Wallabies' Bledisloe crash reaffirms Boks, All Blacks as only real RWC 2027 contenders

OPINION: Australia’s 21-43 Bledisloe Cup defeat to New Zealand in Sydney again showed that context should be added to their win over South Africa and that rugby’s greatest rivals remain the main contenders one year out from Rugby World Cup 2027.

The Wallabies were – just like last weekend – shot back down to earth by the All Blacks, who were handed three straight defeats by the world champions in the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

But the All Blacks’ demolition job looked even more impressive this time, though the score (21-43 compared to 50-19 in Auckland) would not suggest it.

Pace and precision were the name of the All Blacks’ game in the opening half as they ran in six tries to go 36-7 up at half-time.

While they added a solitary try after the break and granted the Wallabies two, they showed enough in those first 40 minutes to show that while Australia have no doubt made some strides under Les Kiss, particularly in attack, there is still considerable distance between New Zealand and Australia and, by extension, the Wallabies and the Springboks.

The Wallabies were really threatening at times in the second half with superb flashes of backline brilliance, but they struggled to get hold of the ball and hold onto it for extended periods once they had it.

That promising attack was on show against a much-changed Springbok team as well.

The All Blacks beat the Wallabies with their attacking efficiency; the Boks beat them in spite of it.

In a sense, the Wallabies – or at least their fans – have always judged the health of their rugby by how they fared against their trans-Tasman rivals, and a win over the world number one team certainly boosted, or even inflated, their confidence ahead of the Bledisloe Cup.

But the way in which the All Blacks secured the Bledisloe Cup safely in their trophy cabinet for the 24th year, at the same venue where they will meet in the next World Cup, suggests that the relationship between Australia and New Zealand can hardly be called a rivalry anymore.

Believing that Australia are suddenly real World Cup contenders after beating what could even be described as a Springbok C-team after a gruelling series against the All Blacks was naive.

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Between New Zealand and Australia, both drawn in Pool A, only one can progress to meet the Boks in the quarterfinals.

A lot was made of the Wallabies’ 42-38 win over the Springboks, but in reality, the only things it proved was that the South African squad isn’t entirely interchangeable – the third-choice player isn’t as good as the first choice – and that the Wallabies are certainly taking steps in the right direction. There is simply nothing more to take from it.

The All Blacks’ sizzling attack garnished with next-level offloads, support play, and linebreak was the same threat they dished up against the Springboks.

They scored more tries than the Boks and were more clinical in the red zone throughout the series.

For the most part, they had the Boks in the numbers that looked good, but the Springboks nullified their ample threats with the numbers that don’t read as sexy – they played cleaner, conceded fewer penalties and turnovers and secured the contestable kicks, while their set-piece, particularly their scrum and maul, came through for them.

And then there was their physicality, the area where the Springboks are simply unmatched globally.

The fact that Australia beat them Down Under, where the next World Cup will be hosted, means nothing. Sure, a win there would have given South Africans some extra braai topics and the Boks might have reflected on their time in Australia a little more fondly, but the 2027 Rugby World Cup will be decided by more than bragging rights.

The strength of France’s club rugby, especially with Bordeaux Begles’ back-to-back Champions Cup reigns, automatically makes them a threat.

But, as is always the case, you never know what to expect from the French.

The Springboks and All Blacks should dominate the World Cup contender talks, especially the Boks, and while Australia have produced enough until now to make them a team on the rise, rugby’s greatest rivals remain the main contenders.