silver lining
New Zealand missed out on claiming the Rugby Championships after conceding 10 late points but they still have a chance to retain the Bledisloe Cup.
They were dominated in the scrums and were kept in the game by the boot of Dan Carter and a brace from debutant Nehe Milner-Skudder, however, they could not play for the entire 80 minutes and that cost them in the end.
There is a silver lining for the All Blacks though as, four years ago, the Wallabies claimed the Rugby Championship while they went on to win the World Cup.
We rate the New Zealand players!
15 Ben Smith
Made plenty of metres when he got the chance to run while he was highly effective on defence. Grabbed a try-assist as well.
8/10
14 Nehe Milner-Skudder
A dream debut for the dynamic player as racked up 128 metres from eight carries. Throw in two tries, four beaten defender and two turnovers to light up the field.
9/10
13 Conrad Smith
Mr Consistent just goes about his business without drawing too much attention to himself but this was not one of better performances.
6/10
12 Sonny Bill Williams
Attempted his usual offloads and tricks but was not as effective as he normally would be on attack, however, he held onto all his tackles in defence.
6/10
11 Julian Savea
His defensive work needs some improving but there's no doubt he will always be a threat on attack.
5/10
10 Dan Carter
Ran the show from pivot and marshaled his backline well. Showed his experience by putting in a well-balanced performance.
6/10
9 Aaron Smith
Did himself no favours with the yellow car, however, there was no problem with the quality of service he provided as well as his tactical kicking.
7/10
8 Kieran Read
Massive effort on defence as he made 17 tackles while missing only two and stole a line-out. However, he did not offer much on attack.
7/10
7 Richie McCaw
It was another typical McCaw performance on defence and at the breakdowns.
6/10
6 Jerome Kaino
There was no way through him on defence as he held onto all 14 of his tackles while also managing to claim three line-out throws.
7/10
5 Luke Romano
Grabbed a line-out steal, a turnover and a made a few handy metres but his defensive effort left much t be desired.
5/10
4 Brodie Retallick
Bagged a couple of turnovers but his main contribution came on defensive when he managed to grab 10 tackles.
6/10
3 Owen Franks
He was dominated at scrum time, slipped two tackles and gave away as many penalties.
4/10
2 Dane Coles
Made nearly 10 metres per carry and held onto all but one tackle on defence. He once again nearly stepped his way through the defence like a backline player.
7/10
1 Tony Woodcock
Folded under the pressure from Kepu and never made any real impact in his time on the park
3/10
Replacements:
16 Codie Taylor (on for Coles, 68 mins)
Not enough time to be rated.
17 Ben Franks (on for Woodcock, 73 mins)
Not enough time to be rated.
18 Nepo Laulala (on for O.Franks, 44 mins)
His only carry gained him six metres while he missed two tackles during his stint on the field.
4/10
19 Samuel Whitelock (on for Romano, 54 mins)
Never got a feel for the ball but managed to make a few tackles.
4/10
20 Sam Cane (on for Kaino, 73 mins)
Not enough time to be rated.
21 TJ Perenara (on for A.Smith, 77 mins)
Not enough time to be rated.
22 Beauden Barrett (on for B.Smith, 61 mins)
Did not get plenty of chances but grabbed a try assist to allow Milner-Skudder to get his brace.
5/10
23 Malakai Fekitoa (on for Williams, 54 mins)
Looked to get into the game but just did not see enough of the ball.
4/10
By Tauriq Ebrahim
