Winger Waisake Naholo scored two tries and Beauden Barrett enjoyed a stellar return to form as New Zealand comfortably defeated Australia 38-13 in the Rugby Championship opener in Sydney on Saturday.
Trailing 6-5 at the break due to some dogged Wallabies defence, the All Blacks notched a record second half points tally against Australia in a six-try masterclass of running rugby at Olympic stadium.
Naholo played a huge part in the All Blacks' 13th successive win in the southern hemisphere tournament, grabbing a late pair of tries in two minutes.
The Fijian-born winger also sparked their second half onslaught by setting up their second try through Jack Goodhue before putting Wallabies full-back Israel Folau out of the game with a mid-air clash near the hour-mark.
Aaron Smith grabbed the All Blacks' first try late in the first half, with Barrett and Brodie Retallick also crossing after the break to bruise the Wallabies' confidence for a third successive Rugby Championship opener in Sydney.
The match also doubled as the first in the Bledisloe Cup, the annual series contested between the nations.
New Zealand have held the Cup since 2003 and the Wallabies will need to beat them at their Eden Park stronghold next week for the first time in 32 years to keep the series alive.
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Kolisi retains Boks captaincy as Whiteley and Etzebeth return for Rugby Championship
Richie Mo'unga's Crusaders heroics underline push to become New Zealand's No 10
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"You come to Sydney and you expect an explosion and we sort of got a different type of an explosion this time," All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said.
"We haven't done anything tonight other than get the right to put one hand on the (Bledisloe) Cup and we've got to go back next week, work hard and earn the right to put the other hand on it."
The Wallabies battled hard in the opening period, but their set pieces were a mess throughout and they were quick to buckle when put under pressure in the second half, gifting the All Blacks tries with a slew of turnovers.
Debutant back Jack Maddocks scored their sole try in the 66th minute but the match was all but decided by then.
World Player of the Year Barrett came in with queries over his form after a subdued finish to the Super Rugby season with the Wellington Hurricanes. But he responded with a masterful display only tempered by some errant kicking.
He manufactured the All Blacks' third try in the 51st minute with typical enterprise.
Swooping on a handling error by winger Dane Haylett-Petty at midfield, Barrett toed the ball forward three times in an exhilarating sprint before collecting it a metre from the line and diving over to put his side 17-6 up.
The wheels then fell off for the Wallabies, with Folau limping off 10 minutes later, having rolled his left ankle after landing from an aerial clash with Naholo.
Lock Brodie Retallick capitalised on the Wallabies' disarray, thundering over for the fourth try.
Naholo had earlier done the damage deep in defence, stripping the ball off fellow Fiji-born winger Marika Koroibete two minutes into the second half.
The tackle allowed the All Blacks to switch the ball wide and then quickly downfield to give outside centre Goodhue his maiden try.
"There's no lying down," said a deflated Wallabies coach Michael Cheika. "We've got to improve on what we brought today and go out there with the attitude that we're going to win."
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced
RIDE%20ON
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
