Australia showed once again on Saturday why they can never be underestimated or written off, courtesy of a great performance against New Zealand in Sydney.

The 34-19 win not only included a rare Tri-Nations bonus point for scoring four tries, but also put them one-up in the race for the Bledisloe Cup, which is contested over four matches this year.

But let's look back to the Sydney match. It was a breathtaking encounter — adventurous, open and fierce. Followers of the Tri-Nations are often subjected to brutal wars of attrition, where the forwards slog it out for physical supremacy while the backs feed off scraps. Defences are usually on top, and scoring opportunities are scarce.

But this match was different. This was no trench war. This was D-Day, a major skirmish. There were plenty of anomalies. There were missed tackles aplenty, both from New Zealand and from Australia. There were many line breaks, great hand-offs, and big hits. In fact, this match had just about everything in it. It was a great advert for the experimental law variations (ELVs).

But it was also a great advert for the skills and technical prowess of coach Robbie Deans. The Aussie coach has got his charges playing to their strengths, and their energy and commitment in defence is second to none. In short, Deans, has got the Wallabies playing to the best of their ability (possibly even a little above it) in a very short space of time.

On the flipside, the All Blacks were rattled in the second half once Australia took control of the encounter. Frankly, they played badly in the last quarter. That is a rare sight, and it is something that will worry Graham Henry intensely. It will also inevitably invite more calls for his head from a growing band of critics.

Player of the Weekend:

Berrick Barnes is not a flashy player. The Reds playmaker is the type of player who looks to set-up a team-mate, someone who is always searching for the best option. His game also has many dimensions. He can slot in at flyhalf or centre with ease, courtesy of his rock-solid defence and an excellent tactical kicking game.

Barnes was immense against New Zealand on Saturday. He tackled and tackled and tackled. New Zealand's resident linebreaker Ma'a Nonu got just about no change out of Barnes. And when it was required, Barnes took a large chunk of pressure off his flyhalf Matt Giteau with some cleverly executed punts into New Zealand territory. Barnes' rugby intelligence and brave defence suggests that he could yet form a mouth-watering combination with Giteau.

Player bio:

Position: Flyhalf/centre
Height: 183cm
Weight: 88kg
Date of Birth: 28/05/1986
City: Brisbane
Tests debut: v France, 2007 (RWC)
Test Caps: 4
Test Points: 16

Contentious call of the week: Despite what the panicking New Zealand press says, referee Craig Joubert had a fairly sound game, allowing the match to flow. He was happy to take a back seat and let the contest unfold, unlike other well-known whistlers who seem to have an affinity for the spotlight. But there was one big moment in the game that could possibly have had a bearing on the result. Sitiveni Sivivatu had dribbled the ball forward very near the try-line, but was tackled prematurely by Aussie wing Peter Hynes, with Lote Tuqiri covering. Sivivatu might have scored had he not been tackled, but Tuqiri might have saved the day. At least a penalty should have been forthcoming for New Zealand.

The Real Hustle award: This has to go to the New Zealand physio who took one look at Jimmy Cowan's clean, injured knee, before pointing out that it was a 'blood bin' replacement. Andrew Ellis was summoned back onto the field, while Cowan's knee was heavily strapped. There was no blood to be found on either player at that stage.

Villain of the Match: New Zealand lock Brad Thorn has cost his team 10 points after he incurred a yellow card only six minutes into the match. Thorn just can't seem to stay out of the limelight in this Tri-Nations, after his lenient one-week ban for spear-tackling and injuring Bok skipper John Smit.

The TFC (Thanks For Coming) award: This has to go to the rather unfortunate Sione Lauaki of New Zealand. The Chiefs loose forward suffered a severe lapse of coordination after coming off the bench, committing no less than seven errors in the 30 minutes that he was on the field. Quite simply put, he could not catch a cold and also appeared rather disinterested in tackling Rocky Elsom, who strolled through the All Blacks to score late in the game. Lauaki also suffered the ignominy of scoring the first ever 0/10 in our player ratings...

The Playground Bully award: This goes to Thorn's lock partner Ali Williams, who seems like a nasty piece of work at times.

Interesting fact: Australia had only 27 percent possession in the entire match. Yet they managed to score 34 points, and win by 15, one of the biggest winning margins between the two teams in Tri-Nations history. It shows just how deadly the Wallabies were on attack. Conversely New Zealand's loss despite 73 percent possession illustrates their ineffectiveness with ball in hand, as well as the enormity of Australia's defensive effort.

New Zealand have won their last nine Tests at Auckland against the Wallabies. They have never lost to Australia at that venue in the Tri-Nations, and one has to go back to 1986 to find the last Aussie win at Eden Park. Coach Graham Henry's All Blacks have never lost three Tests in a row. This coming weekend, that record will be sorely tested.

Henry did suffer two consecutive losses in 2004, the year that Jake White's Springboks won the Tri-Nations. Those losses were also incurred against the Aussies and the Boks. New Zealand last lost three matches in a row in 1998. That sequence actually extended to five losses in a row for the Kiwis under John Hart.

Tri-Nations - NZ v Australia at Auckland:

2007: New Zealand won 26-12
2006: New Zealand won 34-27
2005: New Zealand won 34-24
2003: New Zealand won 21-17
1999: New Zealand won 34-15

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