The Bledisloe Cup is staying in New Zealand for another 12 months. But nobody told the Wallabies this one doesn’t count. It’s the last home Test of 2026, and the Wallabies wear their First Nations jersey in front of a home crowd at Accor Stadium. After a 50-19 hiding at Eden Park, this is about pride, not silverware.
Wallabies v All Blacks: Bledisloe Cup Test 2 Preview
Pride, Pivots and a Patched-Up Playmaker Problem
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney | Date/Time: 17 October, 2:45pm AEST | Referee: Luke Pearce
The Lowdown
Let’s not dress it up. The All Blacks have won the last 12 meetings, averaging 35 points to Australia’s 20 in the last 5, last Saturday’s 31-point margin was the ugliest of the lot.
Les Kiss says the Wallabies got a clear picture in Auckland of where they need to be better. The team sheet says he’s had to reshuffle a fair chunk of it anyway.
The No. 10 jersey is cursed again.
- Ben Donaldson is out with a minor upper leg injury.
- North Queensland junior Declan Meredith gets his first Bledisloe start at flyhalf.
- The upside is familiarity. Meredith and halfback Ryan Lonergan are a club halves pairing, so at least the 9 and 10 know each other’s calls.
- On the bench, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips is uncapped and in line to become Wallaby number 1001. Given how Australian flyhalves have been dropping, don’t be shocked if he’s on early.
Midfield and back three:
- Len Ikitau is out after a concussion at Eden Park.
- Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii shifts back to outside centre, with Isaac Henry inside him.
- Waratahs winger Harry Potter plays his first Test in Sydney on the left edge.
- Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright stay put.
Up front:
- Aidan Ross and Josh Nasser come into a reshaped front row alongside the experienced Allan Alaalatoa.
- Lukhan Salakaia-Loto brings up his 50th Test. He’s come a long way since debuting in a 27-all draw in Bloemfontein back in 2017 and being snubbed by Joe Schmiddt at times.
- The loose forward trio of Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight and skipper Harry Wilson is unchanged.
- McReight is the key man there. New Zealand appeared to make him tackle all night last week, keeping him off the ball at the breakdown. If he can get his hands on it in Sydney, the Wallabies have a pulse.
Australia’s real weapon might be the bench. Angus Bell, Billy Pollard, a returning Josh Canham, Carlo Tizzano and Kalani Thomas, who is playing his first Bledisloe Test, give Kiss genuine punch for the final half hour. The question is whether the Wallabies are still in the fight when the cavalry arrives.
Over the ditch, Dave Rennie has gone with a strong side, not a development one. He’s chasing New Zealand’s 130th Test win over Australia and wants this performance to back up Eden Park.
The All Blacks team announcement shows eight changes to the 23, but only three in the run-on side:
- Josh Moorby replaces the injured Leroy Carter on the left wing.
- Fabian Holland replaces Josh Lord at lock.
- George Bower starts while Ethan de Groot gets a week off.
The bench is where Kiwis are excited:
- Du’Plessis Kirifi brings breakdown mongrel, and probably a few penalties.
- Timoci Tavatavanawai finally gets a shot in the 23 and needs minutes to prove his fitness.
- Cortez Ratima gets another chance at halfback cover after Kyle Preston featured in every All Blacks game this year.
- The reserve front row of Samisoni Taukei’aho, Xavier Numia and Pasilio Tosi is enormous.
The form guide does offer Australia a crumb. The Wallabies have won three of their last five tests, including a 42-38 thriller over the Springboks. The All Blacks lost three straight to South Africa before Eden Park.
The early exchanges are the danger zone, though:
- New Zealand have scored first in all of their last five Tests.
- The Wallabies have won the race to 10 points just once in that stretch.
- In the last five Bledisloe meetings, the team that scored the first try won 60 per cent of the time.
Prediction
On paper, it’s a mismatch. An All Blacks win by 15 or more is the single most likely outcome, according to the numbers. Australia is a genuine roughie, but home soil gives them a puncher’s chance. So do Salakaia-Loto’s 50th Test, the headline of the Wallabies team announcement, and the occasion of the first quadruple header in Australian Rugby history.
For an upset, the Wallabies need to start fast for once. They’ve won the race to 10 points just once in their last five. They also need McReight free at the ruck and Meredith to keep it simple. If New Zealand get their usual fast start, with Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett running the show and Will Jordan lurking, the bench won’t matter.
Expect the Wallabies to be braver and tighter than in Auckland. Just not enough.
Prediction: All Blacks by 16
Match Squads
Wallabies:
- Aidan Ross
- Josh Nasser
- Allan Alaalatoa
- Jeremy Williams
- Lukhan Salakaia-Loto
- Rob Valetini
- Fraser McReight
- Harry Wilson (c)
- Ryan Lonergan
- Declan Meredith
- Harry Potter
- Isaac Henry
- Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii
- Max Jorgensen
- Tom Wright
Replacements:
- Billy Pollard
- Angus Bell
- Massimo De Lutiis
- Josh Canham
- Carlo Tizzano
- Kalani Thomas
- Harry McLaughlin-Phillips (uncapped)
- Filipo Daugunu
All Blacks (Test caps in brackets):
- George Bower (30)
- Codie Taylor (c) (113)
- Fletcher Newell (42)
- Scott Barrett (90)
- Fabian Holland (15)
- Tupou Vaa’i (52)
- Peter Lakai (15)
- Wallace Sititi (24)
- Cam Roigard (25)
- Damian McKenzie (82)
- Josh Moorby (6)
- Jordie Barrett (86)
- Quinn Tupaea (30)
- Will Jordan (62)
- Beauden Barrett (146)
Replacements:
- Samisoni Taukei’aho (45)
- Xavier Numia (5)
- Pasilio Tosi (18)
- Shannon Frizell (34)
- Du’Plessis Kirifi (8)
- Cortez Ratima (24)
- Timoci Tavatavanawai (2)
- Rieko Ioane (90)
Unavailable (All Blacks): Leroy Carter (ankle), Anton Segner (concussion), Asafo Aumua (concussion), Ethan Blackadder (calf), Richie Mo’unga (calf), Fehi Fineanganofo (hamstring)
Unavailable (Wallabies): Len Ikitau (concussion), Ben Donaldson (upper leg)
Wallaroos v Scotland and both Australian Sevens sides also feature on the day, all part of the quadruple header at Accor Stadium.
Scroll inside the box for match stats
Don’t forget to put your vote in gents for player ratings! https://theunderdog.news/howl-of-the-pack-give-your-wallabies-player-ratings-here-vs-all-blacks/
Combined 15 too if we coud: https://theunderdog.news/combined-15-voting-wallabies-vs-all-blacks-bledisloe-2/#comments
Suaalii on wing, never again in the centres. He will be on the bench when Marky Mark plays on the wing.
Actually Marky Mark looks more like a natural centre.
I am really hoping Wild Knights give him some time at centre or fullback
Agree as I doubt he’s as effective as a rugby wing as a league wing. I think he’s an unusual player in that while he thrived at wing in league where simply breaking the line is so important, in rugby the wing also needs to be a speed merchant and cover huge distances. His big skill at audacious line-breaking then quickly passing seems much closer to a rugby centre.
Interesting discussion. I have to admit I don’t watch league so I haven’t really seen him for the roosters apart from highlights. Saying that, his strengths also include grabbing the high ball and one handed tries around the corner flag which are both the domain of wingers/fbs in ru
The difference of position is quite curious and seems to lead to a lot of problems for rugby coaches.
Marky Mark never seemed to have the high speed to be a rugby wing where broken space creates huge areas that need to be covered quickly, but in league where simply breaking the opposition line is an existential threat, he has thrived as all he has to do is get a pass away for someone to score.
This is far closer to a rugby 12 or 13 who just have to make a linebreak and pass and don’t have much space in the congested midfield to get much further anyway. Marky Mark seems to resemble Ma Nonu or Conrad Smith in different degrees.
The complete opposite is the case for centre in league and Suaalii. In league a centre is able to access the kind of wide open broken spaces that only a wing can in rugby and so a much faster player can thrive.
So Suaalii is good at centre in league but needs to play wing in rugby to get the same large open spaces to cover.
Rugby coaches simply don’t seem to get this and so Schmidt assumed that the two centre positions are the same in the two codes and ended up constricting Suaalii to a position he doesn’t really fit.
Coach Kiss is experiencing a steep learning curve!! WB’s disconnected in defence. No way we’d have been losing like that under Joe Schmidt.
Declan Meredith did well. Mistakes yes, but no better 10’s available.
Anyway, the game wasn’t won or lost at the 5/8 but through midfield. NZ correctly realised that Aus would be vulnerable at the 13 channel and exploited it ruthlessly.
Again the AB’s recognised that Aus would remain vulnerable under the high ball.
Harry had a a forgettable game after a good one last week. He just can’t make metres in the middle. LSL fairly impotent as well. Canham was good. If Pietch is fit, I don’t know if JAS should be in run-on XV.
Pietsch isn’t in the same ballpark of pure talent as Suaalii though and it’s over-promotion of players like this that has led to the 10s this season who so limited the team to results like those of the past two weeks.
Suaalii should be given a long run in what is his natural position, wing, not the Schmidt obsession of making him a secon O’Driscoll at centre.
Good points. I’m contemplating Suaali’i as an eventual bench option to cover fullback, wing and centre. I don’t see him gaining the acceleration, top pace, smarts or step to be a great winger. Pietch is a try scorer whereas Suaali’i isn’t in my opinion.
10 JOC
11 Jorgensen
12 Beale
13 and 14=Lomax and Suaalii in some combination
15 Wright
Not a hope for good reasons too…
A better hope than the current thinking, which has led to two annihilations at the hands of a very average All Black team.
Getting the most actual talent on the field might help.
I’m coming around to the argument that the wallabies wearing gold (orange) are more visible to the ref than the Blacks. Maybe we should find a darker home strip that makes them play in white. Serious idea, I think there is some merit in it
The Kangaroos and the Boks wear green jerseys, perhaps for a reason?
Williams got carded, and Roigard didn’t. You may have a point.
Well kiss has no answer so is it time to let him go while enough time before world cup
Not yet but honeymoon over for sure..
Yes Farcs, let’s apologise to Rennie and get him back.
Rush in cheika hes my pick and love watching him coach,
The dreaming continues that ignoring more talented 10s because of age can lead to victories magically.
This isn’t even a great All Blacks team as of yesteryear.
It will be but
Agree KPM. I would have had JOC in for Bled 1. I don’t accept the argument that you need to blood young players, get them into super rugby to ply their trade until they’re ready
Indeed and this isn’t the first year of a four year cycle.
JOC and Beale are older but only need to play for one more year until the World Cup. Everyone keeps thinking about them as if it matrer what they’re like in three or four years’ time.
They’re clearly on a different level of natural talent to the alternatives and would ignite the considerable threats in the backline which are effectively dormant at the moment.
10 is still the critical position on the field. The whole creative attack springs from it. Kiss (and RA) should face the reality which is that today there is no young major talent. They can aim to find one somewhere for 2028 but for the imminent World Cup the realistic options are obvious.
About to watch the replay
Big, big shout out to Ben Casey. This is building nicely.
Cheers mate, I need it today copping it on BookFace ahaha. Am working in the background on trying to expand. There is no. budget so it’s all promises, pipedreams and future building
As St Paul Kelly teaches us, from little things big things grow.
And BookFace is a bunch of cnuts. Ignore them.
Hi Ben, something like the notification system on the Roar would be good as at the moment we have to look down a whole thread to find a possible reply. When they’re instantly visible it’s very straightforward. Of course I don’t know how easy this is technically etc…
Hey mate when logged in, is there a bell at the top? It is for me. That should have notifications there. Ironically if you don’t have that, you won’t see this possibly. I will reach out if I don’t hear from you
I don’t see a bell. On the top left there’s the logo, then middle to right (at the top too) names of the different sports, with a search bar on the right. Just underneath is ‘MY ACCOUNT’ with KI in a blue circle. But no bell.
Cheers mate, I will have a gander. What device are you looking at it from out of interest? Also if anyone else reads this, are you guys gettng a bell?
On a laptop and at the moment a phone but they don’t show up on either for me (phone is Android).
Has there ever been a wallaby with a longer name than McLaughlin-Phillips
Well done to the jersey printers for getting it all on there
Nawankaniatawasse?
JAS very unimpressive.
During the many sevens style moments in 2H he looked uncomfortable. Just shipped the ball on like a 2nd row might.
VERY
there were times when he got the ball with a disrupted defence and couldn’t make anything of it , basically he’s got fuck all, some solid skills but no X factor
Yes
I’m glad people are admitting what I’ve been banging on about the six million dollar lemon, we cannot rebuild him
Not enough people agree with everything you say Farcs. What is WRONG with people?!?
Nothing wrong with the brothers on here m8, I can see some old heads on here listening enough compared to before.
That’s what we need , im here to help with that to give a different insight more in line with reality not to muckrake there is a difference
I made comments on here during the week that to me, he just looks lost. I don’t know if it’s the league background where centres are either left or right, but to me, after a couple of seasons, he doesn’t seem to know where he needs to be.
I think he’s best on the wing.
He’s a natural wing and thrives in the open spaces out wide.
At centre he looks far more contained.
73,000
Same size crowd they get for AFL games every week
I so much wish we weren’t the third football code in this gumtree
Doesn’t help that the marketing is rubbish. The Redcliffe based league team pulls bigger crowds at Suncorp than Qlds only SR side. But there was a brief shining period when the Reds were pulling bigger crowds than the Broncos. Go figure.
The only rational solution is to shut down the AFL once and for all
Frustrating because when they held the ball there were some very good passages.
Well done ABs
If this rumour NZ might pull out of Super Rugby and form their own national competition led to anything, the only think left for RA would be to form a large national competition, ideally from february to september…
All I was able to see was two Aussie tries…so I’m taking the win…14-0…
I saw that bit too.
And last week as well
We’re tired about this ‘learning’ crap.
Some people can’t learn
We’re always building, perpetually building
Holland was good, DMac, Lakai (1st half), BB. Meredith went well in patches, Jorgo threw some stupid passes. Williams was solid.
Cheers mate, that’ll be the basis of there ratings. No one else gets a bevvie
Just tried to submit the mixed team but it didn’t work
Poor play by AB’s in the second half. Front row subs had no impact. Poor lineout calls.
It was a weird second half , they had it won but Australia finally decided to play
AB teams of old would have put you to the sword.
I like how these new blecks go to sleep. Same as them yarpies when they play us cept they stay asleep for the whole game, must be something in the water
You’re allowed to ease up and manage the game when you’re 36 points up.
Well we stopped 50 at least
Won the second half 14-7
Another big game from Williams
He’s really proved himself,
That yellow card was extremely unlucky, he was heading back then tried to get out of Roigards way, not cynical
Just watched…very poor ref decision as Roi boy had no one to pass it to and was tackled then lost the ball..
Wasn’t expecting a 13 man team at Accor today!
And they won, go figure
Apparently a team won with 11 recently!
Don’t watch football
Go the Wolves
Thomas looks slow and…taking odd options..
Just no direction in Wallaby attack
No Lonergan
Absolutely crow
Knock back ref
Fool. Gone low could have got JAS into touch
13 men
Can we actually score again?
No
Can we get them down to 11 …maybe a chance to with it…
That card is a bit tough. JAS was arguably the one who initiated the contact.
Agreed but we’ve been on the other side of them often enough
For sure
So Marky Mark said fitness was a real issue for him when he joined the Mungoes…looking at these Wallabies…and our Super teams …is this an ongoing issue for Oz … that needs to be addressed..
Possibly so. But to be fair, it’s not really an apple‘s apples comparison. League wingers are more involved than rugby wingers. They take a lot of hard yard carries from deep territory for example.
That maybe true, but they all do the same preseason fitness…that’s what he said brought him undone..
True. And he was at one of the best-run clubs too.
Hope Kiss finds a way to get him involved in the play. He really got to showcase his athleticism and skill in league because he got a heap of ball in the try scoring zone.
I think our piggies are a little too prone to keeping it in tight close to the line. Understandable but not very adventurous.
He never looked like a rugby wing though. More like a centre.
Ironically the opposite position switch desirable from Suaalii.
That is the wallabies in a nutshell
That lineout kick
Thats a bugger of a finish, he’s played well consideringly
HMP – i wish you well
See what happens when you compete!?
Yes, we should play against 14 more often!
We wanted less then them, not more then them to have an epic win haha
Extra man for 12 minutes
AB’s should’ve tried the Saffas subs technique…
Ow ow my head’s sore…
🤣🤣
Swathes of 7’s style rugby only to be killed by these absurd hold ups.
Daugunu: on screen in the 23 jersey
Horan: “he’s playing in the 13 jersey today”.
Gotta love Timmy
Some good runs by Meredith….
Only just joined the game…how’s he gone…
Couple of poor kicks early. But good in general
Put Williams over in the first half
He’s done well
Another three and we’re back in this
See the pace of Moorby
Saves the 50
This time
No one had talked to Jonkers for a while.
God he’s an embarrassment, every time
I thought Barrett would need to enter the ruck from an onside position or at least not dive on a tackled player…
HMP might miss out
Marius do what he do best…clueless.
Marius Bonkers, that’s the most ridiculous TMO intervention I’ve ever seen. It was great play by Cam. What a waste of time.
Roigard clearly interfered with the placing of the ball with his leg
JD, in the language of the laws could you explain how, while on the ground a player can interfere with the placing of the ball by a ball carrier?
.
Marius was seeing foul play
Marius sees foul play everywhere he looks
But he was the best library monitor his school ever had!
If not Roigard the Barret is off-side
Credit to Meredith he’s working his arse off
FFS why are we even looking at that? It’s ridiculous.