Australia beat New Zealand 27-19 to win the Rugby Championship
Last Updated: 09/08/15 11:45am
Australia won the 2015 Rugby Championship with a scintillating 27-19 win over New Zealand on Saturday.
The Wallabies scored three tries to two as replacement scrum-half Nic White proved the hero with a late clinching try.
Australia's fighting win keeps alive their hopes of winning the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand, with the final Test in Auckland next weekend.
It was Australia’s first win over New Zealand in four years and their performance, especially at scrum-time and at the breakdown, would have sent a warning message to their World Cup Pool A rivals England and Wales.
It was not the fairytale night for All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw who won his 141st Test cap for New Zealand, matching the record for most caps set by Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll.
Instead it was replacement scrum-half Nic White who was the hero of the night as the Wallabies ended a 10-match losing run against the All Blacks.
White scored a try and kicked a long-range penalty goal and a conversion in the final minutes to give Australia the win in front of 73,824 fans at ANZ Stadium.
Australia showed plenty of resolve to beat the world champions just a month out from the World Cup and started promisingly pushing back the All Blacks in the first scrum and winning a couple of turnovers.
However they went a man down when prop Sekope Kepu was yellow carded for off-side as New Zealand pressed Australia's try-line.
Dan Carter kicked the penalty but the Wallabies suffered no further damage during Kepu's absence and levelled with a Matt Giteau penalty in the 27th minute in their first sustained period of attack.
Carter kept the All Blacks in front with a 40-metre penalty while Giteau's second attempt came off an upright.
Israel Folau sliced through but was brought down by a last-ditch tackle from counterpart Ben Smith, only for the Wallabies to blow a try-scoring chance when Dean Mumm knocked on a poorly directed Nick Phipps pass in the next phase.
A thundering burst from hooker Dane Coles put New Zealand on the attack on half-time but a great covering tackle by Hooper on winger Julian Savea saved the situation for the Wallabies.
Aaron Smith was sin-binned for a head-high tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper but the Wallabies hit the front as prop Kepu steamed through Kieran Read's tackle and another to score under the bar for Giteau to convert for a 10-6 lead.
Carter kicked the All Blacks to within a point with his third penalty to become the first player to raise 1,500 Test points.
Phipps capped a miserable night when he was sin-binned for a professional foul, tackling Conrad Smith in an off-side position off a quick tap kick to leave his team down a man at a critical time.
The All Blacks made the Wallabies pay when debut winger Nehe Milner-Skudder finished off a Ben Smith break to put New Zealand back in front two minutes later.
Replacement Matt Toomua made an immediate impact with a clever kick for Ashley-Cooper to regather and score in the right corner for Giteau to convert and a 17-14 lead.
Milner-Skudder retrieved the lead for the All Blacks with his second try, wrestling the ball over the try-line at the second attempt.
Replacement scrum-half White put the Wallabies ahead with a 48-metre penalty goal into the final 10 minutes.
White proved the hero when he broke two tackles close to the All Blacks line to dart over for Australia's third try and kick the conversion for a 27-19 lead with eight minutes left.
New Zealand threw everything into it but Australia held on as the defending World Champions succumbed to only their third loss since they lifted the Webb Ellis trophy in 2011.
