All Blacks defeat Wallabies 33-24 at Eden Park to secure Bledisloe Cup

Piardi penalised Australia 15 times, while blowing the whistle against the All Blacks 10 times as the home side held on for a 33-24 win.

Crucially, the last seven penalties in the match-defining late stages of the game went against Australia, and the All Blacks weren’t penalised in the final 27 minutes, with the second half penalties going 10-3 against Australia.

The Wallabies trailed 26-24 with 10 minutes remaining and had hopes of springing another comeback victory, but Piardi’s sin-binning of winger Harry Potter in the 73rd minute proved decisive.

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All Blacks star halfback Cam Roigard crossed for a try two minutes later to seal the Bledisloe for New Zealand for a 23rd straight year.

“We’re frustrated with ourselves, we’ve got to be better,” Schmidt said in response to a question about Piardi, who also failed to award Australia a crucial breakdown penalty in the second British & Irish Lions match that led to the tourists scoring the winning try and claiming the series at the MCG.

“We’re at 40 per cent of the position in that game and we’re down four tries to three. That’s probably reflective of what we need to do better.

“We missed probably three or four times as many tackles as the All Blacks did, and so that’s on us. The referee’s not going to make the tackles for us.

“We’ve got to roll our sleeves up and make sure that we deliver those. We’ve got to make sure we hang on to possession better.

“We have frustrations and they’re across the board that some we can influence, and some we’ve got to make sure that we improve upon for next week.”

Australian commentator Morgan Turinui was scathing during commentary on Stan Sport, saying during the game that Piardi was not up to standard.

“The Wallabies just need to take a breath, they’re in the fight, but they’re just going to be more accurate and not allow a referee that’s not up to this occasion, that’s been appointed by World Rugby in error, to take them out of the game,” Turinui said during the match.

“At the moment, three by three by three points, the Wallabies are, through their own little bits of ill-discipline, not being able to interpret what the referee is doing, taking themselves out of the match.”

Schmidt conceded the officiating certainly played a role in how the match transpired.

“We’re disappointed that we were penalised 15 times and we’ve got to be better than that, we’ll have a good close look at them, but looking after the fact, the results are results,” Schmidt said.

“So we’ve got to try to be able to adapt to Andrea Piardi. And that’s one of the challenges. It’s pretty hard to adapt in game when the All Blacks are getting width and coming at you.

“They put a lot of pressure on and sometimes when you over chase something, you give something away in terms of a penalty. So we’ve got to cop that on the chin and get better.”

Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson had numerous conversations with Piardi during the game, including asking for a review of what looked a potentially dangerous tackle on James O’Connor.

“When Jordie Barrett, I guess I thought he might have lifted (O’Connor) above horizontal, so I wanted to have a check of that and probably a few other occasions,” Wilson said.

“I wanted TMO to have a look, but yeah, TMO checked it and it was clear.”

All Blacks captain Ardie Savea hailed the resilience of the Wallabies, but warned they plan to be ruthless in Perth next Saturday.

“I reckon we can be better around when we get into a good lead, really being ruthless around that,” Savea said.

“That’s on us, but also again, credit to the Aussie brothers for always fighting back.

“I think they’ve got great leaders and great players and experience in their squad, they know how to deal with pressure and when they are down.

“I think when you’re down that much, you start to, I guess, not chase but believe in what you’re doing and try things to get back in and that’s what they did.

“We didn’t help ourselves off the breakdown in giving them in on that. But I think they’ve just got quality players, quality leaders that are able to get themselves out of positions like that. We’ve seen that in the British & Irish Lions, against (South) Africa and Argie (Argentina).

“We’ll celebrate this win and then I think we’ve got to be harder on ourselves after this, can’t sit on our laurels.

“We enjoy tonight, get back on the horse and keep each other accountable.”

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The curse continues.

Australia blew their chance at ending a 39-year losing streak against the All Blacks at Eden Park, and the Bledisloe Cup trophy remains in their clutches for a 23rd straight year.

It ended 33-24, but the Wallabies were very much capable of conjuring an incredible victory with 10 minutes remaining.

Ill discipline and errors, their Achilles heel, emerged again.

James O’Connor, who made a 51-hour trip to the UK and back last week before rejoining the squad, looked jetlagged in making crucial mistakes, although his perfect goal-kicking kept Australia in the game.

When Carlo Tizzano scored from a lineout maul in the 69th minute, and O’Connor converted, the 26-24 lead to New Zealand was looking as shaky as a Wellington earthquake.

But winger Harry Potter was sin-binned in the 73rd minute and Australia had to defend their own line staunchly.

They just couldn’t hold.

Jordie Barrett made a charge in midfield and found Quinn Tupaia inside, slicing through.

With one man to beat, Tupaia found Cam Roigard inside and the halfback raced under the posts for his second try and the match-winner five minutes before the bell.

The All Blacks extend their undefeated run at Eden Park to 52 consecutive Tests, much to the delight of the 46,437 sell-out crowd.

They’ve not lost at the ground since 1994, and now have equalled their longest winning streak against Australia to 10 games, matching the Bledisloe domination they had from 2008-10.

Referee Andrea Piardi, the least popular man in Australia following the controversial second British & Irish Lions Test, only increased the ire of Wallabies fans by constantly penalising the visitors.

In the final 10 minutes, he blew five penalties against Australia and none against the All Blacks.

In total, the penalty count went 15-10 against the Wallabies, although they were rightfully pinged for several mistimed breakdown attacks.

This could have been a blowout like so many Eden Park Bledisloes that had gone before – the All Blacks’ average winning margin in their previous 10 games was 26 points.

When the Kiwis led 20-3 after half an hour, it seemed headed in the same direction.

But Australia fought back to make it 20-17 at half-time, showing their trademark grit to claw back into the contest, with a close range try from hooker Billy Pollard getting the ball rolling in the 30th minute.

Following a long build-up from another attacking raid in the 38th, Potter – who’d gone infield from his right wing looking for work – capitalised by zooming onto a short Len Ikitau pass and crashing over on the left side.

O’Connor’s conversion brought the game back to within three, and it was clear Australia were not giving up, holding an extraordinary 92 per cent of possession in those final 10 minutes.

The New Zealand anthem was sung by All Blacks legend Eroni Clarke, father of winger Caleb, who opened the scoring in just the fourth minute.

A quick spread saw Clarke use his power and pace to get on the outside of Potter and dive over.

Opposite winger Leroy Carter then scored their second, powering over from close range at the base of a ruck after Roigard had been pulled just short.

Australia suffered injury after insult in the 18th minute, when O’Connor first failed to kick the ball out from a penalty, and then halfback Tate McDermott was caught in an awkward splits position at a ruck and was badly injured, forcing him from the field.

Ryan Lonergan came on for his Wallabies debut far earlier than planned.

New Zealand suffered their own injury blow when playmaker Beauden Barrett was forced off with a shoulder complaint. Damian McKenzie took over at five-eighth.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt changed his props for the second half, replacing 150-Test loosehead James Slipper and Taniela Tupou with Angus Bell and Allan Alaalatoa.

Fraser McReight won a breakdown penalty in the 45th minute, but Tupou Vaa’i earned one back for the home side with Australia deep in attack.

The All Blacks moved upfield, and Tom Hooper was pinged for a no-release infringement, allowing McKenzie to kick a 40-metre penalty goal to put NZ up 23-17 in the 48th.

O’Connor kicked the ball into touch from the kickoff, and soon after failed to find the sideline from a penalty, allowing NZ to move up the field and then jag another penalty goal to take a 26-17 lead.

The Wallabies surged through the Kiwi defence in the 60th minute and looked set to orchestrate a try, before Ardie Savea forced a brilliant turnover penalty.

Australia remained desperate, with Hooper and Jorgensen making try-saving tackles as the All Blacks sought to put the result beyond question.

They eventually found a way, as they have managed to do for 23 years, breaking Australian hearts yet again.