New Zealand v Australia LIVE: Result and reaction after All Blacks finish Rugby Championship with impressive win

Winger Caleb Clarke scored two tries as New Zealand beat the Wallabies 33-13 on Saturday to round out the Rugby Championship with a third win and snap their six-year victory drought in Wellington.

The All Blacks back three of Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and Clarke all scored tries in the first half and prop Tamaiti Williams also crossed after the break before Clarke added his second in the final quarter.

The Wallabies played some of their best rugby of the year in the first half but only had a Fraser McReight try and two Noah Lolesio penalties to show for their efforts as they finished the tournament with a single win from six matches.

That’s a first win in Wellington since 2018 for the All Blacks, putting an end to that curious hoodoo. There are still a few problems to solve for Scott Robertson but the balance of the side looked good with Beauden Barrett at fly half and Will Jordan injecting intelligently from full-back. Does Barrett remain at the primary playmaking spot later in the year? New Zealand have a tune-up Test against Japan in Yokohama before taking on England at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on 2 November, with Robertson likely to look a bit more at the depth of his squad.

Schmidt will be disappointed, I think, that his side did not make more of their early advantage. Their ambition and invention was impressive in the first 20 minutes but their inability to win the gainline more traditionally later on will be an ongoing concern.

That’s three defeats on the spin and five in six across the campaign. Their November business is significant: after a couple of months off, Australia face each of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the Autumn Nations Series.

A performance that New Zealand rather needed, you’d say, not panicking after a fast Australian start and answering a few critics by holding their form to the finish. Impressive showings all across the park from the All Blacks, with Beauden Barrett steering the ship effectively on his return to fly half and both Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan adding real X-factor from the back three.

A few positives to take for Joe Schmidt, who got the fast start he desired, though the Wallabies never looked to have enough to make it a genuine contest.

“I just feel really lucky to have this moment at home in New Zealand in front of these incredible fans. This is the best I’ve ever seen Wellington, to be honest. I just tried to really enjoy the moment.

“There are some pretty special athletes coming through, and they are just getting better and better. There are great blokes in the All Blacks, that never changes - one of the best things about being part of this group for so long is that they are just awesome people. That’ll never change.”

The All Blacks run the clock down as they wait for the siren to sound, another Bledisloe Cup win long since secure...

There’s serious resolve about the All Blacks in the throes of their Rugby Championship campaign, though. After all of the criticism about their final quarter collapses, another strong stand ensures that Australia remain without a point since Noah Lolesio’s second penalty in the first half.

Just as in Sydney last week, Caleb Clarke will finish the game in the sin bin! For a fourth Test in a row, the All Blacks lose a man inside the final ten minutes, though this is unfortunate for Clarke - the ball springs free to the feet of the retreating wing after Cortez Ratima contested at a ruck, and he can’t help but scoop it up. He’s clearly offside, of course, and the card is just, though a different officiating team may have rewarded Ratima’s work with a penalty.

Brandon Paenga-Amosa replies in kind as New Zealand go in search of a try of their own, the hooker matching Tosi’s technique with the All Blacks’ clearers slow to arrive at a ruck.