OPINION: Newshub sports producer Brad Lewis breaks down the All Blacks' performance at Eden Park in Auckland, where they beat Australia 40-12.
- Beauden Barrett bags four tries as All Blacks thump Wallabies
- All Blacks vs Wallabies - as it happened
15. Jordie Barrett - 6
Solid effort from Jordie. Didn't make the impact Ben Smith made last week but didn't need to, given the stellar performances from others around him.
14. Ben Smith - 9
Near perfect from 'Bender'. He could play at flanker and still make a significant impact. Was simply superb under the high-ball and often in and around everything the All Blacks did well.
13. Jack Goodhue - 7
Not the impact of last week, but was super effective and generally made good decisions. Guilty of a couple of poor passes in the first half but shook them off well and got involved heavily throughout his stay.
12.Ngani Laumape - 8
Was anxious in the early stages but came on strong as the game developed. Kurtley Beale stuck to him like glue for the first 20 minutes, but eventually Laumape wore him down. Had a very good second half, justifying his selection.
11.Waisake Naholo - 9
Really coming into his own now and is firmly cemented as the number one number 14 despite playing on the left last night. Missed out on a try when Laumape's pass was ruled forward, but he was dangerous throughout and a key cog to the ABs' backline attack.
10. Beauden Barrett - 10
Wow. Guess we now know what Steve Hansen meant by playing behind a Rolls Royce forward pack. Even without the four tries that was a 10 out of 10 effort from Barrett. His general play, kicking game and decision-making was as on-point as it ever has been. I'm a big Richie Mo'unga fan, but he has a long wait before Barrett gives up the 10 jersey.
9. Aaron Smith - 6
Similar to last week for the All Blacks halfback. Didn't do much wrong but probably could have injected himself a bit more. Passing was crisp, as it always is, but his running game isn't quite on-point at the moment.
8. Kieran Read - 7
Strong in contact last night. Exceptional at clean-out at the breakdown, but turned the ball over a couple of times with loose carries. Always a good lineout option and proved that again last night. Read is slowly returning to his best form.
7. Sam Cane - 8
Just an absolute man-beast on defence. Cane is having a great season in the black number seven jersey and backed that up again against the Wallabies. Still not creating enough turnover ball, but that's not his game. Suffered a head knock with 25 to go.
6. Liam Squire - 6
Rocks and diamonds. Proving to be a bit of liability re discipline, but is an absolute savage on defence. He scored a second-half try before being replaced by Scott Barrett. Felt he wanted to make an impact last night but may have been a little too excited.
5. Sam Whitelock - 7
No-frills performance from Whitelock, but played the mistake-free rugby that makes him one of the best locks in world rugby. Tackled his heart out last night and got more involved with ball in hand than last week. Superb at lineout time again.
4. Brodie Retallick - 10
Another sublime test match from Retallick. Won two turnovers that led to All Black tries and stopped a promising Wallaby lineout drive with some great defensive work. Has the ball skills of a silky second five-eighth as he proved in slotting Squire through a gaping hole. Retallick makes this side almost unbeatable - he is that good.
3. Owen Franks - 7
Congrats to Franks on 100 tests - a wonderful achievement. Played well but the All Black scrum struggled to establish itself as the Wallabies showed up at set-piece this week.
2. Codie Taylor - 7
Taylor is 'Mr Dependable' with Coles on the sidelines. Taylor was solid but not spectacular last night. Lost his first throw before settling down and he showed his ability with ball in hand, displaying some slick passing skills on All Blacks counter attacks.
1. Joe Moody - 5
Not his best test. Pinged four times in two minutes for collapsing the scrum. Moody seems to be struggling in 2018. That's just my opinion, but he has been fairly average in four of five tests this season. Karl Tu'inukuafe has made a noticeable impact every time he has replaced Moody both in the scrum and in general play.
RESERVES
16. Nathan Harris - 7
The Chiefs hooker played to a high standard when he came onto the field. Tackled well and picked up a couple of handy turnovers on defence.
17. Karl Tu'inukuafe - 8
The big man was excellent again. Goes looking for the ball, which I like from tight forwards, but he is also a very powerful scrummager. He played his best test last night in a 35-minute outing.
18. Ofa Tuungafasi - 6
It was a quiet night for the prop, but much like Tu'inukuafe, he gives nothing away when replacing the more experienced and established starter. He's developing well as a test player.
19. Scott Barrett - 6
Introduced again as a replacement for Squire and I think we may see him start there in the very near future. He's learning about his new role on the fly but Barrett is a talented ball-playing forward, and he showed that again last night. Adds tremendous depth to a stacked ABs bench.
20. Ardie Savea - 7
The Hurricanes flanker made a nice cameo off the bench. He snared a couple of turnovers including one that led to a Beauden Barrett no try. Savea probably deserves an opportunity to start at test level, but this impact role suits him perfectly.
21. TJ Perenara - 7
Maybe the first time he has improved the All Blacks back play when replacing Aaron Smith. Looked energetic and was happy to mix his running, passing and kicking game up nicely. Will likely get a start in one of the next two tests.
22.Damian McKenzie - 7
When does this man ever not impress? I said it last week, but I believe by the end of 2018, McKenzie will be the best bench/impact player on the planet. His speed is just ridiculous.
23. Anton Lienert-Brown - 6
Did nothing after replacing Goodhue late in the piece.
Brad Lewis is a Newshub sports producer.
