All Blacks beat Wales at Millennium Stadium 2009...

The All Blacks take on Wales at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in the start of their northern hemisphere campaign. All Blacks beat Wales. Wales claim refs intimidated by All Blacks. All Blacks more desperate in win over Wales Brad Thorn at the top of his game. Relevant offers

Drama. Passion. Intensity. And a hell of a finish. This was one test match that lived up to its billing as the All Blacks had to dig deep to continue their stranglehold over Wales at the Millennium Stadium today.

Warren Gatland's Wales couldn't quite manage the upset their coach had suggested was on the cards this week, but they gave it one heck of a try, taking the All Blacks to the brink as they held on for a 19-12 victory that preserves their 56-year, 21-test winning streak against this proud rugby nation.

But you have to say if the Welsh keep turning up with this sort of attitude and aptitude, surely their day will come sooner rather than later.

And this time they even hung in the contest in the second half as the All Blacks, playing much to the script of last year's similarly stirring encounter, took their game up a gear after halftime to wrest control of a contest that had looked to be slipping from their grasp.

In fact, with the match winding down into its final minutes, the Welsh had looked as though they might have snatched a dramatic draw, when big lock Alun-Wyn Jones snaffled a Jimmy Cowan pass and dashed off 60 metres upfield in a run that nearly lifted the roof off this magnificent packed stadium.

He was eventually hauled in by Zac Guildford, who had a fine test debut, and the All Blacks were able to scramble back on defence and avert the crisis.

Still, they spent the last couple of minutes in batten-down-the-hatches mode as the Welsh camped in their red zone. Alas there was to be no late try to snatch, if not a famous victory, a probably meritorious draw.

The All Blacks hung on and banked the win to keep their seven year unbeaten run in these autumn internationals intact, but boy did they know they had been in a test match by the final whistle.

Big Brad Thorn, that ageless wonder, had a magnificent match for the All Blacks as he once again turned back the clock, and behind him the black pack took their game to the level they needed to in the second spell. Hooker Andrew Hore also toiled mightily.

Conrad Smith and Guildford were probably the pick of the backs, though Mils Muliaina had one of his better matches of the year at the back. Still, it was to Wales' immense credit that they kept the New Zealanders to just the single try as they attacked them with a venom in the second half.

Three times the New Zealanders looked to have crossed the line in the second spell, and three times the TMO ruled that desperate Welsh defence had denied them. It was magnificent stuff.

Ad Feedback Wales gave it their best shot, all right, and in the end were worthy of their coach's brave words in the buildup. This is some team Gatland is building, and the canny Kiwi is right to talk them up.

And Graham Henry's All Blacks will also take some satisfaction in this rollercoaster year of theirs that they stared adversity in the face, and didn't blink.

It was a case of déjà-vu as another furious first-half effort from the Welsh had them well in this contest after 40 minutes, with the scores locked at 6-6 (two penalties apiece) and Gatland's men having very much the better of the opening skirmishes.

Of course a year ago the Welsh had led the All Blacks 9-6 at halftime at this very stadium, only to be outscored 23-0 over the second stanza. Would history repeat for a side desperate to end 56 years of test match agony at the hands of the New Zealanders?

You had to say by the break, the Welsh had set themselves up perfectly. They had managed to lure the All Blacks into a one-dimensional contest of kick-and-chase football that saw the New Zealanders unable to establish any continuity of possession.

With the home team, buoyed by the capacity crowd of 74,330 in full voice as per usual, clearly winning the possession battle - if not the breakdown one - it became a case of the All Blacks hanging in rather than dictating anything.

Instead it was the Welsh who looked the more likely with ball in hand and the All Blacks who were called on to make some big tackles against some promising attacking forays. To their credit, New Zealand's defence was as secure as it was severe, a succession of Welsh sorties halted in their tracks in furious fashion.

After Carter had edged the All Blacks in front with an early second-half penalty, hooker Hore drove across for the key try just past the quarter-hour mark.

It was classic Hore. The All Blacks had attacked the left flank and Thorn and Guildford had found some space, with Hore picking up off the deck and bulldozing over. Carter's conversion took the All Blacks out to 16-6, and it was then that they threatened to blow the game open.

But the Welsh held on. Somehow. Carter extended the lead to 13, then Stephen Jones slotted a couple of three-pointers himself to get his side back within striking distance.

That they couldn't quite get there should not detract from a fabulous Welsh effort. The coach can be proud of his men.

New Zealand 19 (Andrew Hore try; Dan Carter 4 pen, con)

Wales 12 (Stephen Jones 4 pen). Halftime: 6-6.

Monkey King wins 2009 New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway, Christchurch...

Favourite Monkey King won the $1 million New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington today, mounting a big late finish in the 3200m race.

The protest siren sounded moments after Monkey King roped in the pace-setting Australian Smoken Up close to home, then held the fast finishing Bettor's Strike off by a neck.

Monkey King posted the second-fastest time in the history of the Christchurch race. Smoken Up, which went clear at the turn, was provisionally third.

The protest was against Bettor's Strike, who may have interfered with second favourite Kiwi Ingenuity at the turn.

Australian pacers Smoken Up and Karloo Mick set much of the early running.

- NZPA

The Melbourne Cup great - The mighty Kiwi...

The Melbourne Cup:

Kiwi - one of the all time greats. The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major annual thoroughbred horse race. Billed as 'the race that stops a nation', it is for three-year-olds and over, and covers a distance of 3200 metres. The event has been held on the first Tuesday in November since 1861 by the Victoria Racing Club, at Flemington Park in Melbourne. It is generally regarded as the most prestigious "two-mile" handicap in the world.

The race was originally held over two miles, about 3,218 metres, but following Australia's adoption of the metric system in 1972 the current distance of 3200 metres was adopted. This reduced the distance by 61ft 6in, and Rain Lover's 1968 race record of 3min.19.1sec was accordingly adjusted to 3min.17.9sec. The present record holder is the 1990 winner Kingston Rule with a time of 3min 16.3sec.

New Zealand success:Since the race was first run; New Zealand-breds have won 41 Melbourne Cups starting in 1883 with Martini Henry. In recent years their success has been remarkable with NZ breds taking 28 of the past 50 Melbourne Cups.

Famous NZ-breds to land the famous race in recent years include Ethereal (2001), Might and Power (1997) and Doriemus (1995), all of whom also won Australia's famous Caulfield Cup.

However possibly the most famous New Zealand bred Melbourne Cup Winner was a horse named Kiwi. Kiwi was a race horse who in 1983 won the Wellington Cup and the Melbourne Cup.

Kiwi raced from 1980 to 1987, and he was purchased by Waverley sheep farmer Snow Lupton for only NZ$1000, originally to be used as a stock horse on the farm, and was never intended to be tried as a thoroughbred racing galloper.

Legend has it that as Kiwi proved to be a fast horse with plenty of stamina around the Lupton farm, Lupton was convinced by his friends to enter Kiwi in the Derby at nearby Wanganui, to see how he ran under race conditions. He instantly showed promise, especially over longer distances. He was an unknown quantity at the two mile distance when he was entered in the 1983 Wellington Cup, and won handily.

Despite having won over the two mile distance, he was still a distant long shot with the bookmakers and punters alike on race day, and started at 10/1. Yet he managed to come from last in the final straight to take the victory and capture the hearts of racing aficionados.

He was retired to the Lupton's farm.


Melbourne Cup Day Racing in New Zealand:

The first Tuesday in November is generally a day where even here in New Zealand the entire nation stops to watch the great race. This day is also known for office sweepstakes, and for many New Zealanders the one day of the year where they will venture down to the TAB to make an investment on the big race.

Domestically there are three thoroughbred meetings conducted on this day for the Auckland Racing Club at Ellerslie, the Wellington Racing Club at Trentham, and the Otago Racing Club at Wingatui. For the Otago Racing Club the day mirrors Flemington and has a glamorous image and a noticeable fashion theme highlighted by the 'Fashions on the Field' competition. The day is extremely popular with Otago businesses who utilize the event to entertain clients and staff.

All Blacks 22-16 - Wallabies blew it - lack of discipline...

The Wallabies blew it - big time. This was their best chance in ages to end the 23-year Eden Park hoodoo and once again they suffered from stage fright, squandering an early 10-point lead and wasting several massive opportunities to put the All Blacks away.


The Wallabies cannot blame anyone but themselves for once again leaving Auckland with nothing when they had many chances to get well ahead of a committed but far from impressive New Zealand outfit, only to constantly lose possession in the opposition quarter.

Gift tries were missed through wrong back-line options and nearly every time they found themselves with the upper hand in the All Blacks' quarter someone in the Australian team would lose the ball at the breakdown. Good lead-up work was over and over again ruined by the Wallabies' inability to maintain the pressure.

For the upteenth time since 1986, the Wallabies showed they are not yet mentally up to beating the All Blacks on home soil. They are too easily intimidated. The skills and fitness have improved in the past year but the killer instinct is not there.

And, most importantly, the Wallabies cannot match the All Blacks in keeping their composure or momentum, especially in the second half when the home team picked up the pace. As usual, the Wallabies had great moments but then fluffed their lines at the crucial time.

One of the few Wallabies who did stand up to the tension was fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper, but too many others in the green and gold didn't.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans and his players tried to remain upbeat after the game, but the pain was obvious.

"We didn't take the opportunities and we enabled the All Blacks to play conservative and grind it out," Deans said. "It is frustrating to finish short."

Adding to the pain was that the Wallabies began the Test in spectacular fashion when inside-centre Berrick Barnes showed his deft skills by bluffing the All Blacks defence with a smart weave and a sneaky dummy pass, which opened the way for him to score the opening try in just the fourth minute.

Sadly, the Wallabies were unable to take full advantage of the excellent start. A critical moment occurred in the 17th minute when Barnes had the chance to put Stirling Mortlock into a gap - the captain was charging in on an acute angle - or to throw wide to winger Drew Mitchell, who had no one in front of him.

An Australian try appeared certain, and with it a 14-point lead, but Barnes took the wrong option of going himself and was swamped before throwing a high pass to George Smith, which crashed into his head. The moment was lost. And moments like these win Test matches.

As Barnes said last night: "If I had my time again, I would have passed it."

Another bad moment for Australia came just before half-time when they were unable to sustain the pressure and - after finding themselves perched on the All Blacks' line - lost possession. Again another try-scoring opportunity was wasted.

Nonetheless, the Wallabies kept their composure for most of the first half and were deserving 13-10 leaders at the break after a fast, entertaining and dramatic session.

All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen admitted it took time for his side to adjust to the wet and windy weather.

"I think the slow start came down to the conditions," Hansen said. "We didn't really master the conditions that well and we allowed ourselves to be put under pressure at lineout time."

As expected, the breakdown tussle was intense, with Australia having the early ascendancy until All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, who was not sighted in the opening quarter, found his legs and broke the Wallabies defence in the 23rd minute, scoring from a precise pass from outside-centre Conrad Smith.

The South African referee, Craig Joubert, was - as expected - extremely jittery and appeared obsessed in keeping control by repeatedly penalising both sides.

For much of the the second half, Joubert continued to irritate both teams by finding fault with them and the the game degenerated into a penalty goal shoot-out between Giteau and Stephen Donald. At times the Wallabies had no idea why Joubert found fault with tight-head prop Al Baxter at scrum time. But they were also their own worst enemies, repeatedly losing possession in the All Blacks quarter.

NEW ZEALAND 22 (Richard McCaw try Stephen Donald con 5 pens)

AUSTRALIA 16 (Berrick Barnes try Matt Giteau con 3 pens)