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          The Rugby Championship 2021
          AustraliaAustraliaAUS
          21
          05/09FT
          38
          New ZealandNew ZealandNZL
          • Folau Fainga'a(50')
          • Nic White(66')
          • Tom Banks(79')
          • Noah Lolesio(51')
          • Reece Hodge(66', 79')
          • Jordie Barrett(17')
          • David Havili(40', 61')
          • Will Jordan(55')
          • Anton Lienert-Brown(69')
          • George Bridge(72')
          • Beauden Barrett(18')
          • Beauden Barrett(9', 15')
          • Jordie Barrett(28')
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          'Soft' Wallabies suffer Groundhog Day loss to All Blacks

          • AAP
          Multiple Authors
          Sep 5, 2021, 08:24 PM
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          Paul Kane/Getty Images

          Scrumhalf Tate McDermott has described the Wallabies as soft following the team's latest flop against the All Blacks, saying Sunday's 38-21 loss felt like Groundhog Day.

          Despite being without stars Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith and Richie Mo'unga due to paternity leave, the All Blacks ran in six tries to three to secure the win in front of 52,724 fans at Optus Stadium.

          The All Blacks were dealt a huge blow in the 28th minute when fullback Jordie Barrett was given a red card for a studs-to-the-face incident on Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete.

          Barrett had leapt to catch a high kick and thrust out his right leg as he was coming down to the turf in order to protect himself.

          Trailing 13-0 at the time, the Wallabies needed to make the most of the numerical advantage they would have for the next 20 minutes before Barrett could be replaced.

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          Instead it was the All Blacks who pounced, with a powerful rolling maul allowing inside centre David Havili to cross just seconds before half-time, giving the visitors an 18-0 lead.

          It was a similar case in the recent 57-22 loss in Auckland, when the All Blacks managed to power ahead during the period in which they were down to 14 men.

          Another similarity on Sunday was the two long-range intercept tries the Wallabies conceded when on attack.

          It meant the Wallabies had given up a total of five intercept tries on the way to losing the Bledisloe Cup series 3-0.

          Overall they conceded 128 points in the threee Tests while scoring 68.

          "It's so disappointing and frustrating from our point of view," McDermott told Channel 9.

          "It's Groundhog Day. Every time we say we're going to do something, we don't do it.

          "We're pretty soft at the moment, and that's the honest assessment of it."

          Paul Kane/Getty Images

          The Wallabies didn't score their first points until a 50th-minute try to hooker Folau Fainga'a.

          Australia will now lick their wounds before fronting up to world champions South Africa on the Gold Coast next Sunday as their Rugby Championship campaign continues.

          The All Blacks kicked two penalties to open proceedings on Sunday, and Beauden Barrett set up the first try in the 17th minute with a perfectly-weighted grubber kick that sliced open the Wallabies' defence.

          The Wallabies were unable to score any points during the 20 minutes New Zealand were down to 14 men.

          But just moments after the All Blacks were back to their full complement, a smart break from McDermott set up the home side's opener in the 50th minute.

          With the margin back to 11 points there was a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly snuffed out by All Blacks flanker Akira Ioane, who broke three tackles in a powerful run before offloading to Will Jordan for an easy try.

          Paul Kane/Getty Images

          Then came the intercept tries.

          A wayward pass from lock Matt Philip was picked off by David Havili, who ran 80m with Kerevi in hot pursuit to touch down.

          The other intercept try came in the 72nd minute, when reserve scrumhalf TJ Perenara picked off a pass and made an important burst before unleashing a cross-field kick for George Bridge to cross.

          "In the end, we had chances to score and we didn't," Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said about his team's inability to capitalise on the red card.

          "It's about us being clinical. We thought we had scored, it was disallowed, and three minutes left in the half they piggy back a couple of penalties and then hurt us at our end."

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          Standings

          Rugby Championship
          RTeamGPPDP
          1SOU6+5719
          2NZL6+819
          3AUS6-1311
          4ARG6-5210
          Full Table

          The Rugby Championship 2021 News

          • Springboks in box seat after thumping Pumas

            South Africa are poised to retain the Rugby Championship title after a thumping 67-30 victory over Argentina in Durban.

          • Wallabies blow Bledisloe hopes with Auckland defeat

            The Wallabies' wait to reclaim the Bledisloe Cup will continue for another year after they failed to end their winless drought at Eden Park, falling to the All Blacks in heartbreaking fashion 33-24.

          • Springboks inflict All Blacks' record defeat

            New Zealand suffered their heaviest ever defeat as they were beaten 43-10 by South Africa in Wellington.

          • Ill-disciplined Wallabies fall to Pumas in Championship

            The Wallabies' Rugby Championship hopes have been brought crashing back down to earth as Argentina survived a late fightback from an ill-disciplined Australia side to claim a 28-26 victory.

          • 'Didn't want to draw': Wallabies in 86th-minute thriller

            The Wallabies have turned down three opportunities to kick a match-tying penalty and instead scored an 86th-minute winner in their latest Houdini Test act.

          • All Blacks down error-prone Boks to stay top of Rugby Championship

            New Zealand scored two early tries and kept an error-prone South Africa at bay to win a rugged arm-wrestle 24-17 Saturday and stay top of the Rugby Championship.