Summary
And I will be back here in three weeks as the Wallabies begin their overseas adventures with a one-off Test in Japan. I’ll see you then.
Just a reminder that the Rugby Championship will be decided at Twickenham. Argentina take on South Africa at the home of English rugby about half-an-hour from now.
We began tonight’s coverage scratching our heads at where the Wallabies are at, and we end the evening none the wiser. They have lost 13 of their past 20 Tests, end the Rugby Championship with a 2-4 win-loss record, and will need a strong European tour to avoid a nightmare World Cup draw in December.
Yet for large chunks of an 11th consecutive defeat to New Zealand they were the side in control. For two ten-minute spells they even managed to retain the ascendancy with 14 men. Ikitau and Sua’ali’i are a world class partnership in the centres, the back row is a match for anybody, and Max Jorgensen is as exciting as anyone in world rugby. But skill execution, decision making, and failure to seize opportunities handicapped them over and over again, as it has for many years now.
As the players sign autographs and take selfies with the crowd, Phil Waugh takes the dais to make a presentation to the retiring James Slipper, Australia’s most-capped international.
“We’re not out to be competitive, we’re here to win,” laments Wallaby skipper Harry Wilson after yet another defeat so full of promise. “Test footy, it’s fine margins and obviously we missed out… We’ve definitely progressed this Rugby Championship but ultimately we didn’t get the results in the last few games which we wanted, which is really disappointing.”
“A lot of silly errors that we need to get out of our game,” bemoans Max Jorgensen. “That’s what Test footy is, it’s the best of the best, so you can’t be making those mistakes. If you want to be the best team in the world you’ve got to be at your best at every aspect of the game.”
Jorgensen was excellent tonight, as he has been all TRC, and he’s accurate in his analysis.
That’s 11 wins a row for New Zealand over Australia.
Full-time: Australia 14-28 New Zealand
The All Blacks get over the line at a sodden Optus Stadium and remain in with a shout of claiming the Rugby Championship.
TRY! Australia 14-28 New Zealand (Bower, 80+1)
From the scrum 15m out the All Blacks attack in a series of short penetrating darts until Bower burrows over from close to the line.
McKenzie ends a poor night off the tee with another poor miss.
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79 mins: The lineout is safe, the maul forms, it begins to gain ground, but again the rearguard action is superb. The ball comes out and goes through hands to the right but Australia’s centres are up in a flash to clamp down on New Zealand’s halves. Then play is halted for a Wallaby out cold. That looked very ugly. Josh Flook I think it is, he just got his head in the wrong place and took the full force of J Barrett’s hip to his face.
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78 mins: No idea why, but play has been called back to an earlier infringement in New Zealand’s favour. They kick to the left corner again, secure the lineout this time, set up the maul, but it goes nowhere as Australia’s pack defends stoutly. But there’s a penalty advantage on the play so it’s copy and paste and we’re back in the left corner.
77 mins: The All Blacks are happy to grind, eating up the clock, gaining inches. They close to within five metres before a pass goes astray and forward into a gold jersey. In difficult conditions this has not been a showpiece half.
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76 mins: Australia steal the lineout!
But then Edmed’s clearing kick is charged down!
New Zealand get back into rhythm on attacking 22 in centre field.
75 mins: New Zealand grind off the attacking lineout and bunt their way to the 22. There’s a gold jersey miles offside so the referee’s arm extends horizontally. Play continues a few phases longer until it is inevitably recalled. The All Blacks kick to the left corner aiming to put this match to bed from the set piece.
73 mins: It’s now or never for the Wallabies as James O’Connor enters the fray. Australia win the scrum free-kick just outside their 22 and set off from right to left. Valetini is strong, then Wilson tries to free Jorgensen on the short side but there isn’t enough room. Then a Wallaby is penalised for an illegal clearout at the breakdown and McKenzie belts the ball deep into attacking territory. Another decisive moment in this match goes against the hosts.
71 mins: Both teams exchange kicks, New Zealand continuing their second-half strategy of going to the sky at every opportunity, but they knock-on in the chase and the Wallabies will feed a scrum.
Penalty! Australia 14-23 New Zealand (McKenzie, 70)
From 35m out, 10m to the right of the posts, McKenzie atones for his earlier misses and strokes the All Blacks nine points ahead.
70 mins: Jordan marks then kicks for himself to chase. Edmed meets him mid-air, the ball goes to ground – somehow no knock-on from either team – then Australia are penalised for not releasing and the All Blacks have an opportunity to steady the ship.
68 mins: Australia are calm at the restart and Lonergan box kicks to halfway. New Zealand haven’t had much phase ball recently so they relish the five they get either side of halfway before McKenzie boots high for territory. Jorgensen deals with the danger and the Wallabies try to run their way downfield. It’s a risky strategy in these conditions, and Tupou is fortunate his fumble is backwards. Eventually Lonergan concedes defeat and kicks to halfway.
TRY! Australia 14-20 New Zealand (Ikitau, 66)
Australia secure attacking ball off the lineout finally! There’s an early penalty advantage as the ball goes to ground. The gold jerseys lay siege to the line. From under the mass of bodies Ikitau thinks he’s got the ball down. The referee agrees, but he wants the TMO to confirm. He does!
Edmed strikes the post with the conversion!
Is this another Australian comeback at the death?
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64 mins: New Zealand make a mess of the restart allowing the Wallabies a scrum 40m out on the right hand side. Lonergan and Ikitau link well off the back, then Daugunu does well to stay the course as he’s manhandled by Ioane – high as it happens – and Australia can kick to the left corner.
Penalty! Australia 9-20 New Zealand (McKenzie, 62)
The All Blacks try to take advantage but gain little ground and play is recalled. From 35m out, dead in front, McKenzie kicks the first points of the second half in teeming rain.
60 mins: New Zealand secure their lineout allowing the slick Roigard to direct his troops from right to left before Carter straightens up and dabs a kick in-goal that Edmed has to touch down. From the drop-out there’s an early penalty advantage for a high tackle from Valetini on J Barrett.
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59 mins: New Zealand win their scrum on halfway but make little ground before Valetini wins the breakdown turnover penalty. Edmed kicks the Wallabies into All Black territory – but for the umpteenth time tonight the throw is ghastly and New Zealand hack the clearance deep into Australia’s half.
Conditions are grim. Errors are mounting. Champagne rugby this is not. But it is full blooded and the Wallabies are hanging tough.
58 mins: Australia have again controlled large passages of this half, even with 14 men. But so often skill errors or discipline comes back to bite them, and it does so again when Jorgensen fails to angle his 50-22 effort and the ball goes dead.
57 mins: Valetini, on as a finisher, helps the Wallabies with some solid phase play near halfway. Gordon goes for the garryowen – and it’s perfectly weighted for the charging Sua’ali’i to contest – but J Barrett wins the aerial contest superbly and marks. The clearing kick doesn’t find touch, not for the first time for New Zealand.
55 mins: Off the lineout the All Blacks gain metres from right to left and seem poised for one almighty shove into the left corner but Williams concedes a daft penalty for tackling an Australian off the ball. He’s then marched ten metres for backchat.
It is absolutely hosing it down now in Perth.
53 mins: Roigard marshals his forwards through a series of drives down the middle of the park then invites McKenzie to go to the sky. It’s a menacing bomb that Australia can’t secure in the marking contest. Gordon eventually gets his hands on it and tries to dash down the left but he’s isolated, nailed by Savea in the tackle, and holds on too long on the ground. The All Blacks kick to attacking 22 on the right.
51 mins: Australia come back again and earn an offside penalty against the onrushing New Zealand defence. The kick to the right corner is deep, the lineout is secured, but then the passing off the back misses the mark and the All Blacks can intercept and hack miles downfield for yet another crucial change of momentum! That was ambitious attacking play from the Wallabies, especially in these conditions, but its failure is the latest in a long list of missed opportunities in clinch moments.
49 mins: Australia run the dropout back with intent. Tupou hits the line hard, Gordon is busy, then Edmed kicks harmlessly for New Zealand to mark uncontested and clear. That golden 10 jersey has been an issue for years for the Wallabies and Edmed is not making a strong claim to be the solution.
47 mins: New Zealand fail to take immediate advantage, coughing up possession then conceding a penalty. Australia kick to the 22 on the right, win their throw, then get into phase play from right to left. As play reaches the left centre momentum evaporates with a mass of bodies committed to the contest. It looks like a turnover is imminent but instead it’s a penalty Australia – that Gordon taps and goes in a flash – to send the All Blacks spinning on their heels. Play gets recycled to the left wing, the ball gets toed ahead, but Parker is on hand to dab down for the dropout.
Yellow Card! Australia (Ikitau, 46)
A second yellow card of the night for the Wallabies. As the All Blacks ran their flat line pattern Tupaea ran into Ikitau and the pair clashed heads. Responsibility was on the defender to execute the tackle, he failed to do so, so he has to spend ten minutes in the bin. No malice about it, but it was awkward.
46 mins: The All Blacks win the lineout and attack from left to right. It’s flat and energetic but lacking precision.
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45 mins: And while there’s a pause in play, James Slipper is applauded from the field for the 151st and final time. He’s been good tonight. There’s still a Test player there, no doubt.
44 mins: Australia secure lineout ball and Gordon clears for a superb touch finder in the rain.
42 mins: Not the first poor lineout throw of the night from Australia on halfway. New Zealand attack down the left but are happy to kick for territory under duress. Australia don’t want the wet ball either so they kick for Carter to run back at them. Play then gets bunged up in midfield with both sides conceding turnovers until Carter is isolated on the right wing and does brilliantly to keep the ball alive.
The All Blacks return infield and get into some phase play before Roigard spots a gap behind the Wallaby defence and nails a 50-22 with his left boot – but it’s not awarded because the No 9 stepped back into his own half.
41 mins: We’re back in action in Perth with floodlights now taking full effect.
Enjoy Jordie Barrett’s headed assist in all its glory.
How’s that for an assist?! Quinn Tupaea with our second try 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DNG3QJZltw
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 4, 2025
Will Skelton has failed his HIA. That’s a long way to travel for just 15 minutes of rugby. Huge loss for the Wallabies.
The enigma that is the Wallabies continues to mystify. For most of that 40 minutes (even the ten with 14 men) Australia controlled the game, yet they trail by eight points – and even that flatters them thanks to McKenzie’s wayward kicking for goal.
Jorgensen has been dynamic from fullback, the pack has held its own in open play, and Edmed has kicked truly for three penalties. But crucial moments continue to go against them.
Tupaea’s double before half-time began with a stolen lineout on New Zealand’s 22, the same part of the field a wonky throw cost the Wallabies earlier in the half. Edmed dropped a simple pass from Gordon with a promising attack mounting. And most significantly of all, after 14 minutes a wonderful multiphase passage of attacking rugby involving both forwards and backs was called back for Hooper’s yellow card clearout.
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Half-time: Australia 9-17 New Zealand
In what has become a familiar pattern, the Wallabies trail at the interval. Three tries leads three penalties as the All Blacks gain the ascendancy in the battle to compete with South Africa for the Rugby Championship.
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39 mins: Jorgensen is again offered first phase attacking ball and he darts down the left. The Wallabies establish themselves on the front foot through Slipper… then Edmed drops a dolly at mid-on and the air escapes through the Optus Stadium crater.
38 mins: Australia have been the better side for most of the half but the All Blacks have three tries, and in the space of a couple of minutes Tupaea has blown open this contest.
TRY! Australia 9-17 New Zealand (Tupaea, 35)
Tupaea has two in two minutes! From behind their scrum the All Blacks rumble downfield, earn a penalty advantage, Jordan engineers the space then the centre takes over, fending off a Wallaby one-on-one in the line and then taking a couple of gold jerseys over with him for good measure. That was dominant individual rugby.
McKenzie strikes the post! Three awful kicks for goal from the All Blacks so far.
Updated
TRY! Australia 9-12 New Zealand (Tupaea, 33)
New Zealand celebrate a try… but is it? From an Australian lineout in New Zealand territory the ball is pilfered and the All Blacks send it through hands from right to left. J Barrett chips ahead for the second time, into space, drawing Jorgensen forward. What happens next? There’s a collision, a ricochet, the Wallaby fullback slides, the All Black centre dives, the ball comes loose and Tupaea is quickest to it. He gathers and dives over for what could be five points.
What does the TMO say? They slow down the collision between Barrett and Jorgensen – and they reveal the ball rebounding off Barrett’s head! No knock-on, no infringement, New Zealand try! That is an extraordinary try assist.
McKenzie with his second poor miss of the night.
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32 mins: Just inside attacking territory the All Blacks win their scrum feed and peel off to the right. Fainga’anuku and S Barrett hit the line hard, but the gold wall stands firm, and despite the best efforts of Roigard to keep New Zealand moving, McReight is first to the breakdown and wins a decisive turnover penalty.
30 mins: New Zealand win penalty advantage on their own scrum feed on defensive 22. Lakai shears off the back and leads the charge towards halfway. Thereafter things get a bit messy with Barrett chipping and chasing dangerously, but failing to gather, before a couple of Wallabies conspire for an accidental offside among the ricochets.
28 mins: Australia kick over halfway and secure clean lineout ball. After a couple of steadying phases Edmed floats an ambitious – but poor – pass out wide to Potter. The winger has to kick almost immediately or risk carrying into touch, but his toe ahead is too strong and bounces dead.
26 mins: Australia earn a free-kick off their own scrum feed on defensive 22. A wicked garryowen causes mayhem in the air on halfway but it comes down in All Black hands. They go for their own up-and-under that Daugunu defuses expertly, setting up some phase play that goes nowhere and ends with Jordan penalised at the breakdown.
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24 mins: Australia win the scrum on their own 22 and Jorgensen sets off on yet another exhilarating dash. He almost pierces the line but Tupaea lays a superb tackle, then earns a penalty for the Australian not releasing. New Zealand kick to touch deep on the left, but then fluff their lines at the lineout, for the second time tonight. The ball is slippery in wet conditions.
22 mins: The All Blacks win the scrum on their 22 and Lakai gains ten metres off the back of it before the Wallabies concede a penalty off the ball. The kick to halfway precedes a straightforward lineout that becomes a rare maul. Australia almost turn the ball over on the ground but New Zealand escape and allow Jordan an opportunity to bust a hole in the left centre position. The intensity of the game ramps up a notch as the All Blacks try to go from left wing to right through hands at speed, but with the overlap emerging a gold jersey – Daugunu – steams out of the defensive line and nails man and ball to halt any momentum.
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20 mins: Not to worry, Frost pilfers the lineout, then S Barrett is penalised at the breakdown. Edmend kicks deep into All Black territory. This has been impressive from the Wallabies so far… until I type those words and the lineout is pinged for not being thrown straight.
18 mins: Frost returns the restart with interest to set up a Wallaby raid from their own half down the right with Sua’ali’i purposeful and direct. Gordon box kicks temptingly and the onrushing New Zealand line spills the slippery pill. Edmed spots some space in behind on the left and attempts an audacious crossfield kick, but it’s too long for Daugunu.
Penalty! Australia 9-7 New Zealand (Edmed, 17)
Australia might be down a man but they are up on the scoreboard. Edmed kicks truly for the third time tonight to put the Wallabies in front.
Following review, the yellow card will remain yellow and not be upgraded to red.
15 mins: Meanwhile Skelton leaves the field for a head injury assessment. The All Blacks failed to find touch with their penalty and after some to-ing and fro-ing on halfway the Wallabies have the first scrum of the night. They win it, and immediately get into some slow one-out phase play in midfield. Wilson is strong, Edmed is nifty, and Barrett is penalised for not rolling away on the ground. Australia with a kickable penalty.
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Yellow card! Australia (Hooper, 13)
Oh no! Forget everything you just read! Early in that attacking phase Hooper dangerously cleaned out Barrett who was in the act of winning a breakdown turnover. The TMO spotted the infringement, informed Carley on-field, and he has no option but to ignore the try, and rub salt into the wound by sending Hooper to the bin for ten minutes. Massive turnaround.
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13 mins: Australia are soon back in possession, going through hands crisply from left to right until Jorgensen straightens them up. By phase seven play returns through hands to the left anad again Jorgensen is in the line to supply the crucial offload. This is thrilling! Wallaby hands are sure as the attack angles in from the left. Potter skips around one, then two tacklers, weaving his way towards the posts. Skelton is on hand to punch his way towards the line. A try is surely coming. This is irresistible. Phase nine, then ten, then the try! Superb full-team rugby from Australia.
Penalty! Australia 6-7 New Zealand (Edmed, 11)
New Zealand seal the restart then kick to halfway. Australia elect to run the ball back and they’re soon rewarded when Williams is penalised for his jackaling technique at the ruck. Excellent, clear refereeing from Carley.
Edmed coolly slots over his second penalty, this one from 35m out bang in front.
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CONVERTED TRY! Australia 3-7 New Zealand (Carter, 8)
Australia’s lead lasts a matter of seconds. Frost drops the restart, then Allan Alaalatoa is penalised for a hit on Roigard. The All Blacks kick to the right corner, secure the lineout, the maul reaches the try line at speed and a couple of phases later Carter is on his hands and knees beneath a mass of bodies celebrating the opening try of the match.
McKenzie adds the simple extras.
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Penalty! Australia 3-0 New Zealand (Edmed, 6)
20m out, on a 45 degree angle, Edmed calmly strokes over the opening points of the game.
4 mins: New Zealand try to get into some phase play on halfway but lose control of the slippery ball and the Wallabies turn it over. Skelton is imposing, Sua’ali’i is adventurous hurling the pass out to the left wing, then Daugunu makes a break. Play returns infield and Jorgensen breaches the gainline with a penalty advantage. This is excellent composed multiphase attacking play. Eventually the referee decides momentum has stalled and brings play back for the shot at goal.
Key event
3 mins: Damien McKenzie pulls the penalty attempt wide! It was 40m out, just to the left of the posts, and always looked like missing on the near side. Australia resume with a couple of secure drives and a box kick to halfway.
2 mins: Australia catch the wet ball under cloudy skies. Gordon kicks long to touch. Barrett wins the first lineout and the All Blacks get to work, going through hands swiftly from right to left. Roigard is busy, and he has to try to clearout his own ball, but Skelton is much too strong and secures a dominant turnover. He makes such a difference to this team. Oh dear... then he immediately concedes a penalty reversal for shoving Williams down to the ground. Guess what the former internationals on the telly thought of that decision?
Kick-off!
Round six of the 2025 Rugby Championship is under way…
Codie Taylor is again responsible for leading the All Blacks haka, with the hulking figure of the returning Scott Barrett at the tip of the spearhead formation.
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For the Wallabies, Advance Australia Fair is all about James Slipper, the No 1 belting out his national anthem for the 151st and final time as a Test player.
As the New Zealand national anthem rolls around the stadium, the TV camera lingers on Cam Roigard, the defining player from last week in Auckland. The All Black scrumhalf was dynamic and decided the outcome with his brace of tries.
Optus Stadium is a 60,000 sell out and the fans in Western Australia make themselves heard as the two teams walk side by side out onto the lush green turf.
Australia will be wearing their First Nations jersey this evening, which is the usual gold base but with more green accents. New Zealand are top to toe in black.
Match Day 23 🦘
— Wallabies (@wallabies) October 4, 2025
🆚 All Blacks
🗓️ Saturday October 4 | 5:45pm AWST
🏟️ Optus Stadium
📺 @stansportau | @channel9 pic.twitter.com/O7fVDvz0SX
From Craig in Jeddah, to Alistair in Lyon. Who knew the MBM would be so international today?
“As a French Kiwi in Lyon I despaired of finding an option for watching the match. But it turns out my Spanish friend Felix has the right subscription (and Spanish beers). He is from Valladolid, a rugby-mad city which has two clubs!”
Just a note for Alistair (and anyone day drinking in Europe) to pace yourself. Australia (and the host broadcaster) have done that thing again where they advertise a start time (7:45pm AEST) knowing full well it’s a lie to get you to turn on their TV channel earlier than you need. The countdown clock ticking down over the players warming up indicates a start time of about 8:05pm AEST.
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Conditions in Perth are damp. It’s been raining on and off throughout the day so it will be slick under lights. Temperatures are mild and there’s little wind to speak of.
“As a South African following while doing a short stint in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, I am salivating ahead of this pivotal match,” emails Craig Sayers. “Indeed, my medulla oblongata has worked overtime this entire Rugby Championship, considering the effect on my heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that the All Blacks have chosen precisely the wrong game to experiment with their team, and that the Aussies will sneak a close one, despite their inexperience at number 10 in this lineup. Either way, I will be glued to your MBM coverage, and then be paying full attention during the later Pumas v Springboks match. Mercifully, my amygdala will be spared the jingoistic Stan commentary (my Stan subscription does not work here).”
Good to have you on board Craig. An Australian win would also strengthen the Springboks’ chances of retaining the Rugby Championship, but regardless of the result here South Africa will know what they have to do when they take on Argentina at Twickenham in a few hours.
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English referee Matthew Carley is the man employed to wind up the former Australian internationals on the host broadcaster this evening. I cannot wait to find out in real time what he apparently gets wrong, and how it robs the Wallabies.
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After celebrating James Slipper last week for becoming only the third player after Alun Wyn Jones and Sam Whitelock to reach 150 Test caps, we salute the 36-year-old again tonight, following his decision earlier this week to retire from the international game.
“Slips is the sort of guy if you asked him to keep going for the team and the team needed him, he’d keep going, but he’s ready to hang his boots up and he’s also conscious he wants the team to be best prepared going forward,” Joe Schmidt said.
“He doesn’t perceive himself being available for the Rugby World Cup or even next season, so, for him, the best thing is the next five games we’ve got in the spring tour for the players we’ve got to start sharing that time and for him to step away. But he’ll be missed massively, not just for on-field performance, but he’s a big bit of the glue that keeps a team tight.”
Forever Wallaby number 843 💛 @jamesslipper #Wallabies pic.twitter.com/Lu4n0hrpom
— Wallabies (@wallabies) October 1, 2025
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New Zealand XV
Five changes to the starting XV for the Wallabies – six for the All Blacks, four of them injury enforced. Among the half-dozen, Scott Barrett returns to skipper the side, Damien McKenzie replaces the injured Beauden Barrett at five-eighth, and Leicester Fainga’anuku comes in for Caleb Clarke.
It’s an inexperienced line-up with five starters with under ten caps to their name, and a further four that have yet to pass 30 international appearances.
1.Tamaiti Williams, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Ardie Savea, 8. Peter Lakai, 9. Cam Roigard, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Quinn Tupaea, 14. Leroy Carter, 15. Will Jordan.
Replacements: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. George Bower, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Patrick Tuipulotu, 20. Wallace Sititi, 21. Cortez Ratima, 22. Rieko Ioane, 23. Ruben Love
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Australia XV
Another round, another raft of changes for the Wallabies. Yet again there is an entirely new halves combination with Tane Edmed earning a second start in the 10 jersey, this time alongside Jake Gordon, who replaces the injured Tate McDermott. Elsewhere, Filipo Daugunu is preferred to Corey Toole on the wing, Allan Alaalatoa pushes Taniela Tupou to the bench, and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto makes way for the return of Australia’s most significant performer, Will Skelton, who is on short-term loan from club rugby in France.
Josh Nasser, Tom Robertson, Rob Valetini, and Josh Flook all come into the 23.
1 James Slipper, 2 Billy Pollard, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 4 Nick Frost, 5 Will Skelton, 6 Tom Hooper, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 9 Jake Gordon, 10 Tane Edmed, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 12 Len Ikitau, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 14 Harry Potter, 15 Max Jorgensen.
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Rob Valetini, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Josh Flook.
Updated
More on R360 as rugby’s authorities try their best to sound like they remain in control.
If you need reminding what happened last Saturday, the All Blacks flattered to deceive in a 33-24 victory at Eden Park. For the Wallabies it was yet another case of chasing a game that span out of control in the opening 20 minutes.
Jack Snape sets the scene for today’s fixture, including speculation over the thrusting R360 start-up that is beginning to take shape.
R360, which promises a global series in non-traditional markets such as Dubai and Boston kicking off in the second half of next year, threatens to insert another divide into a sport where club contracts and the international rugby calendar are already at odds.
Rugby Australia is waiting for details, but has warned that players who sign with R360 will not be eligible for the Wallabies. It’s another potential blow for the national side, having only recently eased restrictions on selecting overseas-based players under Schmidt in a view to make the Wallabies as competitive as possible.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v New Zealand in round six of the 2025 Rugby Championship. Kick-off at Optus Stadium in Perth is scheduled for 5.45pm AWST (7.45pm AEST).
The Bledisloe Cup has been decided for another year, and the Rugby Championship looks destined to be retained by the Springboks, but there is still plenty to make the final Test of 2025 on Australian soil one worth tuning in for.
It has been a winter of positivity for the Wallabies under Joe Schmidt, but as spring blossoms it is still impossible to determine exactly what it all means. The team is clearly on an upward trajectory as it rebuilds from the low base of the 2023 World Cup debacle, but has still lost 12 of its past 19 internationals, and the 2025 record currently stands at four wins from nine matches.
Half those victories came in the dying seconds against lower ranked tourists – but then one of the others was a dominant victory against the British and Irish Lions, and another a history-making triumph in Johannesburg. I am not qualified to determine which of these data points are signal and which are noise.
Much of the nuts and bolts have appeared in good order: the set piece has operated effectively, Harry Wilson can be penciled in for a long stint as skipper, and the depth of talent is as strong as it has been in over a decade. Counterbalancing this is the high turnover of players – especially through injury, the inability to find a halfback partnership, and chronic disciplinary issues.
The dispassionate World Rugby rankings place Australia in seventh spot. On points, this ranks them pretty much halfway between Georgia, in eleventh, and leaders South Africa. If the Wallabies can’t ascend to at least sixth between now and the end of the upcoming European tour then the 2027 World Cup on home soil will become considerably more awkward.
A strong performance in Perth would provide a springboard for this northern hemisphere odyssey, while defeat could see each subsequent Test this year as a backs-to-the-wall grasp for ranking points.
I’ll be back with the line-ups shortly. If you want to get in touch this evening, the address is jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
