Mo'unga on target to deny Wallabies

RICHIE Mo’unga kicked a last-minute penalty to complete New Zealand’s comeback win over a much-improved Australia in the second Bledisloe Cup match in Dunedin. 

- BEN JAYCOCK

Tries on debut for winger Shaun Stevenson and back rower Samipeni Finau helped the All Blacks rally from 17-3 down at half-time to secure a win in their last home Test before the World Cup.

The Wallabies stunned the All Blacks with two scores inside seven minutes and had the majority of possession in the first half while the All Blacks worked off scraps.

Hard running, good offloads and quick work at the breakdown also had the All Blacks on the back foot through most of the half, while scrumhalf Tate McDermott was influential in his first match as Wallabies captain.

The All Blacks were forced to make more than 100 tackles, the Wallabies barely a third as many. But the second half belonged to the All Blacks who won the match with the influential Mo’unga slotting the match winning three-pointer in the final moments.

“We should have won that game. We did enough to win but we don’t have the capacity to keep doing simple things well,” Wallabies coach Eddie Jones said.

“We started with such intent and focus in the first half and the second half we just couldn’t continue doing it. We are definitely focused on the right things, we just can’t do it for long enough at the moment. ”