Nine wins in a row for New Zealand

New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup and moved closer to reclaiming the Tri-Nations title from South Africa when it beat Australia 20-10 in a hard-fought rugby test on Saturday.

The All Blacks' defense shone in a second half in which its only points came from a Dan Carter penalty after it had led 17-10 and by two tries to one at halftime.

Fullback Mils Muliaina and center Conrad Smith scored first-half tries for New Zealand, which posted its fourth consecutive win in this season's Tri-Nations series and its ninth straight win over Australia, surpassing a 60-year-old record.

Australia scored a first-half try through fullback Kurtley Beale and pressed New Zealand strongly throughout the match but was unable to snap an historic losing sequence.