New Zealand secured the Bledisloe Cup with a clinical 57-22 win over Australia at Eden Park to start the Rugby Championship in style.
The All Blacks made it 19 Bledisloe wins in a row over their Trans-Tasman rivals by running in eight tries to record their highest points total against the Wallabies at home.
Hooker Codie Taylor crossed twice, with Rieko Ioane, Brodie Retallick, Ardie Savea, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and David Havili also running in tries to earn a bonus point for Ian Foster’s side.
Australian winger Andrew Kellaway scored two tries with lively scrum-half Tate McDermott sniping over for another, but it was not enough to keep the series alive.
New Zealand only won last week’s first encounter 33-25 and were just 21-15 ahead at half-time before running out comfortable winners ahead of the third match between the two sides in two weeks’ time.
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Ioane intercepted Noah Lolesio’s pass and ran 70 metres to open the scoring in the fifth minute before the fly-half made amends by chipping to Kellaway who jinked inside Damian McKenzie and crossed the whitewash in reply.
The returning Retallick put the finishing touches on an incredible team move as he dived under the sticks after steaming in from 20 metres out before a Lolesio penalty narrowed the gap until Savea scored to stretch the lead to 21-8.
McDermott scored and Lolesio converted with the clock in the red and Australia carried the momentum into the second half with Savea sent to the sin bin for infringing in the red zone.
But New Zealand were unaffected, scoring two tries in his absence plus a monster McKensie penalty to go to 31-15 up.
Sevu Reece mirrored Ioane by plucking another Lolesio pass out of the sky, before two more tries quickly followed.
Kellaway crossed again to stem the flow but Havili dotted down with the clock in the red to put some serious gloss on the scoreline.
The free-scoring All Blacks will head to the Northern Hemisphere in October to face Six Nations winners Wales, Italy, Ireland and France.
Australia will also tour Europe with fixtures against Scotland, England and Wales.
