Saturday at Eden Park in Auckland, the All Blacks grabbed one hand on the Rugby Championship trophy with a 40-14 bonus victory against an error-prone and ill-disciplined Wallabies team.
The victory necessitates that the Springboks earn a bonus point and defeat Argentina by at least 39 points in Saturday’s championship finale in Durban in order to reclaim the title for South Africa.
After a turbulent first half in which two Wallabies were sent to the sin bin, New Zealand jumped out to a commanding 17-0 lead on the strength of a Will Jordan touchdown and a penalty try.
All Blacks captain Sam Whitelock scored a third try shortly after halftime, while hooker Codie Taylor and his substitute Samisoni Taukei’aho added extra scores to set a formidable target for the Springboks.
Reuters