Australia 5-43 New Zealand: Dominant All Blacks seal Bledisloe Cup triumph with record win
A dominant display from New Zealand ensured another Bledisloe Cup triumph for the All Blacks, with Australia humbled on home soil.
New Zealand recorded their biggest winning margin over Australia as a 43-5 thrashing secured another Bledisloe Cup series triumph and a fine start to the Tri Nations.
The All Blacks suffered a chastening 47-26 loss in their previous match on Australian soil last August, but ensured there was no repeat in Sydney as they followed up their 27-7 Eden Park victory earlier this month in style.
Karl Tu'inukuafe, Richie Mo'unga (2) and Dane Coles touched down in the first half at ANZ Stadium, where a socially distanced crowd witnessed a masterclass from Ian Foster's side.
Debutant Noah Lolesio hit back in a much-improved second-half showing from Australia, but New Zealand rarely looked anything other than comfortable and added gloss through Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett, with Mo'unga's conversion earning his country a slice of history.
With the Bledisloe Cup now beyond their grasp, Dave Rennie's men will look to bounce back against the same opponents in Brisbane next week to kickstart their Tri Nations campaign.
The Wallabies endured an early setback, Filipo Daugunu seeing yellow for a dangerous tackle on the airborne Caleb Clarke.
Foster's charges initially capitalised as Tu'inukuafe crashed over for his first international try, but Jordie Barrett soon followed fellow number 14 Daugunu into the sin bin for leading with his forearm on Dane Haylett-Petty.
The visitors had two tries ruled out by the TMO, one for grounding and the other for being in touch, before Mo'unga's brace of fine solo scores eased their frustrations.
Coles, earlier denied by the TMO, drove over from a lineout to effectively put the game to bed before the break.
Australia got off the mark a minute after the interval as Lolesio seized on a sharp pass inside to dart over the line, though the All Blacks soon reasserted their authority to seal a record win over their rivals.
Mo'unga kicked a penalty and added the extras to tries from Ioane and Barrett, the second of those conversions ensuring New Zealand's 43-6 win over Australia in 1996 was eclipsed.
