Australia’s 30-6 win in Brisbane may not have been the best Test match in recent years, but both sides will have taken a lot out of the match.
For Australia, Karmichael Hunt and Brent Tate showed that selectors did well to show them loyalty but other players failed to step up to the next level.
Jamie Lyon was a non factor, Justin Hodges was average and Anothony Toupou only played in the last 20 minutes.
In the halves Darren Lockyer and Jonathon Thurston struggled to strike up a good combination. It was only late in the game when Thurston took a more active and dominant role in the attack that Australia started to look like they could score at will.
For New Zealand, it seems a lack of coaching hurt the side with some ridiculous decisions made in regards to their attacking structure.
Halves Roberts and Marshall struggled with the attacking strategy and the Kiwi attack seemed to be shuffling from sideline to sideline rather than heading straight up field.
Sonny Bill Williams had a terrible game and Dean Halatau was a non factor at hooker as New Zealand lacked any sort of attack around the ruck area.
Both teams however will have learned a lot after this game.
Both know what works, and what doesnt now and it will be interesting to see the adjustments made to both teams in the lead up to the World Cup.
I think New Zealand needs to straighten up their attack, get Terrance Seu Seu in at hooker, play Roberts and Marshall in a tradisition halves set up and get Roberts to give Marshall more time with the ball.
For Australia I think its time to allow Thurston to dominate the playmaking for the side. Lockyer is a great player, one of the best every, and he will be able to continue to dominate the opposition working off the back of Thurston who showed he can reproduce his untochable form at club level in the Test arena if give the chance.
