Harsh refereeing costs Wallabies win and masks All Blacks’ weaknesses

Certain things in rugby union never seem to change. Australia have not hoisted the Bledisloe Cup since 2003 and their breathless 39-37 defeat to New Zealand in Melbourne on Thursday has extended that sequence. The difference on this occasion was the unique manner victory was ripped from the Wallabies’ grasp, courtesy of one of the more dramatic refereeing interventions in the history of the fixture.

Leading by a couple of points with a penalty kick to touch from close to their own line, any team in the world would have taken their time and checked whether their bootlaces were securely tied. On this occasion, though, the time bandits were rumbled. Having awarded Australia a turnover penalty with the game clock showing 78 minutes and 25 seconds, the French referee, Mathieu Raynal, changed his mind and gave a New Zealand scrum with the timer by now showing 79:04.

Is 39 seconds an unreasonable delay? Could Monsieur Raynal have not simply added on a little more time rather than taking the nuclear option, from which the All Blacks duly scored through Jordie Barrett in the right corner?

Even the similarly initialled John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps could not match this late twist. Or as the Australian captain, James Slipper, put it: “That was probably the most gutting way to finish a game.”

Of course World Rugby want to speed up the game. Raynal had shouted “We play” on a couple of occasions as Bernard Foley waited for his pack to break from their tactical huddle behind him. The New Zealand coach, Ian Foster, called it “clear-cut”. Either way it felt mighty harsh in the context of Australia’s fine fightback from 31-13 down and has set a major precedent.

It also obscured that the All Blacks remain distinctly mortal. Yes, they