Laurie Mains has put a positive spin on the All Blacks’ victory over the Wallabies, despite almost letting a dominant lead slip.

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 scored four tries in the first 25 minutes and held off a second-half Australia fightback with 13 men to beat the Wallabies 31-28 in a Rugby Championship thriller.

Again, the All Blacks have failed to score a point in the last 20 minutes of a test.

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.

Australia have lost their eighth-straight Test to New Zealand and bungled another chance to snatch their first Bledisloe Cup series victory since 2002, going down 31-28 before a crowd of 68,061 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

The All Blacks rebound from consecutive Rugby Championship defeats against world champions South Africa. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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,

The All Blacks fired and almost fatally fizzed to deliver another erratic performance.