New Zealand surged home to steal a 23-22 win over Australia and finish the Tri-Nations series unbeaten at the Sydney Olympic stadium yesterday.

The All Blacks trailed 22-9 but converted tries by skipper Richie McCaw and number eight Kieran Read secured their 10th consecutive victory over the Wallabies and their 15th straight win against allcomers.

The Wallabies, coming off their last-gasp 41-39 win over the Springboks in Bloemfontein last weekend, looked poised for their first win over the All Blacks since 2008, but they could not withstand the intensity in the decisive final minutes.

Australia led 14-6 at half-time and were 13 points in front after winning most of the battles against the world’s number one team, but the physical effort of three consecutive weeks of Test matches took its toll.

The All Blacks’ triumph was a great tonic for their country after last weekend’s Christchurch quake, New Zealand’s biggest in decades, left an estimated 100,000 buildings damaged, even though nobody was killed.

New Zealand had already clinched the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup for an eighth straight year after winning 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch earlier in the season.

Scrum-half Piri Weepu’s goalkicking was the difference as he landed three penalties and two conversions, while Wallaby Matt Giteau could only score with three of his seven kicks before he was replaced by Kurtley Beale.

Final Table
New Zealand (6-0-0) 27; Australia (2-0-4) 11; South Africa (1-0-5) 7.

Note: Four points for win, two for draw, one for losing by less than eight points or for scoring at least four tries in a game.