All Blacks Beat Wallabies 43-21 in Sydney to Sweep Bledisloe Cup

New Zealand beat Australia 43 to 21 at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday, October 17, to complete a clean sweep of the 2026 Bledisloe Cup. The match was decided before half time. The All Blacks scored six tries in the first 40 minutes and led 36 to 7 at the break, and Australia never got close enough to threaten the result.

The win is New Zealand's 13th in a row over Australia. The Bledisloe Cup stays with New Zealand for a 24th straight year, after last week's 50 to 19 win in Auckland had already settled the series.

Six tries before the break

Josh Moorby scored the first try after captain Codie Taylor broke through the line. Peter Lakai then set up Beauden Barrett, scored one himself, and Rieko Ioane crossed soon after to make it 22 to 0 inside the first 26 minutes.

Australia got on the board just before the half hour. Declan Meredith got a pass away in the tackle and Jeremy Williams scored. Williams was then sent to the sin bin for a foul at the other end, and New Zealand used the extra man at once. Wallace Sititi scored the fifth try, and Barrett took an intercept for his second to close the half.

Australia fight back, too late

Moorby scored his second try three minutes after the restart. Australia improved from there. Tom Wright finished a backline move, and Filipo Daugunu scored a third Australian try in the 66th minute after a sharp line dropout from Wright. The crowd of 73,399 got noise and effort in the second half, but the gap from the first half was too wide to close.

The full scoring line tells the story. For New Zealand, Moorby and Barrett scored two tries each, with Lakai, Ioane and Sititi scoring one each. Damian McKenzie kicked four conversions. For Australia, Williams, Wright and Daugunu scored the tries. Ryan Lonergan kicked two conversions and Meredith one.

Injuries hit the All Blacks

New Zealand lost Jordie Barrett before kickoff with calf tightness. Centre Quinn Tupaea left the field early with a head knock. Late in the game, Samisoni Taukei'aho went off injured and New Zealand ran out of replacements. Debutant Chay Fihaki was shown a yellow card, and the All Blacks finished with 13 men. They still held Australia out in the closing minutes.

Taylor said after the match that he was proud of how his side started, and that backing up the Auckland performance had been the hard part of the week. Australia captain Harry Wilson said he was gutted, that giving a side like New Zealand a head start makes the job too hard, and that his group has to regroup after a disappointing series.

What it means

Head coach Dave Rennie takes New Zealand to Europe next for the closing rounds of the Nations Championship with the Bledisloe work done. For Les Kiss and Australia, the same European trip now starts with hard questions about a first half that ranks among their worst at home in recent years, and about how the side builds toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup.