New Zealand retained both the Tri-Nations trophy and the Bledisloe Cup with a hard-earned 28-24 win over Australia in a thrilling match at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

But the Wallabies were certainly not disgraced. It was a slow start by Australia, but they came good in the last 10 minutes of first half for a 10-7 lead at the break and stretched their lead to 17-7 with another great score in the 46th minute.

But for the next 20 minutes the Kiwis took over, before a late surge from the Aussies.

Jan de Koning rates the Australian team's performances:

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper:
Not a bad day at the office and would have deserved a bonus if Australia had won. Was solid under an early bomb and stayed steady throughout. 6/10

14 Peter Hynes:
He was quiet at times and also had his moments, such as when he rose high to collect Matt Giteau's cross-field kick and then off-loaded, despite being tackled in the air, to allow Adam Ashley-Cooper to score. 6/10

13 Ryan Cross:
The star of the Wallaby backline and has made sure he will get a more regular starting position. He was involved a lot early on, always making good ground and getting over the advantage line. Great bust to go over late in second half when he went through Richie McCaw, Brad Thorn and Dan Carter for awesome try to set up a thrilling finish. 9/10

12 Stirling Mortlock (captain):
He was steady rather than spectacular and by no means his best game. Seemed to struggle with the lack of time and space he had at inside centre and is clearly more comfortable at outside centre. 5/10

11 Lote Tuqiri:
Reduced to a mostly defensive role and not very effective in his odd carry. Very closely watched. 5/10

10 Matt Giteau:
He started with a poor first kick at goal, which fell short, despite being well within his range. He seemed rattled and even kicked a penalty dead by trying to go too long. However, he eventually came good and that cross-field kick to Peter Hynes, which resulted in Adam Ashley-Cooper's try, was a real gem. He also made the crucial break and offload for James Horwill's try. 6/10

9 Sam Cordingley:
By his standards he had shocker. His passing was not very good, with some real shockers and then there was the occasion when he took the ball one phase too far and killed of a try-scoring chance. 4/10

8 Wycliff Palu (replaced by Richard Brown in the 34th minute):
He didn't exactly cover himself with glory. Was warned early for repeated hands at the ruck and then knocked the ball on with a two-man overlap. Replaced after an injury. 2/10

7 George Smith:
Great crucial turnover late in game to keep Wallabies in the hunt and was very busy throughout. Had the better of Richie McCaw on the day. 7/10

6 Rocky Elsom (replaced by Hugh McMenuiman in 71st minute):
He tried hard, as always, but not as effective as he could have been. It looked like the flu he had earlier in the week drained his energy. 5/10

5 Nathan Sharpe:
He marked his return to the starting XV with a storming performance, working very hard in the tight and producing some strong carries. 6/10

4 James Horwill:
He is the perfect foil for Sharpe, as he plays most often out wide, but does great work and scored a great try as a wide receiver. 6/10

3 Al Baxter:
The scrums are always a mess with the grunting prop and early on you could see how he blatantly went to ground with disrupt the Kiwis. It is such a blight on the game. 3/10

2 Stephen Moore (replaced by Adam Freier in the 72nd minute):
Gave away an early penalty, went a mile offside and was then often driven back when carrying the ball. He also gave away a couple of free kicks. 4/10

1 Benn Robinson:
He works hard and tries hard, but the pace of the game was too quick for him. 5/10

Replacements (20 minutes or more to be rated):

16 Adam Freier (on for Stephen Moore in the 72nd minute):
Not enough time to be rated

17 Matt Dunning: Not used

18 Hugh McMeniman (replaced Rocky Elsom in 71st minute):
Not enough time to be rated

19 Phil Waugh: Not used

20 Richard Brown (on for Wycliff Palu in the 34th minute):
His ball control early on was very poor, as he handed the ball back to Kiwis twice inside first three minutes on the field. But he was much better after the break with some strong carries and made a real impact. 6/10

21 Brett Sheehan: Not used

22 Drew Mitchell: Not used