‘We know we can beat them’: Wallabies’ World Cup pool fate revealed

The Wallabies are on an 11-Test losing streak against the All Blacks that dates back to November 2020, but they aren’t backing down from the challenge that awaits – drawn in Pool A alongside their arch-rivals ahead of Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027.

Australia and New Zealand will meet in pool play at the sport’s showpiece event for the first time, with Wednesday’s draw pitting the two Southern Hemisphere heavyweights against Chile and tournament newcomers Hong Kong China.

It’s been more than five years since the Wallabies defeated the All Blacks, claiming a tense two-point victory at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on November 7. The Wallabies have lost by an average margin of 15 points in their last 11 meetings with their Trans-Tasman foe.

The All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup for another year with two wins in The Rugby Championship, but the match at Eden Park was fairly close deep in the second half, before lively halfback Cam Roigard raced away for the match-sealing effort.

There were shades of promise and potential from a Wallabies side that beat the British & Irish Lions and the Springboks in Johannesburg earlier in 2025. Captain Harry Wilson is confident the Wallabies “know we can beat” the All Blacks.

“We’re obviously stoked to get the All Blacks. They’re a team we love versing, we verse them quite a lot. In a World Cup, if you want to win it, you’ve got to beat the best teams and they’re obviously one of the top teams in the world,” Wilson told reporters.

“Obviously that’s been disappointing but… this year, in both Tests, we had opportunities. The game was there with 15 minutes to go and we didn’t nail them.

“Hopefully, where we’re going as a team, we can keep improving and in the next year or two, start winning some of those big moments which we haven’t won so far.

“I know as a group, we know we can beat them. We’ve shown to ourselves how capable we are but we’ve just got to pull together for 80 minutes.”

The Wallabies have played the All Blacks more than 180 times, but are yet to take on either of their other confirmed World Cup opponents. This will be Hong Kong China’s first Rugby World Cup appearance, while Chile qualified for the last tournament in France.

Joe Schmidt will be succeeded by Les Kiss as the Wallabies head coach well before the World Cup, with the changeover happening after the first three rounds of the inaugural Nations Championship during next year’s July international window.

Schmidt coached Ireland against New Zealand at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, before serving as an All Blacks assistant two years ago. The current Wallabies coach spoke candidly after Australia’s World Cup fate was confirmed.

“It’s really exciting. The Wallabies will play [New Zealand] four times in the lead-up and it gives you a great opportunity to really plot a path to get up and organise for that game,’ Schmidt said.

“Chile and Hong Kong China, they’re two newcomers that will challenge you in a different way; challenge you to keep that level of performance to a certain height so that when you hit the round of 16, you hit the ground running.

“I’m excited about the pathway that we can plot in between now and the next time we play New Zealand, but then also beyond that.

“I know that Les [Kiss] is pretty excited about where the team can get to… we didn’t have a good November and it’s impossible to hide that we didn’t have a good November. There ere glimpses though and we can still build on those glimpses after a bit of an emotional rollercoaster of a year.

“Les is pretty excited to get started. Had a couple of good conversations with him today.”