Kiss vows Wallabies will 'return fire' after 50-19 Bledisloe thrashing at Eden Park

Les Kiss insisted the Wallabies retain the belief to respond after suffering a 50-19 defeat to the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday, a result that extends Australia’s Bledisloe Cup drought to 24 years. New Zealand claimed the trophy for another year, with Codie Taylor lifting the silverware post-match.

The loss was Kiss’s first as Wallabies head coach, having overseen four wins and a draw since replacing Joe Schmidt. Australia had arrived at Eden Park on the back of a four-point victory over the Springboks, but the historic weight of the venue proved too much — France remain the last side to beat the All Blacks there, a run that now stands at 54 unbeaten Tests.

The match was remarkably tight at the break, with New Zealand holding only a three-point lead despite dominating large stretches. The second half, however, became a one-sided affair. The All Blacks scored 33 points in 32 minutes, with Cam Roigard, Codie Taylor, Leroy Carter, Josh Moorby and Will Jordan all crossing. Josh Nasser provided the Wallabies’ only response in the second term, touching down with five minutes remaining.

Australia had actually dominated the opening exchanges, holding 90 per cent possession in the first ten minutes, before Peter Lakai struck through a well-worked counter-attack and Tupou Vaa’i added a second try shortly after.

“It’s like anything. You get a knockback, you find out more about yourself and that’s what we’ll do. We’ll work hard on what we have to do,” Kiss told reporters after the game.

The Australian coach was keen to frame the defeat as a learning moment rather than a crisis, pointing to the culture built within the squad over recent months.

“Belief is created and sustained by not just wins and losses, they’re created by other things. These boys have a strong culture, a strong belief in themselves and a confidence about what they can do.”

Kiss acknowledged the tactical lessons were clear, particularly the need to impose Australia’s own game rather than allow New Zealand’s strengths to grow unchecked.

“Over the last five Tests, we didn’t lose the run of ourselves; the boys always said we’ve got work to do. It doesn’t change now,” he said. “We’ll go back and we’ll work on what we have to and try and turn the dial in the right areas that can go to Sydney and return fire.”

The Wallabies have not beaten the All Blacks since November 2020, but will have an immediate opportunity to end that run when the two sides meet again in Sydney next weekend.