An astonishing 79th minute try was enough to give a determined Kiwis side a 16-12 win over a shattered Kangaroos outfit at Suncorp Stadium.
In a try that wowed many fans at both the ground and at home, the move was finished off by Nathan Fien who scored off a over-the-head Benji Marshall pass.
The try was filled with controversy however as in the lead-up, Jason Nightingale offloaded a suspect ball, but the video ref can’t rule on forward passes, and the try stood.
The Kiwis have certainly used their quota of get-out-of-jail-free cards, after another spirited comeback, that is sure to bring back memories for New Zealand of their similar win at the same ground in 2008.
Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens acknowledged that his side just couldn’t match it, and he was humble after their defeat.
“We had our chances, but we made a couple of simple errors as well,” he said.
“It came down to the last play for them and they came up with a great play.
“We’ve now got 12 months before we get another shot at them.”
Australia’s first try was also marred in controversy after replays indicated that Brett Morris was over the sideline when he passed the ball infield for Tate to score.
Despite showing their physical prowess for the first 30 minutes of the game, the Australian side just couldn’t convert it into points.
Fights exploded at several different times with an off-the-ball incident between Greg Bird and Jeremy Smith taking away some of the spotlight.
It was Benji Marshall that proved the difference however after he erupted in the second half, and proved the differnet between the two sides.
To cap off the Aussies heart-breaking loss, both Brent Tate and Luke Lewis suffered injuries forcing them from the field.