After rugby’s greatest rivalry comes the latest attempt to attack rugby’s greatest fortress, and no rival is more familiar with the four corners of Eden Park’s hallowed turf than the Wallabies.
The old foes went toe-to-toe in the first quarter before the game All black people began to pull away on the scoreboard, eventually reaching 50 points as the visitors managed just 19. Breakdown efficiency and high ball work have made huge strides since New Zealand’s last outing, with the stars shining bright for Dave Rennie.
Here’s how they rated it.
1. Ethan de Groot – 8/10
One of the biggest Test IQ moments was when the Wallabies were running down the clock at the end of the first half and the All Blacks wouldn’t let them break into their own 22, with De Groot even faking a tackle that sent Rob Valetini crashing over the 22 line.
The big prop only had three carries but made the most of them, sending defenders backwards with collisions. Scrum was mostly a non-event as it barely moved all night.
2. Codie Taylor – 8
The stand-in captain has had one of his more inconsistent seasons in the black jersey to date, with uncharacteristic discipline problems in patches and a Kiwi line-up under heavy pressure. However, with the captain’s armband in Auckland, Taylor was to be the standard setter.
The Prostitute was the last to turn after standing in front of a flurry of hacks and did not miss an attack in her 55 minutes on the park. The try in the 54th minute was brilliantly done with dancing footwork and his line-out was where it needed to be, even if the Wallabies read a few plays.
3. Fletcher Newell – 7.5
A quiet display from the slick, who chewed up a respectable number of tackles and kept the scrum stable. His breakdown efforts were strong when the game was tight, and mostly hit the mark in more dynamic scenarios.
4. Scott Barrett – 8.5
Barrett was last seen in an All Blacks jersey last November, and he was captain. Back from rest and a subsequent back injury, the lock’s first touch was a knock and his first line call was dropped.
However, you can’t fault the big lock when it comes to moving your body around the backpack. He made some textbook contributions to the All Blacks’ second try of the evening by keeping up with the line breaks and ensuring the recycling was on time. It all happened after his break assist to Damian McKenzie. The work rate remained high in an impressive return to the Test arena.
5. Josh Lord – 7
Lord’s height rarely fails the All Blacks at the time of his release, although other areas of his game have been a little shaky. In physical exchanges, he still looks a little overmatched and missed a foul assignment that allowed Jeremy Williams to win a first-half foul penalty.
A steal from the line in the 57th minute put his side on the front foot in the Australian 22, highlighting what has the potential to become a major force for New Zealand a team that had zero defensive line this season.
6. Tupou Va’i –
Vaa’i has mastered the art of being a nuisance around the breakdown, forcing the opposition to clear it and still managing to flail an errant limb awkwardly into the defender’s space near the ball. He was a constant presence in the hard work at Eden Park, making his shots and moving bodies when needed. Some big second-half performances rose from the Eden Park faithful.
7. Peter Lakai – 8.5
Lacquers are lengthening RugbyPass last month in Cape Town that his biggest work of the year was jacking, iswearing the black number 7 jersey for the first time without Ardie Save in the mix, the All Blacks needed a new skill set to shine at Eden Park.
The side’s rising star work rate is never in doubt, and he delivered again with his Auckland stint. His physicality stood up well to the test of Rob Valetini, one of the toughest in the sport, and his gas saw him finish off New Zealand’s first try of the evening.
8. Wallace Street – 7.5
It’s been a shaky Test season to say the least for City, but he seemed to be back to work on the back end of the Greatest Rivalry series and has a chance in Auckland to stake his claim to the number 8 jersey until the end of the year, with Ardie Savea ruled out until Super Rugby.
You could argue he shouldn’t have committed so much to Rob Valetini in the defensive play that led to Harry Wilson’s try, but the big Wallaby is a threat that demands respect. Sititi led the game in scoring with just 20 points, and while there were plenty of instances where he was stopped in his tracks, he managed to be present after breaking out on a few.
9. Cam Roigard – 9
Saturday night promised a great spectacle, and for the All Blacks to set that pace, their star halfback would need to deliver. The backhand didn’t give Roigard the cleanest ball to work with, but the game went in New Zealand’s favor largely thanks to Roigard’s decision-making.
He held the ball up nicely on Tupou Vaa’i’s attempt, and scored one of his own early in the second period. The Hurricanes the star changed the attack admirably with some smart and well-executed shots, and showed his intuition when choosing moments to take a few steps and draw out the defense. His accuracy in an unusually large number of kicks was a big factor in New Zealand winning the ball back so often.
10. Damian McKenzie – 8
Damian McKenzie has not missed selection for the All Blacks in 37 consecutive games, and with this latest selection, he has moved back up to No.10. An interesting question emerging from the selection was how the All Blacks would use their dynamo: would he follow Ruben Love’s more stationary style of distribution or would he be free to bring his McKenzie magic to the table? Fortunately for All Blacks fans, there was a steady diet of the latter, and he provided plenty of pace to the attack.
11. Leroy Carter – 8
Carter, guilty of two expensive tackles in his last appearance for the All Blacks, had a point to prove in defense in Auckland. Perhaps the loosest striker in the game, the former SVNS star made his presence felt in more than the usual wing areas, leaping across the pitch to lend his shoulder to the breakdown and clear well.
The second half began with a misread that led to an immediate Australian breakaway, and Josh Lord getting the better of him in the ensuing rush didn’t help the optical side of things. Getting a penalty for a foul five minutes later made up for it. Since then, Carter has decided he would like to play center and has appeared ahead of Jordie Barrett at successive stages, contributing to the will Jordan linebreak. Unfortunately, the winger suffered what looked to be a devastating injury when he finished his try in the 65th minute.
12. Jordie Barrett – 9
Barrett began New Zealand’s 2026 Test season in such form that fans were calling for a World Rugby Player of the Year nomination. Those voices faded as the Greatest Rivalry series progressed and cracks in the All Blacks’ armor were found. Saturday’s Test gave Barrett a chance to restart his campaign against another of the world’s best midfielders, Len Ikitau.
The big 12’s defense made itself felt early on, with one tackle putting the Wallabies into touch and another stopping Tom Wright. He then rose above Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to win a contested kick to set up the All Blacks’ first try of the game. Even better defending followed and his decision-making hit the mark as the New Zealand attack purred under the bright lights of Eden Park.
Barrett finished the night with the most dominant moves, and the most tries of any Kiwi on the park. List the participants of the campaign for the best player in the world.
13. Quinn Tupaea – 8
With an MCL strain in his back, Tupaea lined up against one of the Wallabies’ new arrivals in Isaac Henry at Eden Park. There are more and more signs that Tupaea are on their toes defensively in channel number 13, picking their moments to blow the gap and put themselves in awkward attacking positions. On the other side of the ball, Tupaea was as busy as ever, popping around arms and making tough carries for his shots in the first phase. His presence at the break was relaxed in the striker’s style, finishing the game with the most turnovers won.
14. Will Jordan – 8.5
With the sole exception of his Test debut, which lasted just five minutes due to concussion, Will Jordan never failed to score against the Wallabies in the match he started with No.14 on his back. That streak looked set to continue in Auckland after a first half with no shortage of carries that either threatened to break the line or saw him break into open space. It took 79 minutes, but the flyer added to his historic tally by the end of the game.
The most positive aspect of Jordan’s performance was his effort under the high ball, and New Zealand have made a huge step forward in that area since their problems at the start of the year.
15. Beauden Barrett – 8
Some have called Barrett a yesterday’s man, but Dave Rennie disagrees. Regardless, Barrett’s 12th Bledisloe Cup series required his form to meet at the moment, with a red-hot Wallabies team in town. The most impressive aspect of Barrett’s game was his breakdown work, with the fullback hitting a huge number of breakdowns and securing them well.
Touches were few and far between in the first half and his restart after the Wallabies’ opening try was dead, but the second half began with great work to win the ball back after a Wallabies break and he went on to break two tackles to buy his side time. More classy moves and defensive heroics followed, and his more dynamic second half ended the game with the most defenders beaten.
Reserves – 8
One of the big talking points to emerge from Thursday’s squad naming was the lack of experience on Australia’s bench, leaving New Zealand’s reserves expected to deliver results. They did just that, continuing the momentum established by the starters.