Wallabies retain Tri-Nations crown

Eales is mobbed by fans at the end of the game

Australia 29-26 New Zealand

Australia gave their retiring captain John Eales the perfect send-off with a last-gasp win over New Zealand to retain the Tri-Nations title.

Australian number eight Toutai Kefu piled over in the final minute and the try was converted to complete a pulsating 29-26 victory in Sydney.

It was a fitting finish to an amazing, thrilling match during which the initiative constantly changed between the two sides.

The Kiwis had looked to be heading for victory by scoring 17 points in the opening 11 minutes of the second half.

Australia's Smith runs at the Kiwi defence

But the home side fought back valiantly and were virtually camped inside the New Zealand 22 for the final quarter-of-an-hour.

Eales spurned the opportunity to kick easy penalties and urged his side forward in search of a crucial try.

It came within a minute of the final hooter when Matt Cockbain drove towards the posts before handing on to Kefu.

The Queensland Reds loose forward charged through five defenders to touch down with an outstretched arm before being engulfed by his jubilant team-mates.

It was a heartbreaking moment for New Zealand, who had struggled in the first half, going into the interval 19-6 down, but surged into the lead early in the second-half.

Eales proudly lifted the Tri-Nations trophy at the end of the match and there can be little doubt that he will be remembered as the greatest captain in the history of the game.

Yet victory had looked unlikely for the home side midway through the second period.

Pita Alatina had been the key for the Kiwis, beating the vain tackles of Stephen Larkham and Chris Latham before off-loading to Doug Howlett for New Zealand's first try within minutes of the re-start.

Wallaby hooker Rod Moore was then sin-binned before Alatini himself scored after Jonah Lomu evaded three tackles on a typically barnstorming run down the left wing.

New Zealand had been disappointing in the opening half.

New Zealand's Cribb runs past Eales

Their line-out was poor, Australia denied them the chance to spin the ball out wide and pinched it at the breakdown, with the inimitable George Smith in his element.

Andrew Mehrtens and Matthew Burke had swapped early penalties before Larkham imposed his authority on the game to set up a four-phase attack which culminated in a perfectly-weighted crossfield kick over the shoulder of Lomu.

Latham outjumped the giant wing and beat the despairing tackles of both Leon Macdonald and Taine Randall to score.

Again a sin-binning was the key, with Norm Maxwell yellow-carded for offside when it appeared the penalty ought to have been reversed for Michael Foley's punch.

Nevertheless, Australia piled on the pressure and scored 10 points while the All Blacks were short of men.

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Australia: Burke; Latham, Herbert, Grey, Roff; Larkham, Gregan; Kefu, Smith, Finegan, Eales (captain), Giffin, Moore, Foley, Stiles. Reserves: Cannon, Darwin, Cockbain, Waugh, Whitaker, Flatley, Walker.

New Zealand: MacDonald, Wilson, Umaga, Lomu, Alatini, Mehrtens, Kelleher, Cribb, Randell, Jack, Maxwell, Flavell, Somerville, Oliver (captain), Hoeft. Reserves: Hammett, Hayman, Cooksley, Holah, Marshall, Brown, Cullen.