Wallabies no longer just believe they can beat the All Blacks – they know it | Bret Harris

It was perhaps appropriate the Wallabies upset the All Blacks at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the very arena where Australian boxer Jeff Horn stunned Manny Pacquiao in July. The Wallabies and Horn both defeated world champions against the odds, but the comparisons do not end there.

The much-maligned Australian rugby team and the Brisbane school teacher believed in themselves when no one else gave them a chance. And they achieved victory with a performance that was built on spirit and heart as much, if not more, than talent.

The bloodied and bruised face of Wallabies captain Michael Hooper made him look as if he had gone 12 rounds with Pacquiao, a grim visage which reflected the commitment and determination of the whole Australian squad.

A first win over their trans-Tasman rivals in two years was an indicator of how far this team has come since their record 54-34 loss to New Zealand in the opening Bledisloe Test back in August. After trailing the All Blacks 40-6 at half-time in Sydney, the Wallabies have now out-scored the Kiwis 80 points to 67 in the ensuing 200 minutes of the Bledisloe Cup series.

From the moment the crowd of more than 40,000 at Suncorp Stadium gave a resounding “cooee” in response to the Indigenous Welcome to Country there was a feeling something was different about this game. The All Blacks dominated the majority of the first half but led only 13-12 at the break, perhaps playing a little too conservatively in the wet conditions.

It was the Wallabies who struck first with a runaway try to winger Reece Hodge in the sixth minute. Some will say intercept tries are down to luck, but that is nonsense. Hodge’s try was the result of the defensive pressure the Wallabies applied to the All Blacks and then capitalising on the Kiwis’ poor execution. Luck had nothing to do with it.

The Wallabies knew if they could put the All Blacks under enough pressure they would score points. That was the true value of Hodge’s try. And the confidence they gained was demonstrated when fullback Israel Folau scored in the 39th minute, the sort of try the All Blacks regularly score in the shadows of half-time.

The All Blacks gave it everything in the first 15 minutes of the second half, but they could not deliver the knock-out punch, a bit like Pacquiao in the ninth round against Horn. The Wallabies were not only still standing, but they were coming after the All Blacks, finishing as strong, if not stronger, in the last 20 minutes, a period of the game the Kiwis habitually dominate.

It was said that rugby league convert Marika Koroibete’s try in the left-hand corner in the 56th minute was the turning point for the Wallabies, but that score was really the culmination of pressure applied by the men in gold. And that pressure was felt most keenly in a key area of the game, the advantage line. The rule of thumb is that if you get across the advantage line 65% of the time, you will win more often than not. The Wallabies won the battle of the advantage line, restricting the All Blacks to an uncharacteristically low percentage.

Energetic Wallabies backrowers Jack Dempsey and Sean McMahon were outstanding in getting over the advantage line. There was one remarkable run by McMahon in the 68th minute, legs pumping and breaking out of three tackles, which epitomised the Australian attitude.

It was the footwork of the Wallabies forwards and the pace and skill of the backs that resulted in the All Blacks missing 28 tackles to just 11 by Australia, such a turnaround.

After a second long-range penalty goal by Hodge, the Wallabies led 23-18 with three minutes to go, but after the All Blacks’ great escape in Dunedin Australian champagne remained on ice. The corks were soon popped, though, and the Wallabies celebrated as if they had won the World Cup. Still, they will need to get their feet back on the ground quickly. After all, it was only their second win against the All Blacks in 19 Tests.

New Zealand will re-group. They were missing some big names – Beauden Barrett, Ben Smith and Brodie Retallick – who will make a difference when they return. But the Wallabies no longer just believe they can beat the All Blacks, they know it. And knowledge is power, which could launch this Australian team to a shot at the world title, just like a certain boxer.