mens
international
The All black people secured the Bledisloe Cup for another year with a 50-19 win over the Wallabies at Eden Park.
A quick start by the Wallabies and a great try from Tom Wright gave the Aussies hope, but they quickly allowed the home side to get back into it. At 17-14 it looked like it might be a contest, but poor discipline allowed the All Blacks too much real estate and they put the Wallabies to the sword.
Here are some snaps after the All Blacks’ big win.
Second 40 fade expensive
This was as disappointing a second half as it gets for the Wallabies. In a game down 17-14 at the break, they slipped to 43-14 before storming back with a late maul attempt.
A string of 2nd half penalties against the Wallabies fueled the All Blacks early in the second half despite a blinding performance on the first restart. The Wallabies pinned the All Blacks to their five before penalties just let the momentum go.
From there the All Blacks worked their way down the field and meticulously went through phases before Cam Roigard scored from close range. It was a similar story for Codie Taylor’s try, with the Wallabies unable to stop the momentum and gifting an entry into the 22nd.
Between 40′ and 48′ minutes, they scored five consecutive penalties. What was tied at 17-14 quickly became 31-14 and the game was gone. The Wallabies cannot afford to give an easy 22 such outings to the All Blacks, who have made them pay.
Fraser McReight lost at Eden Park
The Wallabies No.7 was in the thick of almost every lunch at Eden Park, but toiled without reward. There were a couple of breakdowns early on that he could have been rewarded with, one steal coming with the All Blacks ahead, but he largely waned in efficiency and finished without a turnover.
The All Blacks sent plenty of traffic their way, with an energy depleted 17 tackles, many winning the lines for the All Blacks. He finished with three missed tackles, including one on prop Pacilio Tosi on the goal line that resulted in a try.
Unlike Perth where he committed three turnovers against the Springboks when McReight was ruled out, the Wallabies have little chance against the top teams.
McReight is one of the world-class players the Wallabies need to produce, and at Eden Park he got lost there.
Ben Donaldson mixed bag
The Wallabies backs are one of the brightest outfits in world rugby and they played superbly early in the first half. Ben Donaldson’s clever flick put Jorgensen behind and the winger made no mistake connecting quickly with his outside back.
Fullback Tom Wright ran through no less than four drifting All Blacks to score them an early 7 points.
With the All Blacks dead from the restart, the quick start was dismissed in the very next play. With the scrum halfway through, Donaldson kicked from full ball, which started the momentum that allowed the All Blacks to score two tries and take a 17-7 lead.
The Wallabies fly-half hit back late in the half and struck a critical blow, escaping a Harry Wilson screen, cutting through the middle and slotting past Lakai before putting his captain under the bats intact.
Donaldson had his moments but at Test level you can’t let momentum slip away like that. The second half didn’t give the Wallabies a chance to get back into it and the game slipped away.
D-Mac and Roigard 1-2 punch
Back at number 10 for the first time this year, McKenzie was the spark the All Blacks needed to turn the tide after the opening 10 minutes. His line break and link-up with Peter Lakai set up the first try, while another smart tackle and offload to Sititi set the platform for the second. They scored soon after, Tupou Vaa’i crashing over from close range.
With the All Blacks running more from full-back than forward, it was a busy night from the playmakers. With a goal from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute, the lead increased to 17-7.
While D-Mac did the damage in the first half, the second half was all about Cam Roigard. He took one try for himself, while directing phase after phase had the Wallabies passive D-pedaling. His kicking game turned the screws on the Wallabies before Lakai set up Leroy Carter.
Roigard once again showed his class and produced a resounding second half for the All Blacks to secure victory.
The All Blacks pack stood up
The All Blacks produced great performances across the pack with No.8 Wallace Sititi shining in Ardie Save’s absence. This was City’s best game since he retired from the All Blacks in 2024. He handled himself extremely well, constantly breaking through the line and dragging multiple defenders with him. He broke the line running from McKenzie and had a game-high 18 carries.
Peter Lakai had a few defensive lapses, but overall played a great hand, with the help lines critical in a number of tries. He had one major theft during the breakdown. Lock Josh Lord became an integral part of the line, picking up nine tackles.
The bench brought the strength to close out the game with the Wallabies unable to stem the tide.
