Round one to Robbie Deans. The Wallabies proved they are no longer hoodwinked by the All Blacks' aura when they out-enthused, out-played and out-everythinged their Bledisloe Cup opponents last night.
The pressure on All Blacks coach Graham Henry will intensify now that his big rival Deans has got another one over him by masterminding one of Australia's great trans-Tasman victories, giving them great hope of winning the Bledisloe for the first time since 2002.
Apart from outstanding efforts by Wallabies all over the park, in particular from centre Berrick Barnes, five-eighth Matt Giteau, captain George Smith and breakaway Rocky Elsom, they also showed they are not unnerved by their biggest foes.
After being dominant early on, it all went awry for Australia when the All Blacks took the lead in the 44th minute. But the Wallabies rallied to score tries in the 55th minute through Elsom and then just before full-time when James Horwill charged over to ensure a great triumph.
Despite the 78,944 attendance, it was the smallest Bledisloe Cup crowd at ANZ Stadium, with the previous lowest being 79,543 in 2002.
After the Wallabies completely dominated the All Blacks at the breakdown, Deans said he was, "so proud of their effort".
"It was a fast game, and they were stretched, especially as the All Blacks had so much possession," Deans said. "At times it was tenuous, but we created a lot of turnover ball through the intensity of the tackles.
"There was so much belief among them to keep going. It was a good effort, but we have created a rod for our backs next week."
A glum Henry was at least relieved the All Blacks showed fight to get back into the game and take the lead.
"But we couldn't maintain the tempo, and kept turning the ball over. We probably should have scored more points in the first half," Henry said.
The All Blacks failed to capitalise on their 63 per cent possession rate.
The Wallabies' defensive performance was exceptional in the first half, but such was adaptability of the All Blacks that they were still able to score two first-half tries to keep the game well in the balance.
Every Wallabies defender was involved in extraordinary hits, which stifled the All Blacks' charges. But the visitors remained dangerous, flinging the ball in every direction, leading to several incidents where tries could have gone either way.
The Wallabies began the game at an amazing pace, and were ahead 10-0 after just 10 minutes. A high tackle by All Blacks second-rower Brad Thorn on Giteau also helped, as the former Broncos league representative was sent to the sin bin.
The Wallabies took full advantage of the extra man during those 10 minutes, with a penalty goal being followed by a string of wide attacks.
All Blacks fullback Mils Muliaina then kicked the ball down Tuqiri's throat, and several phases later, an amazing grab by Giteau enabled the sequence to continue, and draw the man before offloading to Ryan Cross to score the first try of the game.
The Wallabies' defence was strong.
A big tackle by Giteau on his opposite Daniel Carter reminded all that Australian rugby is now not far behind the world's best.
The joy continued later when a kick from fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper was tapped on by Tuqiri and retrieved by Peter Hynes to score.
However, either side of the Hynes try, the All Blacks kept irritating.
They scored first through Muliaina, who pushed his way past Luke Burgess and Ashley-Cooper, and, in the 39th minute, All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore pushed through several Wallabies defenders to make the half-time score 17-12.
The Kiwis then stole the lead in the 44th minute when Carter stepped past Giteau, and Rodney So'oialo was crushed just short of the line. However, halfback Andy Ellis leapt over the top of the bodies to score.
