Fifteen years' worth of successes: the Wallabies' wins over the All Blacks since they lost the Bledisloe Cup
Since the early 1930’s New Zealand and Australia have regularly fought tooth and nail for the prized Bledisloe Cup.
The massive trophy has been contested annually since 1982, with the trophy awarded each year to the team who records the most wins between the two Australasian nations.
Over the 21 years spanning 1982 to 2002, New Zealand had a slight advantage over their Pacific neighbours, locking down the trophy 13 times. Australia, however, also enjoyed a small period of dominance. The Wallabies managed to hold onto the Bledisloe Cup for five years in a row between 1998 and 2002.
Since 2003, however, there’s been a massive fall in Australia’s stocks.
It’s now been 15 years since the once-proud Australians last held the Bledisloe. They ceded it in 2003 after the All Blacks dominated proceedings in Sydney, then held on to grind out a close victory back home at Eden Park – and New Zealand haven’t given it up since.
A history of failure
Depending on who you ask, you’ll find wildly different explanations for why the trophy has not crossed the Tasman in the last decade and a half.
New Zealand, of course, has dominated world rugby in recent times – more so even than they traditionally have in the past. Since the start of the 2004 season the All Blacks have lost just 23 matches. Considering that Australia would need to beat New Zealand twice in once season to win back the Bledisloe, it’s not hard to see why they might struggle against a side that’s gone from strength to strength.
The All Blacks’ world dominance has coincided with a considerable weakening in the Wallabies. Australia entered the 2004 season having won almost 70% of their matches since rugby went professional in 1996. The last fifteen years, however, has seen their win rate drop to just 55%.
The way the Bledisloe is awarded also plays into the hands of the holders. The challenging team needs to bank over half the wins in any series in order to prise the Cup off the holder. Historically that’s meant the challenger has needed two wins from two matches (or a win and a draw).
Recent series have mixed things up. The three-match series, which has been predominant over the last fifteen years, gives the challengers an extra opportunity to reclaim the Bledisloe. From 2008 to 2010, prying the Bledisloe Cup off the holders became practically impossible, however, with four games played in the series. Given the relatively close nature of the competition, the chances of the challenger absolutely dominating the holder are slim to none – so the Cup was realistically never going to change hands during those four-match series with New Zealand as the defenders.
A number of factors have obviously contributed to the All Blacks’ fifteen-year reign, but the Wallabies have still managed to snaffle wins on the odd occasion – usually when New Zealand has least expected it. Relive the seven victories that Australia have claimed since 2004.
August 7, 2004 – Sydney
The holder for 2004 was unfortunately decided before the second match even took place, with New Zealand triumphing 16-7 in Wellington a few weeks earlier. Still, there was plenty of motivation for the Wallabies; the All Blacks had won the last three Bledisloe matches on the trot.
Graham Henry had taken over the All Blacks at the start of 2004 and was yet to lose a match, which didn’t bode well for the Eddie Jones-coached Wallabies. Less than a year earlier, however, Australia toppled New Zealand at the same ground in the semi-final stages of the 2003 World Cup – which gave the men in gold a small boost heading into the game.
Over 83,000 fans turned out, only to see the visitors take an early 9-0 lead. George Smith, however, started to impose himself on the match and his efficiency at the breakdown – combined with the lack of forward support provided by the All Blacks – saw the Wallabies draw level at 12-all near half-time. The final penalty, to tie the scores, came after a yellow card to Ali Williams due to New Zealand’s repeated infringements.
It was a try to former league star Lote Tuqiri that finally pushed Australia ahead by what came to be an insurmountable margin – with Smith throwing the final pass.
Australia ultimately triumphed 23-18, with Tuqiri’s score the sole try of the match. Matt Giteau, Matt Burke, Dan Carter, Carlos Spencer and Andrew Mehrtens all contributed points off the boot.
The win didn’t give the Wallabies the Bledisloe Cup, but it did contribute to them finishing ahead of the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations. New Zealand finished bottom of the table – for only the second time in history.
June 30, 2007 – Melbourne
2007 saw the Bledisloe Cup clash travel to Melbourne for just the third time since the game had gone professional. The last time that the Wallabies had hosted the All Blacks at the MCG, the home side emerged with a 24-16 victory.
The match in Melbourne was the first game between the two sides for the 2007 season. The last five derbies had all fallen New Zealand’s way, with the closest game between the teams being a 13-9 win to the All Blacks a year earlier in Brisbane.
2007 was a World Cup year, which meant that one eye was always going to be looking ahead to the flagship tournament in France at the end of the season. Controversy blew up early in the Tri-Nations when the Springboks revealed they would be sending a considerably weakened team to Australasia for the latter stages of the tournament. Whilst this was ostensibly to avoid over-playing their top players, medical reports provided by South Africa explained away the absences.
Both New Zealand and Australia kicked off their campaigns with matches in the Republic, with Australia going down 22-19 and New Zealand winning by five points, which gave the All Blacks a little bit more momentum heading into their clash.
New Zealand were still trying to figure out who their top centre was when the Tri-Nations kicked off, which meant that Luke McAlister was handed the 13 jersey for the game. Australia, in contrast, had the well-travelled combination of Matt Giteau and Stirling Mortlock lining up in the midfield.
The All Blacks were heavy favourites and started accordingly, dotting down in just the 3rd minute and building up a 15-6 lead at halftime. A 61st minute yellow card to Carl Hayman proved decisive, with the Wallabies accruing two tries during his sinbinning, to wings Adam Ashley-Cooper and Scott Staniforth. The final score fell 20-15 in favour of the home side.
July 26, 2008 – Sydney
Barely a year later, the Wallabies were back at it again – and this won once again came on the hallowed Sydney turf.
Disastrous World Cup campaigns in 2007 saw both the All Blacks and the Wallabies knocked out of the competition in the quarter-final stages. That marked just the second time that the Australians had failed to make the semi-finals, and the first time for New Zealand.
The big story heading into the first Bledisloe Cup encounter for the year was that former Crusaders coach Robbie Deans had taken over at the Wallabies after missing out on the All Blacks head coaching role. Henry had managed to retain his job after the miserable World Cup.
What transpired was one of Australia’s biggest ever victories over New Zealand – and the largest over the last fifteen years. Notably, Richie McCaw was invalided from the match due to injury.
Brad Thorn was sent to the bin just four minutes into the match and the Wallabies built up a 10-0 lead in his absence. New Zealand took the lead for the first time in the 44th minute, 19-17, but that was to be the All Blacks’ final score of the game. Tries to Rocky Elsom and James Horwill in the second half, combined with the prodigious kicking of Matt Giteau, saw the Wallabies take the game 34-19.
October 30, 2010 – Hong Kong
Between 2008 and 2010, the fourth Bledisloe Cup match was taken to Asia. Japan played hosts in 2009 and Hong Kong were the lucky partners in 2008 and 2010.
The 2010 Bledisloe in Hong Kong, of course, has gone down in history.
New Zealand entered the match on a 15-match overall winning streak and were undefeated against Australia in 11 games. The All Blacks were on track to make history – but the Wallabies had other ideas.
Dan Carter had helped guide New Zealand to a 24-12 lead when he was benched in the 60th minute. In came Stephen Donald, who received the brunt of the criticism in the wake of the eventual lost. Australia fought back to 19-24 and after Donald missed a fairly regulation kick, which could have put the game beyond doubt, the Wallabies struck.
A poor clearance kick from Donald saw the Australian back-three counter attack and the All Blacks failed to number up on defence. Australia fought their way into the New Zealand 22 then spun the ball wide for James O’Connor to touch down and tie the scores up 24-all.
The 20-year-old O’Connor was then tasked with arguably the most important kick of his career – and he nailed the sideline conversion to give the Wallabies the win.
Donald went on to redeem himself a year later at the World Cup, but the memory of the Hong Kong loss still sits in the minds of many New Zealand fans.
August 27, 2011 – Brisbane
Like 2007, the Wallabies managed to spring a surprise on the All Blacks in a World Cup year. Unfortunately, a win for New Zealand earlier in the month meant that the Bledisloe was not on the line going into this match. The booby prize of a World Cup year, however, the Tri-Nations trophy, was still up for grabs – and this match would decide who topped the ladder.
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Both sides fielded close to full-strength lineups, with only a handful of changes made to both teams between this match and the World Cup semi-final the teams would contest just months later.
Australia built an early lead, taking a massive 20-3 advantage into the halftime break. The hero of the first period was indisputably 35-year-old Radike Samo, who sprinted for 60m to score a try off of a lineout.
New Zealand actually fought back to level the game 20-all in the 59th minute, courtesy of tries to the midfield pairing of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith. The Wallabies found a second gear just moments later, however, with Kurtley Beale dashing through the NZ defence to give the Wallabies the 25-20 lead. This was to be the final scoring act of the match.
The win handed the Wallabies the Tri-Nations trophy for the first time since 2001, and meant they were the final team to claim the prize, with the competition re-branding as the Rugby Championship a year later.
When the two rivals clashed again in the World Cup knockout round later that year, it was New Zealand who ultimately came out on top.
August 8, 2015 – Sydney
It took almost four more years for Australia to finally notch up another win over New Zealand – and it once again came in a World Cup year.
Everything was on the line heading into the early August match. Both sides were sitting on two victories from two games, giving the Australasian neighbours a shot at the title and a big advantage heading into the second Bledisloe encounter, which would play out just a week later.
The game didn’t really kick off until the second-half, with the two sides trading penalties in the first period to give the All Blacks a 6-3 advantage.
Experienced Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu scored his first ever test try shortly after the break – right after Aaron Smith was yellow carded for a high shot. New Zealand responded in kind when the Wallabies’ own halfback, Nick Phipps, was also binned. Nehe Milner-Skudder touched down to give NZ a 14-10 lead. The flying winger was in the action once again less than ten minutes later and pushed the All Blacks out to 19 points.
It was all Australia from that point on, however, with replacement halfback Nic White managing a penalty, a try and a conversion in the final 12 minutes to hand the Wallabies the win.
The Wallabies claimed the Rugby Championship trophy – in what was and still is the only year that the All Blacks did not top the ladder. The All Blacks got revenge seven days later, thumping the Wallabies 41-13 at Eden Park.
October 21, 2017 – Brisbane
In 2017, Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium once again hosted a Bledisloe encounter.
The Queensland Reds’ home ground has proved one of the most successful fields for the Wallabies in recent years – at least when coming up against their brothers in black.
Since the victory in 2011, Australia had managed an 18-all draw, and a 28-29 loss to New Zealand. Sure, they weren’t wins – but beggars can’t be choosers.
New Zealand went into the match knowing they already had the Bledisloe Cup wrapped up after trumping Australia twice in the Rugby Championship – but there was still no expectation that they would take the Wallabies lightly.
Reece Hodge profited off a mistimed Lima Sopoaga pass to scoot away for the first try with just 7 minutes on the clock. Points were traded back in forth in the lead up to halftime, with New Zealand taking a 13-12 advantage into the break.
Opposing wingers Marika Koroibete and Rieko Ioane both dotted down in the second half to keep the game tight. With minutes left on the clock, the All Blacks looked to attack from a quick lineout at half way but lock Patrick Tuipulotu obstructed the Wallabies defence, giving Hodge the opportunity to advance Australia’s cause. He kicked the 55-metre goal, putting the Wallabies out to 23-18, and that was enough to get the Wallabies home.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments