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New Zealand's All Blacks eased a public crisis of confidence on the weekend when they beat Australia 26-12 to win rugby's Tri-Nations title.

Until Saturday's match at Eden Park, New Zealand had appeared to struggle under the weight of favoritism for this year's Rugby World Cup in France, after a series of lackluster performances.

New Zealand had chosen as it's Cup credo "Believe in Black" but the belief of the public in the All Blacks' Cup buildup had been damaged by their team's unconvincing form, most recently a 20-15 loss to Australia in Melbourne.

Saturday's test was the last for both New Zealand and Australia before the World Cup, now six weeks away, and both sides took some heart from their performances. New Zealanders, particularly, celebrated a win, which secured the Tri-Nations trophy and Bledisloe Cup and extended the All Blacks' Eden Park dominance of the Wallabies to 22 years.

Wet conditions ended any hope that the expansive running and passing game of the first encounter would be repeated.

The first half degenerated into a physical forward struggle which got worse in a second half in which New Zealand eventually gained control.

"We got better as the game went on," All Blacks coach Graham Henry said. "It was a very tough first half in difficult conditions. We were more patient in the game we were trying to play (in the second half)."

Points came exclusively from goalkicks until the 59th minute when All Blacks prop Tony Woodcock dived over the Wallabies line inches from the right-hand corner flag. The try was Woodcock's second in test rugby and his second in consecutive matches against Australia.

Daniel Carter provided the remainder of New Zealand's points: seven penalties. Stirling Mortlock kicked three penalties from three attempts for the Wallabies and Matt Giteau landed a wobbly, 48-meter dropped goal - his first in test rugby - for an early 6-3 lead.
The Wallabies dominated possession and territory in the first half, testing the All Blacks with high kicks and blindside raids, but were unable to breach steely defense.

Previously, perceptions had been growing in New Zealand that the All Blacks' Cup preparation had been mismanaged. Top players, dubbed the "Cotton Wool Club," had been rested from top-level rugby and their sub-par performances in six tests this season suggested they were suffering from a lack of match play.

The All Blacks backs' woes - in particular, their inability to take try-scoring chances - were not resolved in Saturday's stormy conditions.

New Zealand's scrum was again dominant, but its lineout wavered under attack from determined Wallaby locks Dan Vickerman and Nathan Sharpe.

"We have to give the All Blacks credit tonight. They were too good," conceded Australian captain Stirling Mortlock.

Counterpart Richie McCaw said his side's dual trophy wins were satisfying, but described the performance as "patchy".

(China Daily 07/23/2007 page 11)

Vocabulary:

All Blacks：新西兰橄榄球队

lackluster：单调的；枯燥乏味的

the Wallabies：澳大利亚橄榄球队

prop：支柱前锋

sub-par：不达标的

Questions:

1. What two trophies did the All Blacks win with their single victory over the Wallabies?

2. Aside from Tony Woodcock's try, who scored the remaining points for the All Blacks?

Answers:

1. The Tri-Nations trophy and the Bledisloe Cup.

2. Daniel Carter.

（英语点津 Linda 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Suzann Riddle is a senior double majoring in Health Care Management and Economics at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. She finds herself at China Daily Website after visiting many areas of China as a Holland Fellow, Appalachian's international exchange program with Fudan University.