Australia snap 10-game losing streak against New Zealand to clinch Rugby Championship title

Replacement Nic White proved the unlikely hero as the Wallabies ended a 10-match losing run against the All Blacks to win the Rugby Championship title in Sydney on Saturday.

Australia celebrate with Nick White after he scored a try during The Rugby Championship match against New Zealand. Mark Kolbe / Getty Images

Replacement Nic White proved the unlikely hero as Australia ended a 10-match losing run against New Zealand to win the Rugby Championship title in Sydney on Saturday.

The Brumbies scrum-half scored a try and kicked a long-range penalty goal and a conversion in the final minutes to give Australia a 27-19 win before 73,824 fans at ANZ Stadium.

The Wallabies last beat the All Blacks 25-20 in Brisbane in 2011 on the way to winning the Tri-Nations.

In between the All Blacks stretched an unbeaten 10-game run which took in the previous coaching regimes of Robbie Deans and Ewen McKenzie.

But in Michael Cheika’s biggest win as the new coach, the Wallabies showed plenty of resolve to beat the world champions three tries to two, just a month out from the World Cup.

They trailed the All Blacks 6-3 at half-time, but controlled much of the second half and now have the chance in Auckland next weekend to win back the Bledisloe Cup they last held in 2002.

The Wallabies wasted a couple of scoring opportunities but could thank a desperate tackle from Michael Hooper for only trailing by three points at half-time.

Australia started promisingly pushing back the All Blacks in the first scrum and winning a couple of turnovers but they went a man down when prop Sekope Kepu was yellow carded for off-side as New Zealand pressed Australia’s try-line.

Dan Carter kicked the penalty but the Wallabies suffered no further damage during Kepu’s absence and levelled with a Matt Giteau penalty in the 27th minute in their first sustained period of attack.

Carter kept the All Blacks in front with a 40-metre penalty while Giteau’s second attempt came off an upright.

Israel Folau sliced through but was brought down by a last-ditch tackle from counterpart Ben Smith, only for the Wallabies to blow a try-scoring chance with Dean Mumm fumbling a poorly directed Nick Phipps in the next phase.

A thundering burst from prop Owen Franks put New Zealand on the attack on half-time but a great covering tackle by Hooper on winger Julian Savea saved the situation for the Wallabies.

Aaron Smith was sin-binned for a head-high tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper but the Wallabies hit the front through an unlikely source minutes later.

Tight-head prop Kepu steamed through Kieran Read’s tackle and another to score under the bar for Giteau to convert for a 10-6 lead.

Carter kicked the All Blacks to within a point with his third penalty to become the first player to raise 1,500 Test points.

Phipps capped a miserable night when he was sin-binned for a professional foul, tackling Conrad Smith in an off-side position off a quick tap kick to leave his team down a man at a critical time.

The All Blacks made the Wallabies pay when debut winger Nehe Milner-Skudder finished off a Ben Smith break to put New Zealand back in front two minutes later.

Replacement Matt Toomua made an immediate impact with a clever kick for Ashley-Cooper to regather and score in the right corner for Giteau to convert and a 17-14 lead.

Milner-Skudder retrieved the lead for the All Blacks with his second try, wrestling the ball over the try-line at the second attempt.

Replacement scrum-half White put the Wallabies ahead with a 47-metre penalty goal into the final 10 minutes.

White proved the hero when he broke two tackles close to the All Blacks line to dart over for Australia’s third try and kick the conversion for a 27-19 lead with eight minutes left.

The Test was All Blacks captain Richie McCaw’s 141st international, equalling the current world record held by Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll.

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