DIVINE intervention could have been behind last weekend’s result that was celebrated by the All Blacks and a cause for heartbreak for the Wallabies.
A converted try at the death in the third Bledisloe Cup match in Brisbane won it 29-28 for the All Blacks.
Some may say that it was also divine intervention that saw the world champions beat Ireland 24-22 in Dublin on Nov 24, 2013, to deny the Irish what would have been their first win in 28 Tests between the two since 1905.
That victory, which was just as heart-breaking for the Irish as it was for the Aussies last week, was secured by a try to Ryan Crotty in added time and a retaken conversion by Aaron Cruden.
Because of the way they have come back late in the game in recent years, some say the current All Blacks don’t know how to lose.
If you are feeling sorry for the Irish and Aussies and their supporters, turn back the clock to 1998 and the records will show that the All Blacks too used to be on the receiving end, not able to hold on to a lead and losing it after the hooter.
That was a golden period for Australian rugby.
From 1998 to 2005 the Wallabies won five Bledisloe Cup series in a row, in the process inflicting eight defeats on their trans-Tasman rivals in 11 Tests.
One win the Australians would not want to forget was in Wellington on Aug 5, 2000, when a penalty by captain John Eales sealed the game 24-23.
The defeat was New Zealand’s own doing because had the hooter been used, the game would have ended when the All Blacks were 23-21 ahead.
They lost two lineouts on their own throw to allow the Wallabies to gain something like 50 metres upfield and before that last lineout, All Blacks captain Todd Blackadder could be seen gesturing to the referee about the time.
Sydney on Sept 1, 2001, and the winning points again scored by the Wallabies after the hooter, this time a try under the posts to No. 8 Toutai Kefu. Wallabies 29-26.
After that poor spell, the All Blacks finally turned their fortunes around in 2003 and have kept the trophy with them since.
Move on to Hong Kong for Bledisloe 4 in 2010 and there was to be one more dramatic end also in favour of the Wallabies, James O’Connor scoring a late try which he converted for a 26-24 winning margin.
But as both teams depart this weekend for the end of year tour to the north, only the valuable lessons will be at the back of the minds of players and coaches.
The All Blacks stop first in Chicago where they will play a Test against the United States Eagles in front of a sellout crowd on Nov 1. This will be their first Test in the US since 1980. From there they travel to Britain to play England, Scotland and Wales.
Included in the 33-man squad after being given special “fast-track treatment” and without having to first prove himself in Super Rugby is Sonny Bill Williams, back in the union code after two years playing league in Australia.
The Wallabies travel to France and the United Kingdom to play the Barbarians and Tests against Wales, France, Ireland and England under hastily appointed coach Michael Cheika after Ewan McKenzie’s resignation last weekend.
These are not the best of times for Australian rugby, what with the distractions revolving around utility back Kurtley Beale and also an allegation of an affair involving McKenzie.
While Cheika will have limited time to prepare his team, he will at least feel some comfort in having nine Waratahs in the 33-man squad. He coached the Waratahs to this year’s Super Rugby title.