Dominic Burke
The Courier-Mail
November 18, 2013 11:45AM


THE ALL BLACKS ARE - JUST ABOUT - PERFECT

Thirteen is unlucky for some - just not the incredible All Blacks. The world champions moved one giant step closer to the first perfect year in professional rugby history with a 30-22 triumph - their 13th victory from as many Tests in 2013 - at Twickenham against the English outfit that had ended their unbeaten year almost exactly 12 months ago. It wasn't easy for the All Blacks, with the home side overturning an early 14-point deficit to lead 22-20 inside the final quarter. But Steve Hansen's men weren't to be denied, again, and New Zealand's class prevailed in the end. They can surely expect a tougher showing from Ireland in Dublin this weekend than Paul O'Connell's out-of-sorts outfit managed against the Wallabies. But the men in green have never beaten the All Blacks - and it's hard to see them preventing perfection.


ENGLAND IS TOUGH TO BEAT AT HOME

While New Zealand was rightly lauded after the Twickenham triumph, it would be remiss not to pay the hosts some credit as well. After a slow start saw them fall 17-3 behind, England woke up to have a real crack at the All Blacks. The home side was aggressive and put New Zealand under all sorts of pressure, only to see it unravel in the final 20 minutes. But for a team missing big guns like Manu Tuilagi and Alex Corbisiero, there was a lot to like about the England effort. Indeed coach Stuart Lancaster hailed the performance as his side's best of the November Test schedule, outshining earlier wins against Australia and Argentina. The English look a particularly tough nut to crack at home which, given that's where the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be played, bodes well for their future.



READ ALL ABOUT IT, NEW ZEALAND NO. 8 IS NO. 1

Kieran Read - what a player, what an incredible 12 months. If anyone was wondering why the All Blacks No. 8 is regarded as the frontrunner to take out the IRB player of the year award, he showed them with a typical all-round effort at the weekend. Read's offload for Julian Savea's opening try against England at Twickenham was just about unbelievable - that is if he hadn't already proved he can work miracles in seemingly impossible situations earlier this year. He was then on hand to showcase his finishing abilities, running on to an Israel Dagg pass for his sixth try of 2013 and got through his usual mountain of work for the all-conquering All Blacks. Not even a 10-minute stint in the sin bin could detract from yet another powerhouse display from the champion back-rower, surely the best player in the world right now.



BIG MEN HAVE GOT SKILLS, TOO

Kieran Read wasn't the only forward to step up as a silky-skilled ball-player at the weekend. While the All Black's assist for Julian Savea takes the cake, Wallabies Scott Fardy and Stephen Moore showed some passing proficiency of their own during Australia's win over Ireland. Moore got the ball rolling with a nice run and carry out wide, before slipping an around-the-corner offload to his winger Nick Cummins for the opening try of the match. Fardy went even better with a fantastic flick pass back infield that set Michael Hooper on the way to the tryline for his first Test five-pointer.




FOLAU CONTINUES TO REACH NEW HEIGHTS

Another game, another chance for Israel Folau to showcase his talents - most notably, this time, his incredible aerial prowess. At one point during Australia's clash with Ireland Fox Sports' former Wallaby commentator Rod Kafer described Folau as "unbeatable in the air", He followed up his statement by urging Quade Cooper to take advantage of an attacking scrum and hang a cross-field bomb on the opposition five-metre line for his fullback to attack. Unfortunately for Kafer, Cooper didn't heed his words - the Aussie No. 10 ran the ball himself, and sliced through Ireland's panicked defence to score his first Test try of 2013 - but Folau still had ample opportunities to soar. The highlight was a take from a midfield bomb when the one-time AFL player steamed in from the back, climbed on to the shoulders of Wallaby scrumhalf Will Genia and captured the ball in the most spectacular fashion - all while making it look positively routine. His work on the ground wasn't too bad, either. Folau had 10 runs for 85 metres with six tackles bust and three offloads. Two of those offloads might have put a teammate away, if they had been able to hang on to the ball. Folau can't quite do everything - yet.




WALLABY PACK DESERVES SOME CREDIT

Australia's attack is getting plenty of praise after running in 11 tries in the past two Tests, but skipper Ben Mowen wants the men up front to get some respect, too. And rightly so. It has been the forwards in the past two weeks that have set a platform for the Wallabies, allowing playmakers Will Genia, Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua to strut their stuff with plenty of front-foot ball. An impressive display against renowned scrummagers Italy was backed up with an even better effort against the physical Irish at Aviva Stadium, even when the pack was down to seven men towards the end of the game. A try from a rolling maul was the icing on the cake for the Wallaby forwards, who continue to improve even at the back end of an arduous year. And let's not forget they're doing it without back-row stars David Pocock, Wycliff Palu and Scott Higginbotham.



PUMAS DESPERATELY NEED A VICTORY

The upcoming clash with Italy has taken on extra significance for an Argentina side that continues to slide in 2013. While there were signs of a team on the verge of taking a big scalp during The Rugby Championship - there were narrow losses to South Africa and Australia and spirited showings against the All Blacks - the cold, hard facts are that the South Americans have lost eight straight Tests. The most recent was a 40-6 thrashing by Wales, a side they beat this time last year. Argentina signs off on a horror year against an Azzurri outfit that bounced back from a 50-20 hiding by the Wallabies to hold off fast-finishing Fiji in a 37-31 triumph. It won't be easy, but Los Pumas need a win.


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