New Zealand beat Australia 50-19 at Eden Park on Saturday night in the first Bledisloe Cup Test. The win keeps the trophy in New Zealand for a 24th straight year.
Australia led early and trailed only 17-14 at half-time. The All Blacks then pulled clear with a run of tries after the break, and the Guardian summed up the night as Bledisloe Cup misery extending to a 24th year.
Bledisloe Cup, first Test, Eden Park
| Result | New Zealand 50, Australia 19 |
|---|---|
| Half-time | 17-14 to New Zealand |
| Bledisloe Cup | Retained by New Zealand for a 24th year |
| Next Test | Sydney |
Sources: The Guardian; RNZ; Rugby Australia
A Close First Half
Tom Wright scored the opening try for Australia, the Guardian reported. New Zealand worked their way back in front, but the visitors stayed in touch, and captain Harry Wilson crossed just before half-time. The All Blacks went into the break 17-14 ahead.
The Second-Half Run
Cam Roigard’s try in the 48th minute started the New Zealand run, according to the Guardian. Codie Taylor, Josh Moorby, Will Jordan and Leroy Carter also scored for the hosts, and Josh Nasser got a late consolation try for Australia.
Carter, one of the New Zealand try scorers, went off after what the Guardian described as “an apparent hip drop tackle” by Rob Valetini.
Wilson spoke to Stan Sport after the match. “We came in tonight with real belief that we’d get the result and we didn’t,” he said in that post-match interview, as quoted by the Guardian.
Two Runs Over
The defeat ended the Wallabies’ six-match unbeaten run under Les Kiss, who is in his first year as coach, the Guardian reported.
The result also extended a much longer record. The All Blacks’ unbeaten run against Australia at Eden Park now extends into a fifth decade, according to the Guardian. RNZ described the Wallabies’ drought in Auckland as 40 years.
It is not the first big match this year to end badly for an Australian side. The Socceroos went out of the World Cup after a penalty shootout loss to Egypt in Dallas.
For New Zealand, the win ended a three-match losing streak for Dave Rennie’s All Blacks, RNZ reported. A crowd of almost 50,000 was at Eden Park to see it.
Rennie also had two familiar faces back. Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell both returned to Test rugby in the win, according to RNZ.
On to Sydney
New Zealand have retained the Bledisloe Cup, but the two sides meet again in Sydney next Saturday for the second Test.
Australia will be without Len Ikitau (concussion) and Jordan Petaia (ankle), who have been ruled out of that match, Rugby Australia confirmed. Brumbies pair Corey Toole and Kadin Pritchard have been called into the Wallabies squad.
New Zealand have injury concerns of their own. Asafo Aumua and Anton Segner failed head injury assessments, while Carter (ankle) and Ethan Blackadder (calf) picked up knocks, rugby.com.au reported.
Sources: The Guardian, “Wallabies blown away by All Blacks blitz as Bledisloe Cup misery extends to 24th year”, 10 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/10/bledisloe-cup-new-zealand-all-blacks-australia-wallabies-rugby-match-report); RNZ, “Fortress defended: All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with massive win over Wallabies”, 10 October 2026 (https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/1829892/fortress-defended-all-blacks-retain-bledisloe-cup-with-massive-win-over-wallabies); Rugby Australia, “Brumbies duo called up as Wallabies confirm Ikitau loss for second Bledisloe Cup”, 10 October 2026 (https://www.rugby.com.au/news/brumbies-duo-called-up-as-wallabies-confirm-ikitau-loss-for-second-bledisloe-cup-20261010)
Photo: Bjankuloski06, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Eden Park in Auckland from the air in May 2026.
