A crestfallen home side was left contemplating another failed campaign, as the Wallabies have not managed to defeat New Zealand since a 2020 encounter in Brisbane under Dave Rennie, who now serves as the All Blacks’ head coach. “I’m gutted,” stated Australian skipper Harry Wilson. “When you give a team like the All Blacks a head start it’s tough, and it’s not good enough for this group. “We’ve got to be a lot better. It’s been a very disappointing series, and we’re going to have to regroup.” Exactly twelve months from now, this identical Sydney venue will serve as the battleground for both nations during a Rugby World Cup group stage fixture.
An attendance of 73,399 spectators gathered at Accor Stadium to watch the visitors secure a 43-21 triumph, extending New Zealand’s winning streak against Australia to 13 straight tests. Having retained the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th consecutive year following a 50-19 success in Auckland seven days earlier, the away side built a commanding 36-7 advantage by the interval. Visiting skipper Codie Taylor reflected on their explosive opening period: “I’m really proud of the boys, the way we came out on that in that first half,” he noted. “It was a real challenge for us this week to make sure that we backed up a really good performance from last week, and I thought we were awesome in that first 40.”
The visiting side initiated a devastating scoring spree, as winger Josh Moorby, fullback Beauden Barrett, flanker Peter Lakai, and substitute back Rieko Ioane each crossed the line within the opening 26 minutes to construct an immediate 22-0 cushion. Wallabies fly-half Declan Meredith executed a clever pass inside a tackle near the 30-minute mark to assist lock Jeremy Williams, though the Australian forward was sent to the sin bin two minutes later. Taking advantage of the temporary numerical superiority, No 8 Wallace Sititi dotted down for New Zealand’s fifth try, before Beauden Barrett seized an interception for his second score just before the change of ends.
Within three minutes of the restart, Moorby bamboozled the defense for his second try, preceding a Wallabies response that allowed fullback Tom Wright to finish a backline combination. Meredith threatened again with a clean break through midfield and saved a try at the opposite end, while Wright later set up replacement back Filipo Daugunu for a 66th-minute try using a clever line dropout. Despite losing Jordie Barrett to a pre-match calf issue, Quinn Tupaea to an early concussion, Samisoni Taukei’aho to late injury, and debutant Chay Fihaki to a yellow card that briefly reduced them to 13 players, New Zealand successfully defended their lead until the final whistle.
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