Defensive effort was key, says Smith

Australia's man-of-the-match George Smith was quick to praise the Wallabies defence after their 23-18 Tri-Nations victory over New Zealand in Sydney.

"The defensive effort in the last ten minutes was great" said Smith, who gave an immense effort himself to inspire his team to victory. "The crowd here helped - they gave us a huge lift."

Captain George Gregan also praised his team's defensive effort in the post-match interview.

"It was a typical Bledisloe Cup game, right down to the wire," said Gregan. "It was all about holding our line and maximising opportunities."

All Black captain Tana Umaga struggled to find the right words during his post-match interview.

When asked about the number of penalties given during the game, he paused for a long moment, then said: "I can't say much about the penalties, we'll just have to live with it. It's something for the coaches to take back on video and look at."

But he did remain upbeat about his side's title chances.

"We're still in the competition, we must just get a result in Johannesburg," he said. "If we want it, we'll have to get it there."