They may have denied New Zealand a record 18th successive Test win on Saturday but Australia head coach Ewen McKenzie took little consolation from his side’s draw in Sydney.
Played in miserable conditions in the Australian capital, both sides struggled to settle and there was little to separate two error-strewn performances.
That the game ended a 12-12 draw is a mark of the progress the Wallabies have made under McKenzie, having lost his first three games against the all-conquering All Blacks – who host the British & Irish Lions in 2017.
But with his side still needing two victories to regain the Bledisloe Cup, and a daunting trip to Eden Park where they haven’t won since 1986, McKenzie knows the job is not yet done.
“We wanted to win the game. All our preparation is about winning. We don’t go out there to have draws … it’s a bit of a hollow outcome,” he said.
“There is some good stuff we can take out of it, and it wasn't a loss; but we are out there to try and win games.
“The conditions were a bit of a leveller out there but I thought we were in the game the whole way. Last
year we narrowed the scoreline but we haven't beaten them. For us to win the Bledisloe you've got to win two games. The formula for us, and the equation hasn't changed.”
