Australia suffered their eighth consecutive Test defeat to New Zealand, squandering another opportunity to secure their first Bledisloe Cup series victory since 2002. The match concluded with a 31-28 loss in front of a crowd of 68,061 at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Although the narrow margin flattered the Wallabies, the All Blacks missed at least five potential tries.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had urged his team to "stay connected" and "go after" the All Blacks. However, both strategies fell apart early as the Wallabies made critical errors. New Zealand scored within the first minute, with Jordie Barrett penetrating the fragile defense and allowing Will Jordan to score unopposed for a 7-0 lead. Australia's early blunders, including a fumbled kick-off and a dropped pass, quickly deflated the home crowd's confidence.
By the ninth minute, New Zealand led 14-0, with Rieko Ioana finishing a swift backline move that left the Wallabies scrambling. Tom Wright's interception and Ardie Savea's forward pass prevented a higher score. The majority of the crowd, predominantly New Zealand supporters, cheered as Caleb Clarke scored a third try, extending the lead to 21-0 in the 15th minute.
Australia's first significant attack saw Rob Valetini recover a wayward lineout ball, passing to Nic White who set Fraser McReight on a scoring run. At 21-7, the Wallabies finally showed some life. McReight's subsequent strong run and a 40-22 kick raised hopes, but Australia's lineout errors and a rushed pass by Hunter Paisami allowed Sevu Reece to score, pushing the lead to 28-7.
Australia responded with a lineout near the All Blacks' goal, with Matt Faessler trampling Sam Cane to score, narrowing the gap to 28-14. Despite trailing 28-7, the Wallabies managed to score two more tries, making the final score 31-28. The Wallabies had given the All Blacks 61% possession and were outplayed in most aspects of the game, including carries, broken tackles, clean breaks, and offloads.
The Wallabies' resilience in the second half, including James Slipper's record-breaking 140th Test appearance, almost led to a remarkable comeback. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Hunter Paisami's tries brought the score to 31-21, setting up a thrilling finish. Despite a late try by Tom Wright, the Wallabies' valiant effort fell short, leaving them to lament early errors and defensive lapses.
