All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with 50-19 win over Wallabies
Lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto says Australia’s confidence remains intact ahead of the Sydney rematch despite the defeat at Eden Park.
New Zealand defeated Australia 50-19 at Eden Park to extend their Bledisloe Cup dominance to 23 years, ending the Wallabies’ six-match unbeaten streak.
Australia opened the scoring and challenged for the lead early in the second half, but the All Blacks then piled on 26 unanswered points. It was New Zealand’s 12th successive victory over Australia and took their unbeaten streak at the Auckland venue to 54 matches, stretching back to 1994.
Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto said the defeat had not damaged the team’s confidence before the return match in Sydney. He said their belief came from relationships within the squad and daily preparation, rather than results alone.
Australia were behind 17-14 shortly after the break when an obstruction at a maul following a five-metre lineout proved costly. Their lineout otherwise largely performed well despite Josh Canham’s absence through injury, while high kicks from New Zealand halfback Cam Roigard troubled the Australian receivers.
Salakaia-Loto, who stayed on for the full match, said Australia had allowed New Zealand too much possession and quick ruck ball. He also acknowledged that the Wallabies had made costly mistakes and missed opportunities.
Before the defeat, Australia had gone unbeaten for six games for the first time in nine years. Five of those matches were under new coach Les Kiss, with a victory over South Africa among the results.
