AUCKLAND AFP: Beauden Barrett’s four-try masterclass led a clinical New Zealand to a 40-12 victory over Australia at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday to claim the Bledisloe Cup for a 16th straight year.
Barrett converted five of the six All Blacks tries to finish with a match haul of 30 points, a New Zealand individual match record against Australia.
The Wallabies, needing a killer attitude after being beaten up in Sydney last week, stayed in the game for the first 38 minutes.
But when they again failed to stem the All Blacks’ trademark surge either side of the halfway mark, they were out of the contest.
Barrett scored just before the break and Joe Moody straight after. In the space of five minutes’ playing time, the All Blacks moved from 7-7 to 21-7 and Australia were out of the contest.
The overwhelming victory means the All Blacks retain the Bledisloe Cup, which they have held since 2003.
The Wallabies have now lost 22 matches in a row since 2001 in New Zealand and have not won at Eden Park since 1986.