Australia Tactics
It's a huge game gentleman, and we're up against a huge opponent! Morne is CT's best and we really need to dig deep to take this one. From the outset we need to put the pressure on him. Morne hates playing a defensive game and if we can get behind him we can win this. Discipline is important so let's not be too tempted to take risks. Get the first points on the board at all costs. If we give him a sniff at victory we could regret it!

New Zealand Tactics
Marco is the dark horse in this competition. He's been out of game practice for some time now and we are not really sure how his skills have suffered! But I am not going to let that cloud my judgement. He's going to come out firing and we ned to expect a tough game. Let play upfront and give him a hard time. Keep the defensive line tight and on him at all times. He's going to try play behind us, but if history is anything to go on - it won't work. He'll be giving possesion back to us and that's the way I like it.

Commentary
Australia and New Zealand face off for their first meeting of this year’s Tri-Nations. New Zealand are coming off a victory over South Africa, while the Aussies had an almost embarrassing defeat to the men in green, before they came back into contention. This game will be a real decider for the rest of the tournament. A win for Australia will put them back into contention for the title, while a New Zealand win will take them into a comfortable table topping lead.

The New Zealanders charge rapidly forward from the Kick-off and their determination pays off as the Wallaby forwards are beaten to the ball (FG), but the All Blacks fail to hold onto it (FG). It’s the Aussie Justin Harrison who eventually secures. He twists out of the tackle (Hand-off) and finds his progress unopposed. He makes 10m and then takes the typical forward approach and tries to shoulder his way through the defender in his way. The tackler manages to bring him down, but the Aussie support follows up quickly and safely get the ball (Safe Hands). They keep up the pressure, forcing the All Blacks to make several good tackles, (Break Down), then suddenly a well timed pass (Smooth Pass) sends Burke into a gap. He whips up the dust (2x Break Away) and beats the defense to get over the try line! The easy conversion is added to give the Aussies an early 7 point lead.

Aus 7 - NZ 0

The hard work from both teams has taken its toll and both teams are forced into some early changes from the bench.

An almost identical kick-off by the New Zealanders as the Australian forwards are again beaten to the ball (FG). However this time the New Zealanders do get the possession. The move forward and set up a good ruck. Australia are slow to respond and they look seriously threatened, but just as the All Blacks are about to launch their attack, they foolishly infringe at the ruck (FG) and the referee blows his whistle for a penalty (Penalty card) . The Australians take an excellent pressure relieving kick, deep into their opponent’s half.

The line out is well contested, but the Wallabies hold onto the ball. A cunning diversion and then a missed tackle (Hand-off) allow the forwards to get over the advantage line. They are stopped before the try-line, but the support is there. Ben Darwin picks up from the base of the ruck and dives low and hard over the try-line in the same spot Burke scored in. Once again the conversion is good.

Aus 14 - NZ 0

With time running out the New Zealanders change tactics and go for the deep kick-off. It’s secured by the Wallabies who also change tactics and slow it down. Once they are sure their defense is tight they release the ball to the full-back who makes sure it goes into touch. The ref checks his watch and then blows the whistle for half time.

HALF TIME: AUS 14- NZ 0

The New Zealanders anxiously form up waiting to receive the ball at the Kick-off. They know their mistakes have cost them dearly and they can ill afford to let the Australians have more of those opportunities. The Australian’s lead has given them a good platform, but they know the game is far from over and there is no underestimating the All Blacks.

The whistle goes and Australia boot the ball over the 10m line near the touchline. It’s caught and then run back infield. Chris Jack is tackled, the New Zealanders move in (FG), but George Smith is quickest to the break down and attempts to rip the ball away. A ruck forms as players from both teams pile in, a few tense seconds pass before the ball emerges on the Australian side! Burke gets the pass from Gregan and makes it into the All Black’s 22. He is brought down to ground, he places the ball back cleanly and it’s quickly gathered by Darwin, who makes a sweet switch pass to Sailor (smooth pass) as he runs around the back of the ruck. The move adds to the defense confusion and Sailor manages to shake out of a tackle (hand-off), a spectacular dive then gets him over the tryline in the same spot as the other tries! Once again there is no problem with the conversion.

Aus 21 - NZ 0

The All Blacks look like they are feeling the pressure as time is running out. They send a long probing kick into the Wallaby 22. Roff gets underneath it (cool catch) then turns and chips it over the heads of the New Zealanders. The kick is perfectly placed (Massive Kick) and suddenly the New Zealanders are the ones under pressure again. A splendid catch sees them get possession again though. The ball is passed back to McDonald who decides to gain back the ground. He kicks the ball into touch, but its a poor kick, ans doesn’t make much distance. The throw is accurate and once again the Aussies are in possession. They scrag the jumper before a maul can form, the Aussies are slow in getting the ball out (FG), but the New Zealanders fail to grab the opportunity (FG) and the Wallabies eventually get the ball out. They take the ball upfield with the forwards. Hammering their way through the defense until they make it back into the New Zealand half. The All Blacks seem to have no answer to the relentless attack as the ball goes through several phases. With the defensive line in tatters Larkham gets the pass inside his half and then finds some space to get over the advantage line. He is quickly closed down by two black jerseys, but slips through the attempted smother tackle (Crash Tackle, Hand-off). He gets up the the New Zealand 22 with just MacDonald to beat. On his left and right he has both Roff and Sailor. The New Zealanders have them all covered though. Larkham looks to pass the ball in the tackle as MacDonald latches onto him, but the fullback fails to hold onto him (Hand Off) and Larkham gets up and finishes the move by dotting the ball down under the posts. The hooter sounds as Burke lines up the conversion. He takes his time and cooly slots the kick to end the game.

FULL TIME: AUS 28 - NZ 0

Game Overview
Well, from the stats it's difficult to understand why New Zealand where put under so much pressure. Handling errors where almost even and there was nothing in the Line-outs and Scrums. Some how did Australia just seemed to get under the All Blacks game plan and really rustle them up? The one good break the All Blacks made into the Australian 22m really should have lead to a try, but some bad discipline saw them being kicked right back into their half?