Australia - 21 New Zealand - 50Australia described the New Zealand back line as the best they have ever faced after the Wallabies suffered one of their most humiliating Test losses to their trans-Tasman rivals.
The Wallabies' number eight, Toutai Kefu, and their wing, Wendell Sailor, both said the New Zealand attack was the most talented they had encountered after seeing, from close quarters, the All Blacks confirm their position as World Cup favourites with a record victory.
Although New Zealand have to win the return Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland on August 16th to secure the trophy for the first time since 1997, Australia once more showed they are a team in decline.
In what was a third successive Test defeat for the first time since 1995, Australia were out-paced and out-manoeuvred. They also conceded the most points by a Wallabies team in a home Test, while New Zealand scored their highest total against Australia.
It was no surprise that Australia's coach, Eddie Jones, under pressure with 12 wins and a draw in 23 Tests, described it as the worst loss suffered in his two years. The Australian players were equally dumbfounded, especially by a back line which scored all seven of their tries.
That back three of Mils Muliaina, Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko were almost unstoppable - in particular Rokocoko, who is enjoying the most extraordinary of debut seasons. He has 10 tries in five internationals, with Saturday's hat-trick following two tries against Wales, three against France and two against South Africa.
Howlett, a former New Zealand schools sprint champion, also crossed the Australian line along with Tana Umaga, Daniel Carter and the superb Aaron Mauger, while outhalf Carlos Spencer landed three penalties and two conversions to silence the critics of his kicking.
All too often a fast ball from broken-field play saw New Zealand left with attacking overlaps. In the end, the Australia players were reduced to little more than signposts pointing the way to their try line.
Sailor said the All Blacks had the best back line he had "faced in either league or union", and Kefu added that he was as overwhelmed by the New Zealand attack.
"Their back line is very, very good," Kefu said. "If you've got that much speed you really don't need that much skill, because you can still make any team look stupid. They've got skill and speed.
"Their back three are probably the three quickest players in international rugby."
While the marauding men in black appeared from every angle and in every direction, the defining moment for Australia came when Sailor was sent to the sin-bin in the 23rd minute for a charge on Muliaina when the full back was in the air trying to take a high ball. During his 10 minutes on the sidelines the All Blacks scored twice, taking a commanding 20-8 lead just before half-time. That signalled the beginning of the end for Australia.
Sailor later admitted he had lost the game for his team and Jones, seething that his key wing was off the field during a critical period, said he would discuss the incident with the player.
When asked if Sailor would come out of the meeting "with his ears burning", Jones laughed. "I don't know . . . He might come out with something burning."
Nevertheless Jones will persevere with Sailor, and the bulk of the Australia team, when they play South Africa in this Saturday's Tri-Nations match at Brisbane.
New Zealand coach John Mitchell said the win would give the All Blacks a psychological edge over Australia if the two teams meet, as expected, in the World Cup semi-finals.
However, Mitchell urged caution about the significance of his team's win given New Zealand's failures at the last three World Cups.
Four years ago they destroyed France 54-7 a few months before the World Cup only to lose 43-31 when they met them again in the tournament's semi-finals.
In 1995 the All Blacks lost the final to South Africa after going into the match as red-hot favourites having never lost to them since the Springboks were readmitted to the game in 1992.
And in 1991, New Zealand lost a semi-final to eventual champions Australia having beaten the Wallabies a few months earlier.
Rather than bask in his team's latest moment of glory, Mitchell adopted a more pragmatic approach, expressing concern about the team's failure to control their own lineout ball and their high turnover rate.
"We're certainly pleased with the result but there's still much improvement in the side, especially with the lineout," he said.
"There is a lot of work to do in certain components of our game - and that's up to (assistant coach) Robbie Deans and I to focus on those areas - where we need to improve and how we improve."
AUSTRALIA: M Burke; W Sailor, M Rogers, E Flatley, L Tuqiri; S Larkham, G Gregan (capt); B Young, B Cannon, P Noriega, D Giffin, D Vickerman, G Smith, P Waugh, T Kefu. Replacements: B Darwin for Noriega (44 mins), C Latham for Burke (52 mins), N Sharpe for Vickerman (55 mins), O Finegan for Smith (66 mins), S Kefu for Flatley (68 mins), A Freier for Cannon (68 mins).
NEW ZEALAND: M Muliaina (C Ralph 70); D Howlett, T Umaga, A Mauger, J Rokocoko; C Spencer, J Marshall; D Hewett, K Mealamu, G Somerville, C Jack, A Williams, R Thorne (capt), R McCaw, J Collins. Replacements: D Carter for Spencer (53 mins), K Meeuws for Somerville (62 mins), B Thorn for Williams (64 mins), M Holah for McCaw (70 mins), M Hammett for Kealamu (70 mins), S Devine for Marshall (78 mins)
Referee: T Spreadbury (England).
