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Rugby Union

Australia overturn All Blacks for shock win

30/06/2007

Australia have thrown open the Tri-Nations with a stunning 20-15 comeback win over World Cup favourites New Zealand in Melbourne.

The Wallabies had been 15-6 down at half-time with Graham Henry's men looking on target to wrap up the southern hemisphere crown before a ten-minute blitz late in the second period pushed the hosts to a surprise victory.

Their sudden collapse may have been a result of the All Blacks' intense playing schedule with just a week, complete with trans-Pacific flight, separating this encounter and last week's battle with the Springboks.

Certainly they started far better than they finished with prop Tony Woodcock powering over from close range after five minutes and Worcester-bound wing Rico Gear sliding in for a second just shy of the half-hour.

Stirling Mortlock had reduced the damage with two well-taken penalty chances, but the interval advantage seemed as if it may be enough of a cushion to see New Zealand safely home.

Australia squandered an early chance to put their opponents' nerve to the test when prop Guy Shepherdson had a score disallowed for a double movement as he strained to ground the ball three minutes after the restart.

However a yellow card for prop Carl Hayman just after the hour suddenly destabilised a previously-watertight All Black defence.

Winger Adam Ashley-Cooper wriggled his way over the line two minutes after the front-rower had been dispatched to the sin-bin and Matt Giteau added the extras to cut the gap to two points.

After Dan Carter had fluffed a penalty chance to strike straight back, another Mortlock break through the heart of the All Black midfield was finished off beneath the posts by the supporting Scott Staniforth.

Giteau casually notched his second conversion and his team held out against some late All Black pressure to make it one win each for each of the Tri-Nations sides so far.

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