Head coach Scott Robertson praised young All Blacks Cortez Ratima and Wallace Sititi for their standout performances.

The All Blacks led 21-0 after 15 minutes but faltered badly in the second half, only just holding on with 13 men at one point to beat Australia 31-28 in the first Bledisloe Cup test.

New Zealand survived a thrilling Australia comeback to cling on to a narrow victory in Sydney and continue their stronghold over the Bledisloe Cup. With both sides looking to salvage difficult Rugby Championship campaigns,

New Zealand's All Blacks achieved a dramatic 31-28 victory over Australia's Wallabies in the Rugby Championship, scoring four early tries and surviving a late comeback. Despite yellow cards and a strong Australian rally,

Fullback Beauden Barrett will return to the starting 15 in the All Blacks team that will play Australia in the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney on Saturday. Barrett had been named on the bench for the second test against South Africa in Cape Town two weeks ago as head coach Scott Robertson tried to add experience to solve New Zealand's problem with closing out matches.

The Bledisloe Cup series between Australia and New Zealand comes around each year as a high point of the Southern Hemisphere rugby season.

The All Blacks took a commanding 28-14 lead into the break and, despite Australia storming back into contention, held on to retain Bledisloe Cup, a trophy they have owned since 2003.

New Zealand scored four tries in the first 25 minutes and held off a late Australian fightback with 13 men to beat the Wallabies 31-28 in a Rugby Championship thriller at Stadium Australia on Saturday.

New Zealand scored four tries in the first 25 minutes and held off a late Australian fightback with 13 men to beat the Wallabies 31-28 in a Rugby Championship thriller at Stadium Australia. The All Blacks were held to one penalty in the second half and lost two players to yellow cards,