The Wallabies fell to a record 13th a real defeat of All black peoplelosing 43-21 at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Saturday. It was the final match in the first four-header, which began with a dominant win for the Wallaroos against Scotland.
Beauden Barrett kicked two goals as the All Blacks took a 36-7 lead into the break. Josh Moorby was first on the scoresheet in the second term, but the Wallabies managed to stem the scoring avalanche from there.
Declan Meredith stepped up during his fourth start at fly-half for the Wallabies but left with about 10 minutes to go limping off. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips became Wallaby number 1001 after coming on as a replacement for Meredith.
Here’s how the Wallabies rated.
1. Aidan Ross – 5.5/10
Ross came off at half-time, having packed in for just one runner during a one-sided opening 40. The former All Blacks prop-turned-Wallaby made six tackles and dropped the ball six times during that time in the middle, but was replaced by Angus Bell. Ross ran the ball hard and crossed the gain line as the Wallabies tried to regain some momentum.
2. Josh Nasser – 6
Nasser hit all but one target on the line, but that miss proved costly on the scoreboard. Set has become a strength for the Wallabies this season, but Fabian Holland stole the line in the 25th.th minutes soon after led to a Rieko Ioane try. Nasser was otherwise accurate and was one of the team’s best players during the first half, but a dominant performance from the All Blacks made things difficult for all the players in gold.
3. Allan Alaalato – 5
It wasn’t the kind of game that really suited Alaalatoa, who had long been considered the ultimate prop in the fight during the fight. With limited tackles during the first half, Alaalatoa looked to have an impact on the overall game. The Wallabies veteran was one of the best forwards in the squad before coming on for Massimo De Lutiis just before the 50 minute mark.
4. Jeremy Williams – 6
Williams emerged as the Wallabies hero during the first half, linking up with Declan Meredith to score a much-needed try. But the second rower left the field about two minutes later, shown a yellow card near the team’s try line. Williams returned later and was able to make some noise in both attack and defence, ranking among the home side’s best for tackles and winning a late steal as the Wallabies tried to minimize the All Blacks’ control.
5. Lukhan Salakaia-Lotto – 5
It was a milestone for Salakaia-Loto, who was the first Wallaby to take the field before his 50s.th Test in gold. The Wallabies started the match well, chasing early points as they attacked inside the red, with the huge lock number 5 taking some carries at that stage of the game. But Salakaia-Lotto has looked a bit quiet since then, finishing in the middle of the pack for both total carries and tackles made. Salakaia-Lotto lost one turnover, missed the match, and was replaced by Carlo Tizzano early in the second half.
6. Rob Valitini – 5
Valetini left the field less than five minutes into the second half, after tying the most layups with just 30 meters. ‘Bobby V’ put up some solid numbers in defence, but with the All Blacks well and truly in control, these efforts failed to move the needle. The 28-year-old played just 43 minutes at center, his fewest as a starter since the second Lions Serial Test on 26 July 2025
7. Fraser McReight – 6
McReight worked incredibly hard last weekend at Eden Park but was unable to get the reward or purchase for those efforts. It was a similar story at the Accor Stadium, with McReight failing to score a loose ball in the first 60 minutes. But the full-back was one of the best in Australia’s defence, and he kept the ball in his hands a lot.
8. Harry Wilson (c) – 6
All Blacks great Justin Marshall described Wilson as “the best number eight in the world” immediately after the Bledisloe Cup series opener in Auckland. You can’t fault Wilson’s work rate, but the skipper hasn’t been able to produce the same output this week, making fewer than 10 tackles. Wilson was the second Wallaby to reach double figures in total carries, behind Rob Valetini.
9. Ryan Lonergan – 6
Lonergan was the most talked about Wallaby during the Bledisloe Cup series, with ACT Brumbies the skipper consistently stands out. The number 9 continued to steer the team around the park with confident play and sent some contested high balls for others to chase. Lonergan ran the ball several times during the first half in an attempt to make something happen, but was denied by the All Blacks defensive wall.
Wallace Sititi was one of New Zealand’s try-scorers, with the full-back peeling off a scrum and then beating Lonergan quite comfortably. It was one moment that stood out from an otherwise pretty solid overall performance, which included a turnaround from a breakdown inside four minutes.
10. Declan Meredith – 8
Meredith has been a form number 10 for the first few rounds of 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, and that level has finally been translated into the Test arena. The fly-half looked extremely confident from the first minute, even putting the chip in front of him early on. Meredith continued to take the line on himself, helped Max Jorgensen make several line breaks, and sent Jeremy Williams over for a first-half try. Despite the dominance of the All Blacks, Meredith was still good enough and can take positives from the performance.
11. Harry Potter – 5
It was a quiet afternoon for Potter, with the Wallabies dropping wing Max Jorgensen more often in attack. Potter had limited opportunities to get the ball out, making one break from the layup line on the 65thth minutes. Potter was one of the few players to record a dominant game, but he was also one of at least 12 players to miss two games.
12. Isaac Henry – 5.5
Henry was primarily an inside center after moving up to Super Rugby level four years ago, but the utility had never started in that role at Test level before Saturday. Coach Les Kiss selected Henry in the middle, with the injury to Len Ikitau and the suspension of Hunter Paisami adding to the changes in midfield.
Henry was involved as the Wallabies produced some exciting moments with the ball during the first half, but was otherwise quiet in attack – despite the result, the Wallabies actually had a slight advantage in the 60 possession battleth minutes. Henry had also missed three matches in eight attempts by that stage.
13. Joseph-August Sualii – 5
Suaalii has been getting more hands on in recent weeks, or at least seemed to have more of an impact, and that trend continued on Saturday. Utility moved back from the wing to outside center and made a decent number of carries. But outside center is often described as the most difficult place to defend on the rugby field and the All Blacks made Suaalii miss more tries than anyone else by 55.th minutes.
14. Max Jorgensen – 5
No player was more electric or more influential in the first 15 minutes than Jorgensen, who set the Test alight with three line breaks. But the Wallabies were unable to capitalize on those chances, falling to a 17-nil deficit in the blink of an eye.
‘Jorgo’ was caught as the visitors scored their first goal of the evening, the winger bursting off the line but failing to make the save. Josh Moorby practically crossed the line as the Wallabies defenders piled on. Jorgensen had a pass taken by Beauden Barrett on the stroke of half-time and the All Blacks veteran raced home about 60 metres. Jorgensen started the afternoon with a series of promising engagements, but has since been unusually quiet.
15. Tom Wright – 6.5
Australia fullback Wright enjoyed some positive involvements, including a try in the second half. The number 15 worked hard to get a foothold, looking to cause something against a confident All Blacks outfit. Wright ran for more than 75 yards, kicked the ball once and made several line breaks. But the 29-year-old also missed a few games, in a difficult afternoon for the Wallabies as a team
Substitutions – 5
The bench did not appear to have a significant impact on the All Blacks, who played with 14 men for the final 10 minutes despite not receiving a yellow card. Angus Bell was one of the best players in the attack with five tackles and the loosehead also made four tackles.
Carlo Tizzano and Josh Canham failed to make their usual level of impact. The Wallabies finished the game with new-look halves Kalai Thomas and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips starting for Queensland Red against the British and Irish Lions last year.
Filipo Daugunu scored a try, in what was the highlight of the game, but the center also made some mistakes.
