Caleb Clarke celebrates his try with Sevu Reece and Beauden Barrett. Photo: Harry Cornaga / Photosport Ltd 2024 www.photosport.nz
The All Blacks have beaten the Wallabies 33-13 in the second Bledisloe Cup test in Wellington, their final home game of the year.
The victory ends the hosts' six-year winless run in the city and means the All Blacks finish the Rugby Championship with three wins and three defeats.
Skipper Scott Barrett told Sky Sport it was a relief to finally get a win in Wellington.
"Really pleased to reverse the curse, we didn't start too well but I am really pleased with how we finished, some grit on defence and we held out the Aussies."
Having gone scoreless in the final quarter throughout the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks also broke that unwanted streak with second-half tries to Tamaiti Williams and another for Clarke.
"We just talked about owning our effort really and it showed there on our line, pleasing to not let them in. Pleased to finish on a high at home."
Anton Lienert-Brown and Sam Cane, who has become the 13th All Black centurion. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Former captain Sam Cane became the 13th All Black to play 100 tests.
"Just feel really lucky to be able to have this moment at home in New Zealand, I feel like this is best I have seen Wellington to be honest," Cane said.
Cane lauded the performance of the younger loose forwards throughout the Rugby Championship.
"They are pretty special athletes, a bit quicker and explosive, the guys coming though are just getting better and better."
The test marked the final outing in black for both Cane and TJ Perenara.
Barrett said they left special legacies.
"Both have given a lot to the jersey, TJ at home here, and Sammy, 100 test matches - every time he has come out here he has put his body on the line."
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said while the team had their moments throughout, it had been a disappointing campaign.
"It's not the result we wanted, we had a few chances at the end to get some points on the board but didn't."
It was a fast start from the Joe Schmidt-coached Wallabies with visitors running a blindside move from a scrum before putting in a chip and chase that almost resulted in the first try of the game.
Sevu Reece celebrates a try. Photo: Masanori Udagawa
The Wallabies would continue to apply early pressure and would soon score, with flanker Fraser McReight burrowing over from a ruck on the tryline in the eighth minute.
The try was converted giving the visitors a 7-0 lead and they broke the All Blacks again from the resulting kickoff with the hosts having to scramble.
The Wallabies dominated early possession, but the All Blacks were the next to score, with wing Sevu Reece scoring in the right corner following a break from blindside flanker Wallace Sititi.
First-five Beauden Barrett missed the conversion and the chance to draw level leaving the score 7-5 to the Wallabies, who then kicked a penalty through first-five Noah Lolesio to go ahead 10 points to 5 after 20 minutes.
That lead didn't last long, with fullback Will Jordan slicing through several Wallabies defenders to score the All Blacks second try of the night in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
This time Barrett didn't miss the conversion attempt and the All Blacks took their first lead of the night, up 12-10.
Caleb Clarke in possession. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
The Wallabies then looked to have scored a near identical try to their first in the 35th minute with flanker McReight barging over in the left corner after a series of rucks, only to be help up over the line.
It didn't matter though, with a penalty kick to Lolesio moments later giving the visitors a 13-12 lead not long before halftime.
The All Blacks turned down a kickable penalty of their own on the stroke of halftime and the gamble paid off, with wing Caleb Clarke bursting over for a try near the posts after taking a short ball from Beauden Barrett, who duly converted to put the hosts ahead 19-13 at halftime.
The All Blacks began to get on top in the second half but some unforced errors again blighted their performance, highlighted by halfback TJ Perenara knocking the ball on after taking a quick tap from a penalty.
The hosts continued to put pressure on the Wallabies and were awarded a penalty close to the visitors tryline.
The Wallabies defended the All Blacks lineout drive but a few phases later the hosts would score with prop Tamaiti Williams crashing over from the base of a ruck, the converted try extending their lead to 26-13 with 56 minutes gone.
Sevu Reece and Beauden Barrett. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
The hosts looked to have scored again through lock Tupou Vai'i, but the try was disallowed due to a knock on in the leadup.
The All Blacks though had begun to assert their dominance and Clarke went over for his second try in impressive fashion, taking the ball on the left wing before cutting inside the Wallabies defence and carrying a tackler or two with him across the line.
Veteran Barrett, who had a strong game at first-five in place of Damian McKenzie, again converted to put the hosts ahead 33-13 with 14 minutes remaining before centurion Cane was subbed off to a standing ovation from the sold-out Wellington crowd.
The Wallabies did find some spirit and peppered the All Blacks tryline forcing the hosts to give away a penalty. However New Zealand's defence held strong and they cleared their 22 well, something they have struggled to do at times this year.
The test would finish on a sour note for Clarke after a strong two-try performance, with the All Blacks wing yellow carded for offside in the final few minutes.
The one-man advantage though didn't come to much for the Wallabies who were unable to score any more points, with the game ending 33-13 to the All Blacks, who finish their Rugby Championship campaign with one of their better performances.