All Blacks crash in Sydney
Australia moved top of the Tri-Nations with a 34-19 victory over the All Blacks at Sydney's Olympic Stadium.
Last Updated: 26/07/08 3:07pm
Australia ran in four tries during a 34-19 victory over the All Blacks in Saturday's Tri-Nations match in Sydney.
Ryan Cross, Peter Hynes, Rocky Elsom and James Horwill touched down, and Matt Giteau added 14 points with the boot, to help the Wallabies claim their first win in a Bledisloe Cup fixture since 2002.
The result also moves Australia top of the Tri-Nations standings and stretches their unbeaten record under coach Robbie Deans to five matches.
It was particularly sweet for Kiwi Deans, who became the Wallabies' first foreign coach after the New Zealand Rugby Union opted to retain the services of Graham Henry despite their quarter-final exit at the 2007 World Cup.
Deans won five Super 12/14 titles while in charge of the Canterbury Crusaders and applied last year to become All Blacks coach, but the NZRU opted instead to renew Henry's contract.
New Zealand were left to rue an error-strewn display during which they controlled possession - particularly in the first-half - but failed to turn that dominance into points.
The visitors did manage first-half tries from Mils Muliaina and Andrew Hore to stay in touch.
And they briefly led when Andy Ellis added a third in the 45th minute before being over-run in the last half-hour when Elsom and Horwill cashed in on some tired defending to complete a home win.
High tackle
Australia took full advantage of New Zealand lock Brad Thorn's sixth-minute sin-binning for a high tackle on fly-half Giteau to race into a 10-0 lead.
Giteau landed the penalty following Thorn's indiscretion and, four minutes later, threw the final pass for Cross to score the opening try.
The outside centre, who was making his first international start after converting from rugby league, went over untouched after the ball was quickly spun left after Lote Tuqiri's initial break left the defence short-staffed.
Full-back Muliaina counter-attacked from inside his own half to get the All Blacks' opening try on 24 minutes.
But the hosts quickly responded, winger Hynes won the foot race to touch down Adam Ashley-Cooper's hack downfield and Giteau's conversion extended their lead to 12 points.
That was trimmed to five at half-time by visiting hooker Hore, who beat three defenders to score following a quick tap.
Ellis try
And New Zealand led for the first time four minutes after the interval when scrum-half Ellis burrowed over from close range after fly-half Carter - on the occasion of his 50th cap - broke the defence.
Flanker Elsom galloped through a gaping hole to cross near the posts on 55 minutes and Giteau again added the additional two points to restore Australia's supremacy.
New Zealand appeared unlucky not to be awarded a penalty try when Cross pulled down Sitiveni Sivivatu to deny the winger what looked a certain score, but thereafter the Wallabies dominated the final quarter.
Giteau provided an eight-point buffer with a drop-goal on 67 minutes and lock Horwill iced the result and secured a bonus point by galloping over six minutes from time.
New Zealand have the opportunity for revenge when the sides meet again in Auckland next Saturday (Aug 2).