r/rugbyunion • u/RugbyBot World Rugby • 14h ago
Match Post Match Thread - Australia v New Zealand
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Match Thread: Match Thread - Australia v New Zealand | Bledisloe Cup 2026
Venue: Stadium Australia, Sydney
Officials: Luke Pearce, Andrew Brace, Damian Schneider, Marius van der Westhuizen (tmo), Mike Adamson (fpro)
When: 2026-10-17 05:00 (UTC)
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u/BSnapZ New Zealand 14h ago
Reports of Beauden’s decline were greatly exaggerated it seems.
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u/Abject-Pin3361 13h ago
As a wallabies supporter I Think it's high time he retire (the sooner the better)
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u/Codect England 6h ago
"Beaudy used to be great but he's lost all his pace and is washed up. He should be dropped for Richie/Dmac/other person."
"Beauden proved yet again he is still one of the best in the world"
I'm getting dizzy with how many times I've seen this cycle of comments from NZ fans on this subreddit since something like 2018. Not saying it is the same people but some of you really don't seem to appreciate what a player that guy has consistently been for over a decade.
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u/mczammer Doomsday Propper 14h ago
Yelling Go Beaudie like it’s 2015 again
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u/De_Das00 14h ago
I seriously thought he didn’t have the gas. But he pinned his ears back like the good old days! Loved to see it.
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand 12h ago
I feel like he's looking a bit quicker along with Rieko. Not prime BB obviously, but he's still quicker than Jordie
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u/Brine-O-Driscoll Connacht 12h ago
Has gone from being one of the fastest players in test rugby to...just as fast as a lot of test wingers. Crazy pace for a guy in his mid 30s.
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u/AhRosieILoveThisBoy Crusaders 14h ago
Hahaha same, and he made it to the line just like 2015
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u/Silly_Resort_8741 11h ago
You could see how chuffed he was.
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u/AhRosieILoveThisBoy Crusaders 8h ago
Should have seen how chuffed I was lol, he was my favourite player, still manages makes me cheer like no other
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u/Silly_Resort_8741 11h ago
Yep I was yelling it after that intercept for sure. Pleasantly surprised he didn't get reeled in.
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u/looseleafnz 14h ago
At least the Wallabies kept Will Jordan scoreless -not an easy thing to do.
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u/Cleginator Invincibles 2.0 14h ago
Fucked if I know why the wallabies show up against ever other team but the All Blacks, it’s a joke.
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u/OptimalCynic 🌹 Red Roses | Waikato 14h ago
Little brother syndrome. It's the other way round in the cricket
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u/flamebomber Hurricanes Hawke's Bay 14h ago
Same reason why the best Kiwis squad ever on paper still lost to the Kangaroos the other night lol. When you're the lil bro, you're the lil bro.
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u/SagalaUso 🇼🇸🇳🇿 14h ago
It's really strange. Against the Boks, incredible fightback and belief. Against the ABs, two quick tries and then players look defeated. Glad they came around in the second half to stop the bleeding.
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u/iloverugbyandnfl 13h ago
I think the wallabies just play a style that upsets South Africa that’s why they have got a few unexpected scalps. Also that game they win again them recently the wallabies absolutely pulled out of their arse and that will be their best performance for 12 months
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
Yeah the tri nations has always been a bit of rock, paper, scissors
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u/middyonline NSW Waratahs 14h ago
This team needs to get some fucking mongrel in them. Every time they play NZ they fall behind, just piss down their leg and just give up.
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u/bigschmoog Australia 14h ago
It’s so frustrating. All guns blazing against SA, meek against NZ.
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u/SagalaUso 🇼🇸🇳🇿 14h ago
That's why I was worried this year after the Boks game. Completely different mentality from the players at Eden Park last week when things didn't go their way.
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u/PalpitationGreen 14h ago
I find it so condescending when kiwi commentators talk about what Australia can take away from another bad loss to the All Blacks.
It's been like 25 years. If they were taking stuff away from these they'd be unbeatable by now
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u/Mateiyu Bokke ! 14h ago
They're taking things away. Unfortunately, they're using them against the Springboks, and forget them against the All Blacks xD
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u/Educational_Play9910 14h ago
Rush defence is what the Aussies need against NZ, not tossing the ball around
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u/cape7 14h ago edited 14h ago
I gotta say the Beauden fanclub headquarters were feeling a little sparce for a while there but i'm feeling a little smug now
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u/asher_stark Chiefs 14h ago
Probably need to switch the word ''but" with "so", makes more sense that way
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u/stickyswitch92 Melbourne Rebels 14h ago
Wallabies won the second half. And made a mare of it on multiple occasions.
How good was Declan Meredith?
Can they send Hannah and Bell come back for Canterbury now?
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u/TheCassius88 Brumbies 14h ago
Who knew that stopping kicking the ball to the best counter attacking side of this century might actually be a good strategy? Especially when the Wallabies can consistently get over the gain line with ball in hand. I never want to see a box kick against the ABs again.
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u/AfterLeGoldrush Reds 14h ago
So many times Lonergan and Meredith had completely ineffective kick aways in the first half
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u/kiwiborger Rens Mitt Uns 14h ago
Match takes bathing in the sun:
-Is the pitch okay? Did they accidently put too much pesticide? Or did the guys in charge of the pitch too busy dealing with League?
-The Wallabies were just fucking abysmal in the 1st half. Just pure humililation right there. At least the bench was able to clean up their mess in the 2nd half and put some points in the board. But man, this is far from an acceptable performance from the Wobs. As much as I enjoyed the win against the Bokke, they are in dire need of depth, they just aren't going toe to toe with this current crop of players.
-The All Blacks on the other hand, went scorched earth at Sydney today in the 1st half, making sure the Wallabies don't get an inch. By the 2nd half, they went back to the Razor-era tactic of "not doing fucking anything in the 2nd half 'cause we have the game in the bag, that's why!" Today's gripes aside, they've improved quite a lot since the RGR tour, having a lot more fight and were able to tweak a bunch of the gaps the Boks exposed. But they definitely don't want this kind of 2nd half performance against England or even Scotland.
-Sadly Jim was not the difference we were expecting today. While he did a couple of things well on the pitch... bloke's not just fit to play a full test 80. He's one of the players off the bench that you chuck on once the opposition's tired.
-That Moorby fake out to Max Jorgensen... well that just summed up his day, ain't it? Him and Potter are magical players on a great day, so what the hell happened here?
-I am very much loving the ABs backrow. That Vaa'i-Sititi-Lakai is just JUICY. No Ardie Savea, no problem. And shoutout to Scott Barrett and Fabian Holland, these boys could have dealt even more damage had Dogroll been healthy.
-To Beauden Barrett, age truly is just a number. He's still scoring tries like it's the mid-to-late 2010s. He's going to be the next Ma'a Nonu won't he? His partnership with DMac is just awesome, now to test it with a side that can give the ABs some pressure...
-You know, I was very much worried about how Declan Meredith would go today. Glad he had a decent shift as playmaker, shame he had to go down late in the game.
-If I was Les Kiss, I would be doubtly pissed with that yellow card on Jeremy Williams. That was wayyy to harsh on him. He really didn't deserve that.
-Apart from a few oddities, the refereeing has been pretty decent, but oh my god can the TMO just fucking chill? Not only your calls are late, you're just wasting time for no fucking reason other than you wanting some attention on you.
Anyway, that's all I've got for now. See you all in the next match, and cheers for now.
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand 13h ago
I cannot fathom why Moorby was shafted after missing one tackle in SA for Carter. He's ahead of Carter all day for me and the guy we need to persist with.
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u/Taranaki_Snapper Hurricanes 12h ago
Moorbs is twice the player that Carter is...so, like a 14s player/22-28, depending on which wing?
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u/madmishninja 13h ago
Most rugby teams these days seem to fall apart at the 40 point mark in my opinion. Majority of games I have watched where the team is racing ahead and gets to 40 seem to fall into a pit of unstructured mess with set pieces a distant memory.
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u/Sure_Association_561 India 10h ago
The ABs did all their damage in the first 40 though. This game had like 60 minutes of garbage time.
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u/vagzillamagilla Reds 13h ago
The williams card is when the video ref should come in and say no that is wrong, and not for what ever he wanted to get out of the Meredith no try. If we have to have the video ref they have to pull their heads in not to make it about them and actually speak up when the refs and touchies are wrong.
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u/castle6831 13h ago edited 13h ago
To me the inconsistency was astonishing. A clear mistake from the ref. And not a peep from the TMO. But then TMO interjects claiming foul play from five minutes earlier, and is blatantly wrong. You can't have it both ways. I like TMO only being there if ref asks. But my god what a howler.
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u/drunkjesus 14h ago
is Lakai a future captain? He's integral to this team already.
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u/Particular_Safety569 New Zealand 14h ago
Hes our 7 i reckon
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u/Frod02000 where olimathis 14h ago
You say this but the only reason he’s playing is there’s two players missing from the Rennie no 1 squad.
Jacobson and Savea were both very good in SA
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u/Super_Vegeta All Blacks 13h ago
How likely is Ardie going to stay in NZ after next years WC, though? He'll be 34 after it. (Not speculating, but a genuine question)
Jacobson being 29 could definitely go another WC cycle.
While Lakai is only 23, he's still got plenty of years ahead of him(assuming form and health, of.)
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u/Frod02000 where olimathis 13h ago
definitely agree Ardie probably isnt staying long after the WC, theres a lions series in 28 which would be the very latest
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u/taurangastevens North Harbour 12h ago
Didn't he sign with the Blues for a year, calling it his last contract? He was in the last Lions squad too. He's 100% gone after the world cup.
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u/Particular_Safety569 New Zealand 13h ago
Yep but lakai has been our best player every game he has started
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u/Frod02000 where olimathis 13h ago
and the wallabies are clearly not the springboks
it does give rennie something to think about re: selection but he's definitely not locked the jersey down
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u/Bubbly_Basil2528 Australia 14h ago
If that game had gone another 40 - 80 minutes we obviously would’ve won. ABs lucky.
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u/dobo042 Hurricanes 14h ago
Beudy renaissance. Great first half considering we didn't have many of our first choice players in their position. Unfortunately Tavatavanawai or Kirifi didn't put their hand up as much as I wanted but I think we are building well for the world cup.
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u/damoomad Manawatu Turbos 14h ago
Can see why its been said Tavatavanawai needs to work on his fitness, was lacking there in support at times.
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u/Weirddude102 14h ago
In fairness, some of the guys around him were missing tackles, which means he has to cover a lot more ground chasing people on defense.
He's definitely a bench player, though.
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u/wild___turkey Hurricanes 4h ago
Bench players need to be fit enough to play 80 mins. Look what happened to Tupaea today, out in the first minute of the game. We can’t afford to have Jim on the bench in important games if he’s not fit enough for our play style
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u/maybeonmars Boks 14h ago edited 14h ago
Hang in there Aus, you'll be a different team in 12 months. You showed heart in the second half.
ABs clinical as usual, Beaudie gonna go down as one of the all-time greats in this game. Not seeing Ardie these last two games feels like our games when Siya doesn't play. Great leaders both of them
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u/No-Bison-5397 Melbourne Rebels 14h ago
you'll be a different team in 12 months.
The ARU love an 8 year plan to win the world cup for the first 3 years of the cycle.
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u/vote-morepork New Zealand 14h ago
First half last week + second half this week and the Wallabies win 28-24, just need to string the two together.
On the other hand, the other way around is 69-12
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u/turbosfan19 New Zealand 14h ago edited 13h ago
Beaudy, Lakai and Holland were brilliant in this match.
No way Lord should be ahead of Holland again. Beaudy's best performance this year easily and really was a flashback to 2016. Lakai absolute talent and I don't think we've seen his ceiling yet.
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u/cycomanic Sweden 14h ago
The BB doubters really need to eat some humble pie. Last week he showed how much difference he makes in defence, and today he showed that he still has it in attack as well.
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u/exscalliber Waikato 14h ago
I’ll say that I was a doubter. More so as the 10 role rather than 15. Looked great today, as well as Reiko who I also had written off. BB has shown he still deserves a spot in the team. Although, I think he’s a better 15 than 10 at this point in his career.
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u/BSnapZ New Zealand 14h ago
I’ve been asking for the DMac + BB combo for years…
Feeling very vindicated now! If only we’d tried it years earlier!
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u/refer_to_user_guide Australia 14h ago
People will complain that Pearce didn’t really make any calls or “manage” the breakdown. I, for one, enjoy it and hope this is the new direction by World Rugby. It creates a flowing game. We should be encouraging shithousery at the breakdown unless it’s dirty.
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u/wookiegtb Australia 13h ago
Agreed. It was balanced and it kept the game going. First game in a while I wasn't frustrated with the officiating.
Except for that TMO callback. That's was bonkers. No way that was foul play.
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u/Wallet_inspector66 New Zealand 13h ago
Marius is South African, the game was just going too fast for him and he needed to try and slow it down.
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u/superdookietoiletexp 14h ago
Yeah, it was fun. Messy at times, but it felt like a new brand of rugby that is much more entertaining than the more structured style we saw during RGR.
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u/AfterLeGoldrush Reds 14h ago
Australia just doesn’t have as much depth as other sides and it is why we are not close to being top - Bell, Canham were massive when they came on.
Daugunu has been really good in small doses but not sure if he deserves a longer run and we are full up at winger
Much much better game from Meredith today but to complement that Lonergan had an absolute shocker kicking today
Maybe we can compete with Skelton, Hooper, Tupou, Gordon and mark N in the side, but the drop off from the starters is really noticeable
Last week we started our strongest and just got monstered when the benches came on.
Appreciate his effort but Aidan Ross can not play another game for the wallabies
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u/Educational_Play9910 14h ago
+ Charlie Cale, Tizzano, McReight, Bobby V and Wilson all must stay fit
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u/night_dude Hurricanes 13h ago
Tizzano made a huge difference when he came on, definitely seems like an important piece for you guys
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
Yeah he should have started over McReight.
Schmidt was much better at strategic rotations.
McReight looked tired after playing so many minutes this season - should have been put on the bench.4
u/ShowConsistent Australia 14h ago
Hopefully the Aus A tour at least decides who our second loose head is
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u/Abject-Pin3361 13h ago
I think Daugunu needs to be in the centres for the moment, would love to see him at 13....he absolutely makes defenders think twice
Merediths last chance was today I think and god I wish for him that he could've scored that try, absolutely would've been the best thing to happen to him in his development
I was just explaining our depth problem to my gf too
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u/Commercial_Cost_7902 🇦🇷Argentina Leinster 14h ago
Australia tried to play league, no need to play flashy if you are the smaller team, they lost possesion a lot because of it, and some really amateur mistakes too
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u/roonthegoon2 New Zealand 14h ago
The Wallabies have the same mental hurdle against the All Black's that the New Zealand cricket team has against the Australian Cricket Team
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u/BTrain76 New Zealand 10h ago
Great comparison. I've got tix to the Boxing Day test and I'm already prepared for a 3 day drubbing.
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u/Crazy_NZ Taranaki 14h ago
BB still has it baby! Jim showed signs but also highlighted what’s keeping him out of the team (apart from JB being world class), I think Chay and Moorby did themselves no favours unfortunately.
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u/Weirddude102 14h ago
Jim would do fine for the final 20 minutes, he's got the power we need.
I'm disappointed in Moorby, as someone who had very high hopes for him and Fehi going into the year.
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u/pikiaboom Hurricanes 11h ago
I agree he would do fine for the final 20, I feel a bit iffy about selecting him with the in mind, players do get injured and I think he is such a significant step down from basically every other option if he needs to play significant minutes.
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u/Goatslasagne NSW Waratahs 14h ago
I’ve never been pegged before but I imagine the annual Bledisloe experience is akin to it
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u/LionelLutz Australia 14h ago
By that logic, it’s something you look forward too but feel sad and humiliated by it afterwards only to vow that you’ll try again next year and it will be different then… for the next 20 years
Fuck this
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u/TightPerformance6447 Sharks 14h ago
Disappointing game. Started so well but the first half was pretty shocking.
Much better second half from the wallabies at least
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u/Op1am Fijian Drua 13h ago
This is not a suprise. Australia are at best a 5-8th ranked team. The gulf between the top 2-3 and the rest is huge. I live across a rugby club in Sydney. They had various age grade games today. A lot of talent in the junior ranks. However, most of these folks will be lost to league. That's just the reality here. More opportunity to earn a living. Unless you live in Australia, it's hard to fathom how much of a pull the NRL and AFL has. Sucks that the Wallabies can't be as competive as they were decades ago. But we need to accept it and move on.
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u/refer_to_user_guide Australia 14h ago
For Halloween I’m dressing up as a Fijian phonebook and knocking on Sean Maloney’s door.
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u/enzedkev New Zealand 14h ago
Love the solid scrums between the teams , no dirty tactics just brut strength, the way it should be
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u/APoolShark Australia 14h ago
lol and the players have the audacity to demand more pay from the WC
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u/joggsie New Zealand 14h ago
Did the wallabies come back or both teams just switch off after first half? Neither team really fired in the second 40 to their normal level
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u/fleakill Reds 14h ago
I think Kiss had some better players on the bench while NZ best players started
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u/Shadrockbolt Australia 14h ago
The Wallabies calmed down and stopped kicking it away
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
Yeah holding possession made a big difference for sure.
Both teams can repeatedly cut each other open in attack, so it all comes down to possession.
30+ line breaks all up is insane
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u/coupleandacamera Crusaders 14h ago
Strong wobs bench, weaker AB bench, shit bag frizzel left early and we dropped to 14 then the yellow.
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u/tomtomtomo All Blacks 14h ago
The TMO giving the players a rest after that manic end-to-end sequence by pretending that holding your leg off the ground is foul play.
Well done, TMO. The players appreciated it.
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u/FruitfulFraud Australia 14h ago
ABs just much more professional, composed and motivated.
They looked like professionals. The Wallabies looked like talented amateurs. Some players like Jorgensen have undeniable talent and motivation, but are let down by the player next to them.
Unless Rugby Australia gets proper funding so we attract talent from League/AFL this may be our spot in world rugby. NZ is in the rare position of having rugby as their main sport.
It's very hard to watch a team with some great players make so many dumb mistakes, over and over.
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u/night_dude Hurricanes 13h ago
They really did make some literal schoolboy mistakes. Biting that hard on the Moorby dummy, the two kickoffs to touch, the constant passes over the sideline. But in bursts they played really well.
I want to say they're coming along/building but you guys must get really sick of hearing that at this point. You've been building nicely for a decade or more.
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
There’s no building. We are a solid 6-10th ranked team, and have been for 5 years now. We haven’t been getting better or worse over that time, just staying about the same.
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u/Dorsiflexionkey Blues 14h ago
What’s wrong with the funding in rugby Australia? I thought wallabies get paid fine? The grassroots comp in Australia is not as competitive as their AFL or nz grass roots.
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u/Brother_Mish Australia 14h ago
We give 5 mil to a bloke who can't tackle - Grassroots junior footy dies off pretty hard in the last couple years before colts if you're not at private school or playing for one of the big 4 clubs. Combined with increasing competitiveness of league to scalp players it's a losing battle.
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u/Careless-Cat3327 South Africa 13h ago
I remember meeting my mum's friend way back in 2012 - his boys were still in school in Australia. His one son was absolutely brillant sports wise and had offers to go with union, league or AFL.
Him & his friends didn't even consider Union back then. Out of the group of 20 guys from his U18 group, 12 went AFL and 7 went league with 1 guy deciding he had enough of sports.
He was saying the lack of development at that level was shocking. He went to several u18 training camps for union and for league and the difference in how they treated the boys was massive. None of that group of boys had any interest in going back to Union because of it.
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u/FruitfulFraud Australia 13h ago
Surely we have an early exit from that contract.
Massive gaps in defense because he can't tackle or jackal. He is only suitable as a winger, without Len Ikitau to cover for him, the problem is exposed very clearly.
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u/FruitfulFraud Australia 13h ago
Nah, a player in Super Rugby gets a fraction of what you get in league. There is no encouragement for talent to move to rugby. Only people who can't get a spot on a league team, true believers, and those who think they'll get a pay day on the national team commit.
You only get paid well if you are a Wallaby. If you are in super league, it's a tradies wage but your body is getting torn up.
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
We can’t offer all the top school kids 100k contracts like league can.
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u/Dorsiflexionkey Blues 11h ago
This is also true for New Zealand too which is why we’re losing a lot of talent.
All of my friends who weren’t good enough for super rugby either left to Japan or the nrl.
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u/nice_flutin_ralphie Australia 12h ago
The 700 professionals in the NRL who share a rugby style body shape play about 800 AFL players really takes away our top possible athletes outside of those who come through the very narrow Rugby channels in Brisbane and Sydney.
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u/AfterLeGoldrush Reds 12h ago
Don’t forget basketball also takes away some that would fit locks / outside backs !
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u/coupleandacamera Crusaders 13h ago
Only having a grassroots- professional pathway in 3 states and 1 territory is an issue, regional rugby is fairly stunted without a clear way to bridge the gap.
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u/jaden_at_the_4 14h ago
Damo seems to have real chemistry with Satiti and Lakai. The hole running and athleticism is a joy to watch. Really makes you appreciate the SA defense though.
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u/turbosfan19 New Zealand 14h ago
What will Mark Watson's excuse for Beauden Barrett not being up to it on Tuesday be on the DSPN roundtable?
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u/chocolateturtle456 Hurricanes 14h ago
We started really well but our bench made basically no impact
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u/glashgkullthethird 14h ago
At least if you support the Dragons or Essendon there's the hope that things eventually will come back around because you're ultimately playing by the same rules as every other team in the NRL/AFL, but with the fucking Wallabies there is no hope because this shit is structural. St Kilda fans probably are in a better mood than us
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u/SagalaUso 🇼🇸🇳🇿 14h ago
I think a big advantage as well is all the IP that Rennie has on all the players and Australian rugby and mindset. He even knows the mentality of the players are like when going up against the All Blacks. Coupled with the advantages already there, that's a huge mountain to climb for the Wallabies.
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
What a weird game.
Australia had more possession, more territory, more line breaks, more defenders beaten, more post-contact metres.
Yet still got smashed.
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u/wewilldieoneday 14h ago
Aussies win the Bledisloe or the Black Caps win the Trans Tasman. What do we reckon is happening first? One of these is bound to happen sooner or later.
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u/snomanDS Hurricanes 13h ago
Bledisloe.
Wallabies get to attempt every year while Black Caps play every 3 years or so.
Also that mental hurdle has been going for far longer. One test win in 36 years or something.
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u/UnfortunatelySimple New Zealand 14h ago
Black Caps
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u/wewilldieoneday 14h ago
If the cricket gods are kind to the Blackcaps and by some miracle they have a full strength squad to choose from, then there is hope for the upcoming tour. But it's the hope that kills you.
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u/SaltyCommunication66 Australia 13h ago
Honestly don’t think either will happen in anyone’s lifetime.
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u/flamebomber Hurricanes Hawke's Bay 14h ago
I know there's no consoling the fans rn, but I really do hope the Wallabies hang in there, Keep building throughout November and beyond, and not let this series weigh them down.
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u/SaltyCommunication66 Australia 13h ago
We love building! We will just keep building that Wallabies side! Labourers been working there for 20 years on the site but soon the build will be over! We’re gonna build through that northern hemisphere season and hang in there! Even when the going gets tough, the tough just gonna have to get going! And that’s what we Wallabies are all about! We walk the talk and we get right in there! Always building for better 👊
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u/flamebomber Hurricanes Hawke's Bay 11h ago
Not even god can confound their speech and clip them of their ambition. Not when they're building this tower!
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u/Specific-Librarian33 14h ago
Yellow card to aussies in 1st half for "cynical play" was BS. Why did they not check it upstairs?? The sideline got it wrong!
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u/PerilousTimes43 All Blacks 13h ago
Australia were really hampered by basics going wrong. Inaccuracy in catch pass really bombed a lot of opportunities for them
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
Yeah the number of unforced errors was insane. Rugbypass has it at 13!
We had 17 line breaks, but only scored three tries. Very poor conversion rate.
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u/LeafInTonysSpyShack New Zealand 14h ago
Bench was very mid. Big Jim sadly isn’t a starter. Beaudy still got it. Fuck Marius Jonker. Bring on Europe
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u/Weirddude102 14h ago
I should hope Jim wouldn't be starting over Jordie. But I think there's a bench role for him. We need more power on the bench.
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u/Ruckthesystem I just hope everyone has fun 13h ago
I would prefer Leicester as the "power" joker off the bench. He would have at least been fit enough to allow Beaudy to walk in a try.
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u/Chineselegolas Blues 14h ago
NZ opened strong, and then barely held it together despite the score line
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u/Weirddude102 14h ago
Lost Tupaea, both hookers got hurt, Frizell came on and went right back off with an injury. Am I missing anything else?
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u/Accomplished-Sale-55 New Zealand 14h ago
Yeah the bench didn't gel at all.
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u/binzoma Hurricanes 14h ago
we had our 4th and 5th choice midfielders out there, and were down a midfielder for the last 20 mins entirely
with our backup 10 and backup 15
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u/mirrorballin07 14h ago
don't think you can read too much into a half with so many injuries on key players and down 2 on the field
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u/AddMeOnBeboPls Highlanders 14h ago
I mean Henry is in the wider All Blacks side. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s giving strategic tips to Rennie in the build up to the World Cup.
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u/Weirddude102 14h ago
Sorry guys, I tuned in for the second half and I'm pretty sure I'm cursed when it comes to rugby. Just throw that second half in the garbage and pretend it never happened.
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u/Yestomorrow 14h ago
Not impressed by the ABs second half at all
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u/Lflan123 New Zealand 14h ago
Codie taylor agrees
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u/Draft_16-2_Final_3 Australia 14h ago
Codie Taylor being sat down by Angus Bell's hand was very funny. He's such a big, unmovable guy it was just so unexpected to see.
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u/Neat_Perspective7569 Blues 14h ago
Shocking 2nd half. Timoci blew it. I don't know who on the bench improved the game. Maybe Rieko gets a pass having to come on early days
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u/wookiegtb Australia 14h ago
Takeaways... And I expect people to disagree
Meredith can do it. Its a head space issue. I think he has the skill, but not the confidence.
Henry could be a Mortlock. Powerful running but needs someone who can find him when the gaps appear.
Dungunu... Maybe best as a 12? He made a huge difference today.
Jorgo, Marky, JAS as back three. That's enticing. JAS is not a centre.
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u/BetterGetALawyer Australia 13h ago
Agree on everything but keep JAS out of the team. What about wright?
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u/MumblesNZ 13h ago
First choice back row has to be Vaai, Lakai, Savea when all available for me - with Sititi on the bench and to step in as starter once Ardie leaves (probably after the World Cup?). Can’t leave Lakai out at this point and I think Wallace is the future at 8
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u/HandlessSpermDonor 14h ago
Rugby is a game of halves. I’m just going to pretend the first half of this game and the second half of the first game didn’t happen. That way we won 28-24.
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u/annoyingly_annoying New Zealand 14h ago
Dupes is not it, Jim not the difference, Cortez is not it either
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u/zerosuneuphoria New Zealand 13h ago
Poor Jim looked so gassed. BB shows the fitness needed to be an AB. Jim is an impact player but that's it.
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u/Charlie_Runkle69 New Zealand 13h ago
I didn't think Pledger had any chance to make the world cup squad after being out for all of this year, but none of the back ups to Roigard have stepped up at all this year. Maybe he has a shot still.
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u/pikiaboom Hurricanes 11h ago
Preston has been excellent with the minutes he's got, I think Pledger would have to have one hell of a season to be contesting with Ratima for spot in the squad
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u/know-it-mall Highlanders 9h ago
Your definition of excellent and mine are very different.
His passing accuracy and decision making are very inconsistent so far.
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u/punyweakling New Zealand 13h ago
Yeah Cortez is awful. Slow, looking around, chatting with everyone. Never gets into the ball for quick clearance it's maddening.
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u/2dorks1brush Australia 14h ago
Biggest thing in our favour next year is that we don’t have to beat NZ to progress far in the tournament. I give us a decent chance against anyone else on our day.
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u/Taranaki_Snapper Hurricanes 13h ago
Was the Stan feed shit for everyone or just my pub? (got so bad they switched to ch.9...)
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u/know-it-mall Highlanders 13h ago
Yea it was buffering for a few seconds every 5-10 minutes the whole game.
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u/nomamesgueyz New Zealand 13h ago
Well done NZ
Accumulative score across league and rugby in Sydney this weekend NZ v Aus and NZ come out on top ;)
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u/matevs_whatevs Australia 14h ago
Strangely I actually back Meredith a bit after that game. Not first pick, but he earned his place in the mix. Created some good things when his confidence was on the up. I don’t think Donno would have changed much. Gordon maybe would have. That said it’s still 1 Gordon 2 Donno 3 Meredith but he earned his spot in the squad by the end
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u/Curious_Skeptic7 Australia 11h ago
Agree.
I feel like Meredith has a higher ceiling than Donno.
He just needs to learn how to not put kick-offs out, and to pass to no-one.
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u/Icy_Craft2416 New Zealand ¦ Sean Maloney enjoyer 13h ago
Tavatavanawai was ok. Was totally gassed by the time he went off. The two penalties will be the thing that burns him.
Dupes didn't really get a chance. Team was ass by the time he came on.
Two unluggy injuries to tupaea and frizzle probably contributed to the shitty final 30 minutes.
Fabian Holland was in everything. That was great to see.
Why is our line out still so shit?
Defense was interesting this week. Wallabies must have seen something with the way they kept trying to go around it. I think they score at least two more tries if passes go to hand.
Meredith should be proud of his start imo. Couple of skill errors but still had a Crack.
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u/castle6831 13h ago
I'm a one eyed Big Jim supporter. But not the sort of showing we wanted today. Fitness needs to be better, and you can't make dumb moves like that and expect to be in a test side.
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u/exscalliber Waikato 14h ago
Yeah, big Jim ain’t it. He wasn’t particularly effective at all for a guy nicknamed “the difference”. This should be a wake-up call for ABs supporters to stop doubting selectors all the time, but it won’t change anything. You could argue that he might be different on the bench when he is only expected to play 20 or so minutes. He’s a fine enough player, but he just doesn’t fit the 12 role in the black jersey.
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u/meohmyenjoyingthat I am the Lomax, I speak for the scrum 14h ago
QT gotta go to 12 when Jord is down, with Rieko or Proctor. When they're both out, God help us
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u/pikiaboom Hurricanes 11h ago
Faingaanuku in the mix too, I think with QT and Jordie we are pretty set for 12 though
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u/logemaru 14h ago
Clearly a bit of a B team... Lost the plot in the second half
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u/CursedorBlessed 14h ago
Wallabies just aren’t that good. They get into pressure, make mistakes and then concede points. Rinse and repeat.
There’s a reason why every NZ captain and player when you interview them uses the word clinical. It’s because that’s what they are thinking about.
13th straight loss. Embarrassing for Australians everywhere and no improvement in sight.
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u/Neat_Perspective7569 Blues 14h ago
Nah it's just an ab thing they have. I'm looking forward to the rest of their year
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u/Dolamite09 Blues 13h ago
I feel like the ABs are just kryptonite to the Wallabies because they play similar styles but the ABs just do it better with more precision and if the Wallabies have any injuries they don’t have the depth to cover the loss of players like the ABs do. Wouldn’t be surprised if Aus beat Eng or Sco on the end of year tour
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u/StorminSean Stormers 14h ago
They are building and have shown some really excellent quality. But they lack depth and lost a few people who were instrumental over the 6 games before NZ. Hopefully, the back up players will be better for it and be able tk step up a little better.
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u/Express-Ad-565 14h ago
We are exceptionally good at losing little moments. Didn’t happen this test but an example was in game one when we gave away a lineout penalty after half time and being in attack. We give away the penalty the all blacks score and all of the sudden we are down again. The wallabies have a bit of a block against the all blacks. I’ve always felt more confident against the saffas we seem to match them well. But damn I just want the wallabies to win instead of giving me false hope
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u/cycomanic Sweden 14h ago
Hope that WJ is not seriously injured as well. Didn't hear why he was taken off.
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u/nomamesgueyz New Zealand 13h ago
Looks like a great crowd
What a treat for them seeing some great AB tries
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u/Informal_Mention9836 Fullback 10h ago
Les Kiss is such a chill guy.
Another coach would have smashed that desk away after his 10 had butchered the kick-off twice in a row with the team under pressure
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u/tomtomtomo All Blacks 14h ago
Fun fact:
Even though Beauden Barrett was named 2017 World Rugby Player of the Year for the second year in a row, he failed to win 2017 Taranaki Sports Person of the Year.
His brother, Jordie, won it instead.