Richie McCaw gets perfect ending as All Blacks hammer Wallabies 41-13
New Zealand regain their pride with emphatic second-half performance to secure 13th Bledisloe Cup
Richie McCaw and five All Blacks team-mates enjoyed the perfect end to their home test careers as they celebrated the captain’s world-record test appearance with an emphatic second-half performance to retain the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday.
The All Blacks, angry at being beaten 27-19 last week in Sydney, hammered Australia 41-13 at Eden Park in Auckland to send the team off to the Rugby World Cup with the cheers of almost 50,000 rabid fans ringing in their ears.
The victory means the All Blacks also kept alive their formidable Eden Park record, having won 34 consecutive tests since 1994. Australia have not won there since 1986.
He’s just an ordinary bloke from Kurow, but by god he can do extraordinary things
McCaw, Dan Carter, Tony Woodcock, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Keven Mealamu have formed the backbone of the All Blacks sides that have dominated world rugby over the past decade.
All six are heading overseas or into retirement after the global showpiece and they were treated to a rare display of emotion by the normally stoic New Zealand crowd at the end of the game.
The self-effacing McCaw paid tribute to his team-mates. “They’re absolute champions. The jersey means a hell of a lot but it’s the people who fill it up who are the ones you put in all that energy for,” he said.
After last week’s demoralising defeat, pride was at stake and New Zealand were determined to retain the Bledisloe Cup for the 13th consecutive year.
