Wallabies captain Harry Wilson has declared that close enough is not good enough after the men in gold slumped to a record 11th consecutive defeat to their trans-Tasman rivals in a bruising second Bledisloe Test in Perth that saw star back-rower Fraser McReight go down with a concerning ankle injury.
The Wallabies and All Blacks rivalry is officially at its most one-sided after hopes of a fairytale farewell for James Slipper were dashed with a 28-14 defeat in front of 60,113 supporters in Australia’s final home game of the year.
Australia’s bid to secure a vital top-six world ranking before December’s World Cup draw remains in limbo, while there are concerns for McReight and his spring tour availability after he came off in the 72nd minute with an ankle injury.
“Fraser certainly had a guy drop down [on] his ankle,” said Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. “It doesn’t look too good, but I’m hopeful that will be okay.”
Yellow cards to Tom Hooper (12th minute) and Len Ikitau (45th minute) left the Wallabies a man down for a quarter of the match as the All Blacks ran in four tries to one, including a double from Quinn Tupaea.
Australia’s slim Rugby Championship hopes are over after playing without Will Skelton for 65 minutes due to a concussion. The towering second-rower’s early exit compounded a night of frustration for Joe Schmidt’s side, who have now lost their past three Tests.
South Africa need to beat Argentina later tonight to take out the Rugby Championship.
Between 1967 and 1978, the Wallabies endured 11 matches without a victory against New Zealand (10 losses and a draw), but are now 0-11 against the All Blacks since 2020.
“We’re not out here to be competitive. We’re here to win,” Wilson told reporters. “The last two Test matches we’ve had opportunities, which we haven’t taken. We’ve had two losses, which is just really disappointing.
“But there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve got to be better with those fine margins.”
Schmidt added: “It’s frustrating not to get the result. I felt the team were gritty again.”
Trailing 20-9 with 14 minutes remaining, Ikitau burrowed over from close range to give the Wallabies a glimmer of hope before Damian McKenzie’s long-range penalty extended New Zealand’s lead back to nine points. A late try to George Bower rubbed salt in the wound for the Wallabies.
A dreadful Australian lineout performance in slippery conditions – the Wallabies gave away three of their first five throws – cruelled any momentum or field position they managed to build.
“We lost a few balls and made a few errors ourselves that you just can’t afford to make on a wet, slippery night against the All Blacks,” Schmidt said. “We’ve just got to keep working away on our accuracy.”
Tane Edmed began decisively and looked composed after his debut start against Argentina last month, which the Wallabies maintain was better than critics suggested.
A knock-on late in the first half could have dented his confidence but Schmidt praised the young playmaker as James O’Connor was called on with eight minutes to play.
“I thought Tane did really well [in his] second ever start for the Wallabies,” Schmidt said. “He hadn’t had a huge amount of rugby. Didn’t play a lot in the back half of Super Rugby. I thought he kicked to the line really well and kicked his goals. His passing game [was good]. He’s brave Tane as well.
“Across the board, I thought it was a really solid performance, considering the quality of the opposition, the nature of the weather and the number of variables that got chucked at him.”
Skelton’s return was a welcome one for the Wallabies but his late shove of All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard, which saw referee Matthew Carley reverse a penalty in the second minute, was the exact thing Schmidt has been desperate to eradicate from his ill-disciplined side in recent weeks.
The penalty count was level at 14-14.
Skelton has taken it upon himself to ruffle the feathers of Australia’s opponents – he did it with aplomb against the Lions – but on this occasion he got a little excited and paid the price.
However, it was a long journey back from France for Skelton to play just 15 minutes as he failed a head injury assessment. The return business class flight wasn’t a great return on investment for Rugby Australia.
Slipper came within a whisker of a try in his farewell Test before Allan Alaalatoa dotted the ball down in the 13th minute but it was pulled back due to an illegal cleanout from Hooper on New Zealand centre Jordie Barrett.
The All Blacks managed a try through Leroy Carter - after an accidental ‘falcon’ in the lead-up - but three penalties to Edmed kept the Wallabies in front before two five-pointers to Tupaea gave the visitors a 17-9 half-time lead.
New Zealand missed three of four kicks in the first half, leaving seven points out on the field.
Ikitau didn’t get low enough in defence and paid the price for a head clash.
It was grind for the forwards as rain tumbled down at Optus Stadium but the Wallabies lacked the same spark that handed them wins over the Lions and South Africa.
“We just stayed in it and took our opportunities,” said All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. “We knew the importance and how big this match was for them.”
The Wallabies have a three-week break before facing Japan in Tokyo, who are coached by Eddie Jones.