The All Blacks locked up the Bledisloe Cup for the 18th straight season after a record-breaking 43-5 win over the Wallabies in the third test on Saturday night.
The 38-point losing margin made it the worst loss to New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup’s 117-year history.
After the Aussies pushed the All Blacks in the two tests in New Zealand, there were signs the Wallabies of old were gone, but Saturday's loss hasn't stopped Australian media from scathing their national side.
Julian Linden - The Daily Telegraph
"There’s just no way anyone should sugar-coat that debacle.
"The Wallabies 43-5 loss to New Zealand at ANZ Stadium - Australia's heaviest defeat to the All Blacks in 117 years - was as ugly as the scoreboard suggests.
"In a year where the world has been turned upside down and the impossible has become the norm - one horrible truth remains unchanged.
"The Wallabies are still no match for the All Blacks when the pressure cooker atmosphere of the Bledisloe Cup gets turned up to the full blast.
"For all the buzz and hype about the next generation of young players that are coming through, Saturday's 38-point flogging was a humiliating reminder of what happens when you pit boys against men."
Tom Decent - Sydney Morning Herald
"We were led to believe this was a different Wallabies side under a new regime but old habits die hard and the gloss has been washed away from a draw in Wellington three weeks ago.
"[Coach Dave] Rennie was cut some slack after a 20-point Eden Park loss but this lacklustre 43-5 defeat, in front of a mediocre crowd of 25,689 fans at ANZ Stadium, was insipid in more ways than one.
"The six-tries-to-one thrashing will go down as Australia’s darkest night against the Kiwis, topping the 43-6 defeat in Wellington in 1996. Talk about a turnaround from last year’s 47-26 triumph in Perth."
Wayne Smith - The Australian
"Until last night, the test at Athletic Park in 1996 had stood as the nadir of Bledisloe competition. But that 43-6 scoreline that day was just eclipsed at the Olympic stadium tonight as New Zealand blitzed the Wallabies six tries to one to win 43-5.
"Every member of the NZ side played his role in the triumph, but none more so than the playmaker, five-eighth Richie Mo'unga who orchestrated his team brilliantly, contributing two tries himself to the record tally, while also making a nonsense of the wet conditions to land five conversions from six attempts, plus a penalty goal.
"It was a sublime performance from a man who still is yet to convince all of New Zealand that he deserves to wear the 10 jersey ahead of Beauden Barrett."
Nick Mulvenney - Reuters
"New Zealand served up a Halloween nightmare for an inexperienced Wallabies side by romping to a record 43-5 victory in the Tri-Nations opener on Saturday and claiming the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year.
"The Wallabies had gone into the first Test on Australian soil this year with hopes high but Dave Rennie’s inexperienced side made too many errors and were ruthlessly punished for them.
"The loss combined with a 16-16 draw and a 27-7 defeat in New Zealand earlier this month handed the All Blacks the Bledisloe Cup with next week’s fourth test in Brisbane to spare."
Join us next Saturday for live updates of the fourth All Blacks v Australia Bledisloe Cup clash.
