Mitchell is villain in All Blacks romp

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New Zealand's march to a fifth Tri-Nations title in six years gained pace on Saturday night with an emphatic 49-28 win over Australia, made easier by the Wallabies having only 14 men for most of the second half as Drew Mitchell was sent off.

The All Blacks charged out of the blocks, scoring four tries as they romped to a 32-14 lead, in the process securing a bonus point before half-time. They added three tries in the second half to earn their third win from three games in the Southern Hemisphere tournament.

"We didn't have any consistent possession in the first half. Obviously, playing with fewer than 15 men for the greater part of the game compounded that," the Australia coach Robbie Deans said. "We showed that, with 15 men, we can be competitive but, with 14 men, we weren't."