Certain things in rugby union never seem to change. Australia have not hoisted the Bledisloe Cup since 2003 and their breathless 39-37 defeat by 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 three 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.
