They beat their previous high in a Test against the Wallabies within 48 minutes of their opening Rugby Championship match in Sydney and eventually ran in eight tries in a 54-34 victory that got their title defence off to a flying start.
To their credit, the Australians managed to claim four second half tries to pick up a losing bonus point, but they were generally outgunned by their biggest rivals as they slipped to a sixth successive defeat against them.
They enjoyed more possession and territory and forced the All Blacks to make 162 tackles to their 98. But when the men in black had the ball in their hands they were devastating.
Wing Rieko Ioane made it five tries in as many Tests with two scores and centre Ryan Crotty also got a brace for the world champions. There were further tries from their back division provided by centre Sonny Bill Williams, full back Damian McKenzie and wing Ben Smith. The other try came from back row man Liam Squire and Beauden Barrett converted seven of them.
The All Blacks made 27 line-breaks, beat 30 defenders and made 652 metres with the ball in hand. Those were the statistics that will be concerning Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards as he attempts to try to find a way to shut-down the All Blacks attack on Saturday, 25 November.
That’s exactly what Aussie head coach Michael Cheika will be trying to fathom out over the course of the next week before he takes his side to Dunedin for the return battle under the roof of the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Round 2.
Meanwhile, the Pumas will be seeking revenge over another of Wales’ November opponents, South Africa, after going down to a 37-15 defeat to the Springboks in Port Elizabeth. It was a red letter day for centre Jan Serfontein, who scored four of his side’s eight tries. He will be another man on Edward’s ‘watch list’ in the build up to the Under Armour Series.
The Rugby Championship – Round 1
Australia 34, New Zealand 54
South Africa 37, Argentina 15
Round 2 – Saturday, 26 August
New Zealand v Australia – Dunedin (08:35 BST)
Argentina v South Africa – Salta (18:30 BST)
Under Armour Series 2017 – BUY TICKETS HERE
WALES v AUSTRALIA – Saturday, 11 November 2017 (17:15)
WALES v GEORGIA – Saturday, 18 November 2017 (14:30)
WALES v NEW ZEALAND – Saturday, 25 November 2017 (17:15)
WALES v SOUTH AFRICA – Sat 2 December 2017 (14:30)
