Jordie Barrett’s masterclass propels the All Blacks to a comprehensive 50-19 win over the Wallabies at Eden Park. The nation’s hopes are dashed again as ABs captain Cody Tailor and his men lift the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th straight time. Les Kiss has our troops humming, and the next hurdle was our Kiwi brothers, but with Damien McKenzie running rings around you, the task became that much harder.

We haven’t won a Bledisloe opener since 2019; we haven’t won the trophy since 2002; and we haven’t won at Eden Park since 1986. Climbing Mt. Everest seems easier. When Tom Wright ran in the first try in the 8th minute, we dared to dream that the Eden Park hoodoo might finally be over. Once the ABs had their hands on the pill, all hopes were dashed.

Coach Les Kiss was pleased with the first half, having his men still in the fight. His thoughts straight after the game to Stan commentator Matt Burke were thus.

“Well, the second half they dominated, didn’t they? We did the work in the first half to stay in the hunt. They had a great purple patch; they were on top of us, but we came back with that try that put us in a position where we could possibly come out and do some damage. I thought we started (the second half) well, but we gave a penalty away. We robbed ourselves of those opportunities. Fair play to New Zealand; the way they played the second half was pretty special.”

The scary thing for the Wallabies is that they threw everything at the All Blacks, but the All Blacks rose to the occasion and dominated in the end. Kiss’ men have 7 days to improve ahead of Sydney. The challenge doesn’t get any easier.