Key events
47 mins: Roigard box kicks to halfway, Donaldson is a sitting duck underneath it, and he is absolutely munched by J Barrett steaming through. The ball doesn’t come out and New Zealand win the penalty and kick into attacking territory for the first time this half.
45 mins: The visiting lineout holds and Valetini smashes his way through the line! The big flanker streaks out of defence, play is recycled on halfway and Donaldson kicks cannily towards the right corner where B Barrett is forced to run into touch close to his own line. Huge opportunity for Australia – but there’s a penalty against gold as the maul forms after the lineout. Massive dissapointment for the Wallabies.
44 mins: Ikitau has failed his HIA so when Donaldson kicks to the left it’s Potter that attempts to spoil in the air. He fails, so B Barrett can toe ahead down the line and send his team near Australia’s 22.
42 mins: New Zealand kick downfield and attack off the lineout but run out of room as they spin the ball from right to left. The commitment to running rugby from both teams continues.
41 mins: Australia get on the front foot early with Wright and Jorgensen dovetailing superbly down the right from the restart. New Zealand regroup, win a breakdown penalty, then Williams is marched 10m for backchat.
Half-time: New Zealand 17-14 Australia
An entertaining, even half of rugby ends with the All Blacks with their noses just in front at Eden Park.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 17-14 Australia (Wilson, 38)
Australia attack off the lineout on the left. Suaalii bobbles in contact but holds on. Inside, Wilson sends a wonderful short pass behind to Donaldson who nips through a keyhole and into space – and it’s Wilson following up to accept the return pass and dive under the posts! The Wallabies hit back!
Lonergan only just kicks the very easiest of conversions. Does he have the yips?
36 mins: Australia’s lineout is crisp and Valetini gets to work in midfield. The second phase is slower and Donaldson gets caught in no-man’s land but wins a penalty for his troubles on the ground. Edging over halfway the Wallabies engage in the grind but Henry can’t find the rushing Suaalii and play is recalled to the earlier infringement.
35 mins: Donaldson’s restart is too long for the chasing gold jerseys so the All Blacks have time to steady themselves and invite Roigard to punt fully 50m downfield and into touch.
PENALTY! New Zealand 17-7 Australia (McKenzie, 34)
McKenzie does not repeat Lonergan’s mistake and kicks his side 10 points clear.
32 mins: Australia feed a scrum 15m from their own line on the right. It holds firm. Lonergan belts 30m downfield. The All Blacks attack off the resulting lineout and there’s a near immediate penalty advantage for offside. The pattern of ball runners approaching the line then slipping short inside passes continues as the 22 comes and goes. Roigard is the conductor, feeding forwards over the gainline, but as momentum stalls the earlier penalty is blown.
31 mins: The lineout is crisp but the handling thereafter leaves a lot to be desired. Taylor almost knocks on in contact, then Jordan does, with gold jerseys rushing up into his field of vision. The New Zealand set-piece has not fired at all so far.
30 mins: As the All Blacks kick to the right corner, Harry Potter comes on for Len Ikitau who leaves for an HIA.
29 mins: New Zealand set up a maul just inside Australia’s half then attack in a deep line from left to right. Jordie Barrett looks isolated but keeps the ball alive. Taylor draws bodies into contact as the All Blacks rumble towards the 22. There’s a penalty on the play as Jordan snipes down the left edge. The momentum feels irresistible but there’s some mishandling on the ground and play is recalled to the earlier penalty.
27 mins: New Zealand’s commitment to running the ball out of defence almost comes a cropper and again they rely on Roigard’s boot to send them downfield. For the third time tonight the ball is tapped back his side’s way with the Australian defence helpless under the contested mark. Roigard marshals a patient drive in the corridor until McKenzie dabs a kick to the left corner that’s mopped up by Donaldson and belted clear by Wright. The All Blacks may regret not keeping that alive against a scrambling visiting defence.
MISSED PENALTY!
From under the crossbar Lonergan misses the simplest of penalties. Gosh, that was a kicker’s worst nightmare.
24 mins: Australia continue their excellent lineout work allowing Suaalii to pound into the New Zealand line on the burst. Play gets recycled to the left where Valetini carries heavily into Jordie Barrett. The ball is being recycled at pace and there’s an infringement on the ground from de Groot which gives the Wallabies license to expand. It doesn’t work though with Wright overhitting his grubber. Play is recalled to the gimme three-pointer.
22 mins: Finally the All Blacks win a lineout on their own throw. It allows them to move from halfway but Wilson, then Williams, execute massive tackles to stop Jordan, and New Zealand, in their tracks. The resulting penalty is kicked over halfway.
20 mins: Nearly! Australia kick clear and with so much hang time on the ball Jorgensen is able to steam through and nail McKenzie. Not before he gets the ball away though, and there’s another linebreak! Jordan this time with room to gallop, but he’s isolated. There’s a Hollywood pass open to the right – but it misses its mark and the ball bobbles into touch. Both teams are committed to attacking footy, so much fun to watch.
19 mins: Australia deal with Roigard’s latest kick but fail to gain any ground with ball in hand and Lakai wins the ruck penalty after bringing down Paenga-Amosa – but after kicking into attacking territory the All Blacks lose another lineout!
18 mins: Both New Zealand’s tries have originated from up-and-unders, an aspect of the game expected to be an Australian weapon.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 14-7 Australia (Vaa’i, 16)
The All Blacks make little ground running out of their 22 so Roigard goes to the skies again – and it works again – with Taylor mopping up on the ground. New Zealand adore the broken field and McKenzie slips Sititi through the scrambling line. There’s another breakaway try on offer but the rampaging flanker can’t find a teammate on his outside. No bother, the hosts maintain their composure, keep Australia on the back foot and a few phases later the quick ruck speed makes it inevitable that someone will dive over – Tupou Vaa’i gets the honours. McKenzie makes it two from two off the tee.
14 mins: The strike power of both teams is awesome. That was a hopeful garryowen from the All Blacks and in seconds it was an exhilarating try. They needed it too.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 7-7 Australia (Lakai, 12)
Williams steals New Zealand’s first lineout throw and the Wallabies resume their grind on halfway. Lonergan goes to the air where Suaalii makes life hard for B Barrett. The All Blacks wrestle possession back and start to build some phase play midway in their own half. That goes nowhere so Roigard box kicks – Jordie Barrett marks it on the run ahead of Suaalii, and the Wallabies are ripped open! McKenzie takes up the running, stepping inside Ikitau, drawing Wright in his direction, then offloading to the supporting Lakai on his left shoulder. McKenzie strokes over the levelling conversion.
11 mins: Yikes! The scrum holds, Lonergan feeds Donaldson, but the No 10 dabs an awful kick miles into touch on the right wing to halt any momentum.
9 mins: New Zealand’s restart goes dead! Australia will feed a scrum on halfway with all the ascendancy. Eden Park is hushed.
CONVERTED TRY! New Zealand 0-7 Australia (Wright, 8)
Australia get a good shove on New Zealand’s defensive scrum, forcing Roigard to hack a hurried clearance near his own line – and he gets great yardage on his left-footer, sending play close to halfway.
Wilson wins another lineout for the Wallabies and sets his team in motion. There’s a penalty advantage for offside on the ground so Australia expand – and how! The ball goes through a deep attacking line and the All Blacks are opened by a magnificent tap pass from Donaldson to Jorgensen who streaks through the defensive line. Wright is in support on his left shoulder and he carves an unstoppable line between wing and centre to dive over for a deserved early score. Jorgensen curls over the conversion.
6 mins: Another secure lineout, another maul – this time with some momentum – and some counter-force from the All Blacks! Lonergan takes the ball out and dives inches short of the line. The ball comes out, Australia reset, we know they’re patient in these areas – but Ikitau spills a carry one-out and New Zealand survive! Bright start from the Wallabies, but no points to show for it.
5 mins: The 5m lineout is solid, the maul forms, but it’s robustly defended. Valetini his the line hard off the back and earns a breakdown penalty. Again the Wallabies kick to the corner.
3 mins: An even scrum holds allowing Lonergan to feed the charging Sua’alii coming off his wing. The Wallabies get to work between halfway and attacking 22 without much cut-through until a penalty advantage on the play. Ikitau seizes the opportunity to chip crossfield to the left wing for Jorgensen to gather but the All Blacks don’t panic and nail Henry into touch. A very long advantage is recalled for an offside against Tupaea, and Wilson declines the straightforward penalty in favour of a kick to the right corner.
1 min: New Zealand accept Donaldson’s kick-off on the 22, set-up and Roigard box kicks forward. Jordie Barrett wins the tap back in the air but it’s knocked-on on the ground. Early scrum.
Kick-off!
The 2026 Bledisloe Cup is under way…
The Wallabies stare down a Rieko Ioane-led haka.
This has been pinpoint pre-match delivery at Eden Park. Now it’s time for some rugby.
The anthems are brilliant, led by beautiful harmonic arrangements from St Paul’s College choir. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a performance like that before, but I loved it.
No surprises with the uniforms on display this evening: New Zealand are in all black, Australia are wearing gold jerseys and green shorts.
The noise level ramps up tenfold as the home heroes jog out. The host broadcaster homes in on Scott Barrett, returning to the starting XV after a year away from the sport.
Out come the Wallabies into the arena. The response, as you might expect, is muted. The Eden Park floodlights are starting to take effect as a beautiful evening transitions into a gloaming.
Tonight’s referee is the Cardiff-born, former Belgium international, now Irish Rugby Football Union official Andrew Brace.
Conditions: It is a mild evening in Auckland, one accompanied by a northerly breeze with enough force to unsettle the fullbacks. There’s also been a little rain around during the day and the likelihood of showers later on, although the pristine track should play dry.
Gerard Meagher
There was so much to like about their performances against South Africa that, while losing the series, highlighted how the All Blacks are the closest challengers to the Springboks’ supremacy.
Under Dave Rennie they have simply gone back to what they are good at – playing at pace and showcasing handling skills that once made them the most feared nation.
There is a lesson there for other teams seeking to topple South Africa: focus on the way you play the game best rather than trying to ape Erasmus’s men. Richie Mo’unga has the chance to stake his claim for the No 10 jersey in forthcoming Tests against Australia with Ruben Love injured while in Jordie Barrett and Quinn Tupaea, Rennie has a formidable centre partnership.
Leroy Carter does not look up to it defensively but the All Blacks have a habit of unearthing wing sensations in the buildup to World Cups and in Ardie Savea, New Zealand boast the world’s best player.
Jack Snape
The Wallabies have emerged as contenders for next year’s Rugby World Cup as they look to extend a six-match unbeaten run when they face the All Blacks, with lock Jeremy Williams declaring Australia can end a 27-year wait and win the Webb Ellis Cup at home.
Australia are now sixth in the world rankings, three years after they dropped to their lowest of 10th after their elimination from the 2023 World Cup at the pool stage.
Team News:
All Blacks:
Flyhalf Richie Mo’unga and winger Fehi Fineanganofo were both ruled out late in the week. Fineanganofo with delayed concussion symptoms, Mo’unga with a calf tear that will keep him on the sidelines for some time.
They join Ardie Savea (shoulder), Luke Jacobson (elbow), Anton Lienert-Brown (knee), Billy Proctor (shoulder), Caleb Clarke (shoulder), Ollie Norris (knee) and Patrick Tuipulotu (calf) on a significant injury list.
Damian McKenzie shifts from fullback to five-eighth with veteran Beauden Barrett slotting in the No 15. Barrett’s brother Scott, fresh off a non-playing sabbatical in which he dealt with foot and back injuries, has come straight into the second row.
Wallabies:
The Wallabies make just one enforced change to the starting XV that looked so good against the Springboks with Isaac Henry replacing the suspended Hunter Paisami. That means Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii remains on the wing after his impressive display in the air against South Africa.
There are more changes on the bench with Tom Hooper and Taniela Tupou returning to their clubs in Europe as the two-match Bledisloe Cup series falls outside World Rugby’s international window. Massimo de Lutiis and Nick Champion de Crespigny come onto the pine, along with fly-half Declan Meredith as Kiss returns to a 5-3 forwards-backs split.
Australia XV
15. Tom Wright, 14. Max Jorgensen, 13. Isaac Henry, 12. Len Ikitau, 11. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 10. Ben Donaldson, 9. Ryan Lonergan, 8. Harry Wilson (c), 7. Fraser McReight, 6. Rob Valetini, 5. Jeremy Williams, 4. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1. Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16. Josh Nasser, 17. Aidan Ross, 18. Massimo De Lutiis, 19. Lachlan Shaw, 20. Nick Champion de Crespigny, 21. Tate McDermott, 22. Declan Meredith, 23. Harry Potter.
New Zealand XV
1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor (c), 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Josh Lord, 6. Tupou Vaa’i, 7. Peter Lakai, 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Leroy Carter, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Quinn Tupaea, 14. Will Jordan, 15. Beauden Barrett.
Replacements: 16. Asafo Aumua, 17. George Bower, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Shannon Frizell, 20. Anton Segner, 21. Kyle Preston, 22. Rieko Ioane, 23. Josh Moorby.
Jack Snape
Eden Park against the All Blacks. It is perhaps the most formidable challenge in rugby union. The last time the home side lost was in 1994, before the pride of New Zealand began their unbeaten run at Auckland’s famous venue. It now stands at 53 Tests.
Australia’s record there is ugly. Just four wins in almost 100 years, the latest coming in 1986, the same year Wallabies coach Les Kiss debuted for the North Sydney Bears in the New South Wales Rugby League.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of New Zealand v Australia in the opening match of the 2026 Bledisloe Cup. Kick-off at Auckland’s Eden Park is scheduled for 7.10pm local time (5.10pm AEDT).
Fans of sporting cliche: are you ready, because the Wallabies have reached ‘whisper it quietly’ status. That’s right, whisper it quietly, but Australia’s men’s rugby team might be quite good again. So much so they’re a genuine chance of competing at their most unhappy hunting ground, Eden Park, and can now look ahead to next year’s World Cup with a sense of excitement, not dread.
For the first time since 2017 the men in gold are enjoying a six-game unbeaten run. Granted, a third of those fixtures have been against Japan – and a below-par Italy offered little resistance – but the most recent matches have featured a two-Test tour of Argentina and a home victory over South Africa.
That outing against the Springboks offered particular cause for optimism. Yes, it wasn’t Rassie Erasmus’s first XV, and yes, the chaotic final 15 minutes probably should have ended in a come-from-behind away win, but for an hour the Wallabies played the world champions off the park and were well worth their 42-17 lead.
Following the groundwork laid by Joe Schmidt, Les Kiss is enjoying a rare honeymoon period in the coach’s box. Schmidt did the donkey work of exposing as many players as possible to Test level, whittling down the contenders to what is now a very talented core squad, most of whom have acquired decent international experience. Aside from the glaring absence of a quality five-eighth there is no reason to suspect this side on the rise cannot continue on an upward trajectory.
But if any venue in international sport is going to bring an ambitious upstart back down to earth it’s Eden Park. The All Blacks haven’t lost at their fortress since 1994, 53 Tests ago. The Wallabies haven’t popped champagne in the away sheds since 1986.
However, this is an injury ravaged New Zealand side, one still figuring out its identity under new coach Dave Rennie, and coming off the back of a bruising four-Test series against the Springboks, one that also included four midweek tour matches in South Africa.
When the weekly World Rugby rankings were released on August 24 today’s match-up would have pitted the top-ranked side on the planet against the number eight outsiders. At that time Australia were closer to the USA on the standings than their trans-Tasman rivals. Now it’s second v sixth, with the Wallabies a rounding error off England in fifth and within touching distance of Ireland in third.
A positive result for the visitors today will return the sport of rugby into one deserving of a backpage lead and fire the starting pistol on a mouthwatering World Cup on home soil. Should they do so, we won’t be talking in quiet whispers any longer.
I’ll be back with final team lists and more shortly. Please send me your emails and keep me company throughout the evening. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
