The Australian national rugby team gave a spirited performance but ultimately fell short in James Slipper’s farewell match, as the New Zealand national rugby team established a new record for consecutive victories over Australia with a 28-14 Bledisloe Cup triumph in Perth.
Before a sold-out audience of 60,113 at Optus Stadium on Saturday evening, Quinn Tupeau’s pair of tries for New Zealand shortly before the halftime interval proved decisive in the contest.
Slipper received a standing ovation upon his substitution in the 45th minute, with the New Zealanders holding a 17-9 advantage in the damp conditions.
The Australians reduced the deficit to within six points with 14 minutes remaining, courtesy of a try by Len Ikitau – Australia’s sole try of the encounter.
However, New Zealand secured the victory through the kicking accuracy of flyhalf Damian McKenzie and a try by Goerge Bower after the final whistle, thereby confirming their 11th successive win over Australia – a new benchmark.
Fixture
Rugby Championship
Australia
New Zealand
As a consequence, the Australians relinquished the Bledisloe Cup series by a 2-0 margin, concluding their Rugby Championship campaign with a 2-4 record.
Should Argentina prevail over South Africa in Twickenham on Sunday morning (AEST), the New Zealanders will claim the Rugby Championship title.
A South African win would guarantee them the silverware for the Springboks.
The Australian team’s most recent victory against the New Zealanders occurred in Brisbane back in 2020, and despite demonstrating promise at various junctures on Saturday night, their lack of discipline during critical phases proved detrimental.
Will Skelton, the imposing Australian forward, who had traveled from France to participate, remained on the field for only 15 minutes.
He secured a breakdown penalty in the second minute, only for it to be immediately reversed due to a pushing infraction, and subsequently sustained a concussion.
The New Zealanders capitalized on Nick Frost’s fumble at the restart to register the game’s opening try in the eighth minute through winger Leroy Carter.
The Australians were dealt a significant setback in the 13th minute when Allan Alaalatoa’s try was nullified due to flanker Tom Hooper’s dangerous clean-out in the build-up.
Hooper received a yellow card for the incident, but the Australians managed to outscore the New Zealanders 3-0 while playing with a man down, establishing a 9-7 lead.
Australia’s ambitious play with the ball was a notable aspect for the initial 30 minutes, but an unusual deflection altered the game’s trajectory in favor of New Zealand.
After executing a risky dribble kick, New Zealand speedster Jordie Barrett ignited his afterburners and inadvertently propelled the ball forward with his head after Australian winger Harry Potter mishandled the retrieval.
New Zealand center Tupaea then soccered the ball forward with three Australian players in close pursuit before securing possession and touching down.
Tupaea added his second try just three minutes later, exploiting vulnerabilities in the Australian defense by evading two tacklers to score, giving the New Zealanders a 17-9 advantage at halftime.
Australian inside center Len Ikitau was shown a yellow card just five minutes into the second half for a high tackle, but the home team again demonstrated resilience despite the numerical disadvantage.
Rob Valetini’s high tackle on Jordie Barrett handed McKenzie a penalty in the 62nd minute, extending the visitors’ lead to 20-9.
Hopes of a comeback victory were ignited when Ikitau crossed the try line in the 66th minute, but another penalty converted by McKenzie provided New Zealand with a comfortable nine-point cushion with 10 minutes remaining.
Late drama ensued when Australian substitute Josh Flook was upended after his attempted tackle on Jordie Barrett resulted in a significant blow to the head.
