How the world’s media reacted to the All Blacks’ 28-14 win against Australia at Optus Stadium.

All Blacks v Wallabies rivalry ‘at its most one-sided’

Tom Decent, Sydney Morning Herald

The Wallabies and All Blacks rivalry is officially at its most one-sided after the men in gold slumped to a record 11th consecutive defeat to their trans-Tasman rivals in a bruising second Bledisloe Test in Perth.

Hopes of a fairytale farewell for James Slipper were dashed as the Wallabies fell 28-14 in front of 60,113 supporters in their final home game of the year.

Australia’s bid to secure a vital top-six world ranking before December’s World Cup draw remains in limbo.

Between 1967 and 1978, the Wallabies endured 11 matches without a victory against New Zealand (10 losses and a draw), but are now 0-11 against the All Blacks since 2020.

A dreadful Australian lineout performance in slippery conditions – the Wallabies gave away three of their first five throws – cruelled any momentum or field position they managed to build.

All Blacks ‘far from perfect’

Louis Chapman Coombe, PlanetRugby

Scott Robertson’s side were far from perfect, but four tries and three Damian McKenzie kicks were enough to steer them to a record-breaking 11th successive win over Australia, further tightening their grip on the Bledisloe Cup.

They didn’t have it all their own way, though, with Australia in the fight right until the final whistle.

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New Zealand were now out for the kill, looking to make sure of an 11th-straight win over their nearest and dearest.

A string of penalties gifted them possession in the Wallabies 22, resulting in replacement prop George Bower powering over and bringing the curtain down on an enthralling Rugby Championship tie.

Perth performance a ‘step back’ for Wallabies

Ian Ransom, Reuters

Quinn Tupaea scored two tries as New Zealand fended off Australia 28-14 in rainy Perth on Saturday to give themselves a chance of Rugby Championship glory.

Having replaced Billy Proctor in the number 13 jersey, Tupaea rewarded coach Scott Robertson’s faith with two well-taken tries to put the All Blacks up 17-9 at halftime.

A week after pushing the All Blacks in a 33-24 defeat at Eden Park, Perth was a step back for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies who failed to deliver prop James Slipper the win he deserved in his 151st and final test.

Australia had their chances but managed only one try to Len Ikitau in the final quarter, with their decision-making often awry and their line-out a mess for much of the night.

They have now slumped to 11 successive defeats against their Trans-Tasman rivals, blanked 2-0 in the bilateral Bledisloe Cup.

Flyhalf Tane Edmed, given the number 10 jersey at the expense of James O’Connor, started brightly but ended up having another forgettable night.

Wallabies ‘their own worst enemies’

Christy Doran, the Roar

A tournament that started with such hope for the Wallabies finished disappointingly in the wet after being well beaten by the All Blacks 28-14 in Perth on Saturday night.

By going down to their trans-Tasman rivals, the All Blacks not just went back-to-back against the Wallabies after their hard-fought win last weekend in Auckland, but made it 11 wins on the trot against their neighbours – a winning streak that dates back to 2021.

On a wet night at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Wallabies were their own worst enemies and ensured it was a miserable evening for their home fans.

Joe Schmidt’s men gave away 14 penalties and lost two of their best in 2025 to yellow cards.

Rubbing salt into the wound, Tom Hooper’s yellow card for an illegal cleanout came after Allan Alaalatoa dived over to score what would have been one of the Wallabies’ best team tries all year.

Unlike other tests this year, the Wallabies couldn’t blame anyone either despite Englishman Matthew Carley being hot on the whistle all evening.

‘Not always inspired’

Florian Porta, Rugbyrama

Forced to win to keep a chance of winning the title, the New Zealanders ensured the bare minimum against Australia.

Not always inspired, the All Blacks were able to show realism and patience to get the attacking bonus point in the last seconds. As attractive as they were clumsy, the Wallabies made too many mistakes to hope to topple their opponents.

After a first penalty missed by Damian McKenzie, Tane Edmed adjusted his kick to unlock the Australian counter. On the restart that followed, the Wallabies made a mistake and immediately offered an opportunity to the New Zealanders who went into touch.

After a feint of the ball carried, Leroy Carter picked up the ball and finished strongly. Thanks to a penalty conceded by the All Blacks, again on the restart, Edmed reduced the gap. Allan Alaalatoa then thought he had put his team back in front but saw his try finally disallowed for an illegal clearance by Tom Hooper, sanctioned with a yellow card. A numerical inferiority perfectly managed since Edmed even allowed his team to go ahead thanks to his boot.

Australia seemed to be on top but struggled to translate their dominance on the scoreboard. Quite the opposite of New Zealand, who took advantage of two Australian inaccuracies to strike.

Accompanied by the rain on the return from the locker room, the thirty players showed clumsiness. Stunned by this missed end of the first half, Australia multiplied the fouls, allowing McKenzie to widen the gap with his foot.

All Blacks ‘broke their form fluctuations’

Liam Napier, NZ Herald

On a wet Perth evening the All Blacks delivered their first back-to-back victories of this year’s Rugby Championship to notch a record run of successive wins against the Wallabies.

Missing starters Caleb Clarke, Beauden Barrett, Ethan de Groot and Tupou Vaa’i through injuries, the All Blacks rode a 17-9 halftime lead to record 11 wins in a row against the Wallabies to eclipse their previous best stretch from 2008-2010.

Inconsistency has been the major frustration for the All Blacks this season after a win and a loss against both Argentina and the Springboks.

Finally, after securing the Bledisloe Cup for a 23rd straight year at Eden Park last week, Scott Robertson’s men broke their form fluctuations to hand the Wallabies three straight defeats.

Quinn Tupaea, after impressive cameos off the bench in recent weeks, led the All Blacks with a man of the match performance from centre – a position he hasn’t started in for the Chiefs in five years.

Tupaea imposed his direct presence from the outset to set up the opening try for Chiefs teammate Leroy Carter. He then scored two tries before Rieko Ioane replaced him midway through the second half.

Leicester Fainga’anuku marked his return to the test scene for the first time in two years with one notable damaging run from the left wing where he bumped off Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

And in the other big selection call, Peter Lakai performed strongly in his maiden start at No 8.