Joe Schmidt was proud of how the Wallabies went down fighting against New Zealand on Saturday, as Scott Robertson rued how the All Blacks almost threw away the victory.
The hosts were their own worst enemy in the opening 15 minutes of the Bledisloe Cup showdown in Sydney, with sloppy defending and unforced errors seeing Australia slump 21-0 behind.
It looked like another rout was on the cards for the Aussies, following their humiliating 67-27 defeat to Argentina a fortnight ago.
But they steadied and fought back into contention in the second half, setting up a thrilling finish with the All Blacks hanging on for a narrow 31-28 win.
“We really rolled our sleeves up in the second half, but the reality is they could’ve had more of a margin on the scoreboard if they didn’t miss a couple of chances,” said Schmidt.
“We’ve got to be realistic about that. We lost the Test match. We can’t finish a close second.
“There’s some things to be proud about… the way we were building our way back into the game. But you give New Zealand a start like that, it’s too tough to overcome that.”
RECAP: All Blacks survive Wallabies fightback
The Australians were forced to make twice as many tackles as New Zealand, and they lost the breakdown and lineout battle.
Schmidt said there were elements to learn from and build on. “Once it became tight, we probably had a few chances that we didn’t put away,” he said.
“But pleased with the way we dug in, to build our way back.”
Robertson, meanwhile, praised Australia’s “grit” yet lamented how his troops let slip a commanding lead.
But a win was a win, he added, with the Bledisloe Cup retained for another year and the All Blacks back on the right track after two Rugby Championship defeats against the Springs in the Republic.
“We found a way to win, I’m really pleased,” he said. “We’re getting good experience to win these tight games.
“They showed a lot of grit, it just shows how much any Aussie team you play, they just won’t go away.”
The teams meet again in Wellington next week.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
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