Wellington (AFP)

A stadium with 31,000 unmasked spectators, trials, suspense and no winners: the All Blacks and their neighbors Wallabies offered a return with fanfare to international rugby, Sunday in Wellington, the first match (16-16) between two nations since seven months.

New Zealand is an archipelago.

Islands which have "again beaten the virus", announced its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday, thus lifting the restrictions ordered against the Covid-19 and allowing to organize a real party for the return of international rugby.

An archipelago where rugby is king and where it has symbolically resumed its rights, in front of the public, seven months after the last fight between two nations, the victory of Scotland against France (28-17) in the Tournament of Six nations 2020, March 8 in Edinburgh.

Before seeing the Europeans play again in this so special Tournament, which will end this fall with four matches still to be played, it is therefore the Southern hemisphere that has opened the ball.

All Blacks and Wallabies, each with a new coach at their head, had not played for a year and the World Cup in Japan at the end of 2019. Such a long wait to which is added a stormy context between the two nations, recently competing for the organization of the Rugby Championship.

And if in the end Australia won the organization of the Southern Tournament and will host, from October 31 to December 12, the world champion South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand, it has also almost won on New Zealand ground.

Because at the end of this breathtaking match, with two tries and two penalties on each side, kicker Reece Hodge, who entered the game, had the opportunity to offer the Australians a prestigious victory.

But his long-distance penalty finally found the post ... and offered ten minutes of "rabe" to some 30,000 spectators.

The two nations no longer wanted to leave each other but at the end of the end, it was the draw who won.

- "Funny" and "wild" -

“Draws are always funny, aren't they?” Said Blacks third row Sam Cane.

"You can probably say that both teams had their chances."

"We should probably have led more before the second period" (8-3, score at half-time), regretted Cane, inducted captain by the new coach Ian Foster.

"The credit goes to the Australians, who did not give up, as always, and were a hair's breadth away from winning."

"Everything is ready for next week," Cane made an appointment before the second match of the Bledisloe Cup, the annual competition between the two Oceanian teams, which could see the return of full-back Beauden Barrett, absent on Sunday.

If Australia has still not won since August 2001 on the land of its neighbor, this result is a great promise for a team in full reconstruction, which will try with its New Zealand coach Dave Rennie to reconnect with its glorious past. .

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, who was celebrating his 100th selection, said he was "very proud" of his team.

"Despite the conditions, despite the result, we got off to a good start on some points," he added, concluding: "I will not forget the match anytime soon, it was wild!".

At the post-match press conference, however, it was bitterness that dominated the feelings of the actors, all now turned to Auckland, where their next match will be played on Sunday, October 18.

© 2020 AFP