All Blacks cling on to retain Bledisloe Cup in thriller

Desperately hanging on to a one-point lead as Australia threw wave after wave of attack at their line, the All Blacks have retained the Bledisloe Cup after a pulsating 39-37 win

The All Blacks scored six tries to five but the Wallabies pushed them all the way in a match

The match was played in front of a sold-out crowd at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne

The All Blacks were without several key players, including captain Sam Cane and star fly-half Beauden Barrett, but they showed great resilience to hold on for the win.

The Wallabies started strongly and took an early lead through a try from winger Marika Koroibete.

The All Blacks hit back with two tries of their own from hooker Codie Taylor and centre Rieko Ioane.

The Wallabies closed the gap to 14-12 at halftime with a try from scrum-half Tate McDermott.

The second half was a see-saw affair, with both teams trading tries.

The All Blacks eventually emerged victorious, but they had to dig deep to do so.

The win gives the All Blacks a 2-1 lead in the Bledisloe Cup series.

The two teams will meet again in Auckland on September 24.