The ball-in-play time during that opening spell was incredible as both teams committed to fast, attacking rugby, offloading from everywhere. Like two heavyweights going toe-to-toe in the opening round of a boxing contest, throwing haymakers to see who would get knocked out first.
Ryan Lonergan produced an excellent turnover for the Wallabies to trigger an Australia counter, the irrepressible Peter Lakai responded with one for the visitors, as the ball travelled from one end of the pitch to the other in one long unbroken spell.
Wallace Sititi celebrates his try against Australia in Sydney. Photo / Photosport
But after New Zealand wing Josh Moorby finally broke the deadlock, it was Australia who found themselves out on their feet, punch drunk.
The hosts’ defence utterly crumbled as New Zealand ran in tries at will, ruthless on both sides of the ball. In total, Australia coughed up 18 turnovers, their brains utterly scrambled.
The evergreen Beauden Barrett, who had made such a difference following his introduction in Auckland, played from the start this time and scored twice in a performance which suggested he could still be a big factor in next year’s World Cup.
‘Ugly reading’
Iain Payten, Sydney Morning Herald
A sunny afternoon turned into a dark nightmare for the Wallabies in Sydney after a rampant first half from the All Blacks handed Australia a 43-21 thumping at Accor Stadium.
With pace and impressive handling, the All Blacks tore the Wallabies’ defence to pieces in the first period, scoring five tries in the middle 20 minutes.
And with two more tries on either side of the halftime break, the All Blacks led by 43-7 in the 42nd minute and record-keepers were put on alert for a possible new entry in the column marked “most points scored by New Zealand against Australia (57)“.
But the Wallabies fought back in the last half-hour, scoring the last two tries to put some respectability on the scoreboard and giving the bumper – but very flat – crowd of 73,399 something to cheer about in the final stages.
There was no disputing which was the dominant side on the day, however, with the All Blacks toying with the Wallabies defence in the opening half and making the most of aimless kicking and unforced errors from the hosts.
Peter Lakai tackles Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i in Sydney. Photo / Photosport
The stats made for ugly reading, with the Wallabies missing 30 tackles in the opening half alone. Their turnover tally of 18 wasn’t much better.
All Blacks ‘demonstrated their superiority’
Michael Pinta, Midi Olympique
Already assured of winning the Bledisloe Cup after their victory in Auckland, New Zealand once again demonstrated their superiority against a helpless Australia this Saturday morning [local time] in Sydney (21-43).
Led by Beauden Barrett, who scored two tries, the All Blacks have now won their last 13 encounters against the Wallabies.
In a match marked by the tribute to Nathan Charles, the Wallaby [sic] No 881, Australia sank at Sydney’s Accor Stadium against New Zealand for the last of the two teams in the southern hemisphere in 2026.
Twelve minutes. That’s how long Australia lasted in Sydney’s Olympic Stadium against New Zealand.
The Wallabies showed flashes of brilliance, but were too imprecise in attack. Against a team like the All Blacks, this inefficiency proved costly.
All Blacks ‘piling on the points’
Ethan Lee Chalk, Fox Sports
The New Zealand All Blacks came close to rewriting the record books with a scintillating, one-sided performance in their thirteenth straight win over the Wallabies
Even without Jordie Barrett (calf) for the final Bledisloe test, the All Blacks were never really threatened by the Wallabies in front of 73,000 fans, piling on points from the opening kickoff before finishing with a 43-21 victory.
The Wallabies were blown away in the opening half, as a Beauden Barrett double led the All Blacks to a six-try blitz in what was arguably their worst first-half showing in recent memory.
Beauden Barrett and Josh Moorby celebrate. Photo / Photosport
The massive lead let the All Blacks rest a ton of players after the break, including winger Will Jordan, who was replaced by debutant Chay Fihaki and allowed them to take a back seat in the second half with the damage already done.
As fans left the stadium before the fulltime siren, the Wallabies tried to get back into the contest in the final 40 minutes with tries from Tom Wright and Filipo Daugunu, but it was too little, too late.
Overwhelmed on every front, the Wallabies’ performance could only be described as embarrassing, ugly and shambolic.
It also raises more questions about whether Les Kiss is the right man to coach the side and which squad changes are needed as the 2027 Rugby World Cup nears.
Wallabies ‘utterly irrelevant’
Jack Snape, the Guardian
The ruthless All Blacks embarrassed the Wallabies in their final home test of the year, brushing aside the golden pretenders 43-21 in Sydney, a second thrashing in a week that makes a mockery of the hosts’ ambitions for next year’s World Cup.
The All Blacks were too fast at the breakdown, the ball hardly slowing as the New Zealanders appeared to advance it at will. They spoiled all but three Wallaby attacking forays, aided by errors and execution failures.
Two second-half tries by the Wallabies thinned the margin slightly, but could not temper the conclusion obvious to all those who watched. So comprehensive was this defeat, Australia’s standing ahead of next year’s rugby showpiece must now be re-evaluated.
From outsiders for the trophy aided by home support, Les Kiss’ side are now utterly irrelevant, likable entertainers at best. Maybe they will provide a good excuse for a party after the victory over Hong Kong in the opener.
The turnaround of the past two weeks is such a disappointment for the long-suffering Australian rugby community after the early promise shown under Kiss. Any momentum has now evaporated and the Wallabies find themselves in reverse.
‘Bledisloe beating’
Liam Napier, NZ Herald
Another week, another Bledisloe beating.
Seven days on from their 31-point victory at Eden Park, the All Blacks trekked to Sydney to hand out another rugby lesson cruising to a 43-21 victory.
Such was their superiority, and a mounting injury toll, the All Blacks played the last 10 minutes with 14 men. That left them shutting up shop on attack, largely defending, and attempting to kill the clock whenever possible.
Rieko Ioane scores for the All Blacks against Australia in Sydney. Photo / Photosport
Chay Fihaki’s yellow card for high contact further reduced the All Blacks to 13 players for the final five minutes. Even then, the Wallabies couldn’t seize their advantage.
Those closing stages somewhat altered the complexion of the match, distorting an otherwise dominant display from the All Blacks.