd of 28,265 with near-identical tries in the left corner, both converted by Gordon. The first went to winger Marika Koroibete, before flanker Tom Hooper barrelled over minutes later following a break from fullback Andrew Kellaway.

Australia had the better of the remainder of the first half, coming close to a third try when McDermott was held up over the try line, but the only further points were a penalty each to Gordon and McKenzie.

The passes began to stick after half-time for the Kiwis and Stevenson crossed in the right corner before a Mo’unga penalty closed the gap further. The All Blacks then hit the front when the muscular Finau barged across in the 64th minute.

Replacement fly half Quade Cooper kept his nerve with a 48m penalty to level the scores with seven minutes left before Mo’unga kicked the winning goal.

In Tokyo, Fiji beat Japan 35-12 for a third straight win as they build momentum towards the World Cup. They are in Pool C with Australia, Wales, Georgia and Portugal.

Japan’s loose forward Pieter Labuschagne was shown a red card in the sixth minute for a high tackle. It was their second red card in three games, after former captain Michael Leitch was sent off in their defeat to Samoa two weeks ago.

It was also their home game before heading to the World Cup, where they will face England, Argentina, Samoa and Chile in Pool D. AFP, REUTERS