Kiss names 34-man Wallabies squad to chase seven-match unbeaten run at Eden Park

Les Kiss has named a 34-man Wallabies squad for the Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks at Eden Park on October 10, with Australia chasing a seventh consecutive unbeaten match — a run the side has not achieved since Michael Cheika’s 2017 campaign.

New Zealand have not lost at their Auckland fortress in 53 Tests, a streak that stretches back to a draw with South Africa in August 1994, one month after France claimed a three-point win there. Kiss acknowledged the scale of the task facing his side. “It’s going to be tough. They are unbeaten there in [53] Tests at Eden Park so it’s going to be a formidable challenge,” he told reporters in Sydney. “The Springboks, they raised the standard, we have to try and meet that. This is another challenge and opportunity for us to see where we can go with it.”

The match will also be the All Blacks’ first outing since losing the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series to South Africa three Tests to one. New Zealand have not lost four Tests in succession since the late 1990s, meaning both sides carry significant historical stakes into the fixture.

Australia arrive in form. Kiss took charge after Joe Schmidt’s final game — a 57-10 demolition of Italy in Perth — and has since guided the side to four wins and a draw in five Tests, including a 42-38 victory over the Springboks in Perth last weekend.

Two injury absences have created selection opportunities. With props Taniela Tupou and Tom Hooper unavailable, Massimo De Lutiis — who made history as the 1000th Wallabies representative on debut against Japan in Townsville — returns to the squad. Uncapped back Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, who was named in the squad for the Springboks series without earning a matchday berth, is again in contention.

The other new face is Toby Macpherson, a Brisbane Boys’ College product who captained the ACT Brumbies in Super Rugby AUS and earns his first Wallabies call-up. “That’s another opportunity to build a little bit of depth. That’s why we brought Toby in,” Kiss said. “It gives us a chance to bring Massimo in after a slight little issue that he had — he will come back with the squad and we’ll work away with that.”

Kiss framed the Eden Park trip as a benchmark for where this Wallabies group stands as they build towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup on home soil. “We’ve got a huge amount of respect for that New Zealand team so it’s going to be interesting,” he added.