New Zealand Secures Solid Win Over Australia

Beauden Barrett (left) made his first start at fly-half for New Zealand in this Rugby Championship campaign.

New Zealand concluded their Rugby Championship campaign with a solid 33-13 victory over a vastly improved Australia in Wellington. The Wallabies started strong with flanker Fraser McReight scoring the opening try after sustained pressure. However, the All Blacks quickly countered by scoring tries from their back three which included Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and Caleb Clarke.

In the second half, prop Tamaiti Williams powered over and Clarke capped off the scoring, solidifying the win. New Zealand captain Scott Barrett expressed his satisfaction with reversing the “Wellington curse,” acknowledging the team’s slow start but commending their grit in defense. He also paid tribute to former captain Sam Cane, who played his 100th match, highlighting Cane’s dedication throughout his career.

With this victory, New Zealand secured the Bledisloe Cup for the 22nd consecutive year, following their 31-28 win in Sydney the previous weekend. The win propelled Scott Robertson’s team to second place in the championship standings pending the outcome of South Africa’s match against Argentina later that day. Despite suffering two losses to the Springboks and one to Argentina, the All Blacks failed to reclaim the Rugby Championship title.

This outcome marked Scott Robertson’s first tournament as head coach. For Australia, under Joe Schmidt, this championship concluded with only one win against the Pumas, leaving them at the bottom of the table for the second year running. Australia captain Harry Wilson acknowledged his team’s strong start but lamented their inability to capitalize on opportunities in the second half.

Both teams will look to use their experiences from this championship as motivation for upcoming northern hemisphere Tests in November.

Cataleya