Once played irregularly every few years, Bledisloe Cup matches now happen annually, and include Rugby Championship (formerly Tri Nations) fixtures between the two sides. Their World Cup fixtures do not count as Bledisloe Cup matches, which were always played in Australia or New Zealand. However, 2008 saw a Bledisloe Cup match held outside the two countries for the first time when the teams met in Hong Kong, and a 2009 Bledisloe Cup match was played in Tokyo.[1]
New Zealand has dominated the cup, winning it 12 times in a row (2003–2014).
Between 1931 and 1981 it was contested irregularly in the course of rugby tours between the two countries. New Zealand won it 19 times and Australia four times in this period including in 1949 when Australia won it for the first time on New Zealand soil. The trophy itself was apparently 'lost' during this period and reportedly rediscovered in a Melbourne store room. In the years 1982 to 1995 it was contested annually, sometimes as a series of three matches (two in 1995) and other times in a single match. During these years New Zealand won it 11 times and Australia three times.
In 1996 and from 1999 through 2005, the third match was not played; during those years, Australia and New Zealand played each other twice as part of the Tri Nations for the cup. If both teams won one of these games, or if both games were drawn, the cup was retained by its current holder. The non-holder had to win the two games 2-0 or 1-0 (with a draw) to regain the Cup. A criticism of this system was that with the closeness in the level of ability between the two sides, years where each team won one game each were very common (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004) and in these years, many rugby fans felt dissatisfied with one team keeping the cup in a series tied at 1-1.
2006 saw the return of the 3-game contest for Bledisloe as the Tri Nations series was extended so that each team played each other 3 times. The 2007 Cup, however, reverted to the two-game contest because the Tri Nations was abbreviated that year to minimise interference with the teams' preparations for the World Cup.
In 2008 it was announced that the Bledisloe Cup would be contested over an unprecedented four matches, with three games played in Australia and New Zealand and a fourth and potentially deciding game in Hong Kong in an effort to promote the game in Asia (the first time Australia and New Zealand played in a third country outside the World Cup).[2] The Hong Kong match, which drew a crowd of 39,000 to see the All Blacks (which had already clinched the Bledisloe Cup) defeat the Wallabies 19–14,[3] proved to be a financial success for the two unions, generating a reported £5.5 million.[4] Even before the match, the two countries' rugby federations were considering taking Cup matches to the United States and Japan in 2009 and 2010. Japan hosted a fourth Bledisloe Test Match on 31 October 2009. Each team is expected to clear at least A$3.8 million/NZ$5 million from the Tokyo match.[1] However a 2010 fourth match was set in Hong Kong and has struggled to attract crowds. [5]
The three-match format for the Bledisloe Cup continued in 2012, with the first two matches taking place as part of the 2012 Rugby Championship.
Year |
Date |
Venue |
Home |
Score |
Away |
Match
Winner
|
Trophy
Winner
|
2014 |
18 October |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
28 – 29 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
23 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
51 – 20 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
16 August |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
12 – 12 |
New Zealand |
Draw |
2013 |
19 October |
Otago Stadium, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
41 – 33 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
24 August |
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington |
New Zealand |
27 – 16 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
17 August |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
29 – 47 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2012 |
20 October |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
18 – 18 |
New Zealand |
Draw |
|
25 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
22 – 0 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
18 August |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
19 – 27 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2011 |
27 August |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
25 – 20 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
6 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
30 – 14 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2010 |
30 October |
Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong |
Australia |
26 – 24 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
11 September |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
22 – 23 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
7 August |
AMI Stadium, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
20 – 10 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
31 July |
Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Victoria |
Australia |
28 – 49 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2009 |
31 October |
National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan |
New Zealand |
32 – 19 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
19 September |
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington |
New Zealand |
33 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
22 August |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
18 – 19 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
18 July |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
22 – 16 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2008 |
1 November |
Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong |
New Zealand |
19 – 14 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
13 September |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
24 – 28 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
39 – 10 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
26 July |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
34 – 19 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
2007 |
21 July |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
26 – 12 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
30 June |
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria |
Australia |
20 – 15 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
2006 |
19 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
34 – 27 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
29 July |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
9 – 13 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
8 July |
Jade Stadium, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
32 – 12 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2005 |
3 September |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
34 – 24 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
13 August |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
13 – 30 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2004 |
7 August |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
23 – 18 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
17 July |
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington |
New Zealand |
16 – 7 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2003 |
16 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
21 – 17 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
26 July |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
21 – 50 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2002 |
3 August |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
16 – 14 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
13 July |
Jade Stadium, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
12 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
2001 |
1 September |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
29 – 26 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
11 August |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
15 – 23 |
Australia |
Australia |
2000 |
5 August |
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington |
New Zealand |
23 – 24 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
15 July |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
35 – 39 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1999 |
28 August |
Stadium Australia, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
28 – 7 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
24 July |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
34 – 15 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1998 |
29 August |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
19 – 14 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
1 August |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
23 – 27 |
Australia |
Australia |
11 July |
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria |
Australia |
24 – 16 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
1997 |
16 August |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
36 – 24 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
26 July |
Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Victoria |
Australia |
18 – 33 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
5 July |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
30 – 13 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1996 |
27 July |
Lang Park, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
25 – 32 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
6 July |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
43 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1995 |
29 July |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
23 – 34 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
22 July |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
28 – 16 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1994 |
17 August |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
20 – 16 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
1993 |
17 July |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
25 – 10 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
1992 |
25 July |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
23 – 26 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
19 July |
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
19 – 17 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
4 July |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
16 – 15 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
1991 |
24 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
6 – 3 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
10 August |
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
21 – 12 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
1990 |
18 August |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
9 – 21 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
4 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
27 – 17 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
21 July |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
21 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1989 |
5 August |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
24 – 12 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
1988 |
30 July |
Concord Oval, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
9 – 30 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
16 July |
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
19 – 19 |
New Zealand |
draw |
3 July |
Concord Oval, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
7 – 32 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1987 |
25 July |
Concord Oval, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
16 – 30 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
1986 |
6 September |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
9 – 22 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
23 August |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
13 – 12 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
9 August |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
12 – 13 |
Australia |
Australia |
1985 |
29 June |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
10 – 9 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
1984 |
18 August |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
24 – 25 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
4 August |
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
15 – 19 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
21 July |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
16 – 9 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
1983 |
20 August |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
8 – 18 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
1982 |
11 September |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
33 – 18 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
28 August |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
16 – 19 |
Australia |
Australia |
14 August |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
23 – 16 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1980 |
12 July |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
26 – 10 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
28 June |
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
9 – 12 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
21 June |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
13 – 9 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
1979 |
28 July |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
12 – 6 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
|
1978 |
9 September |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
16 – 30 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
26 August |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
22 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
19 August |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
13 – 12 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1974 |
8 June 1974 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
6 – 16 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
1 June 1974 |
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
16 – 16 |
New Zealand |
draw |
25 May 1974 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
6 – 11 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1972 |
16 September 1972 |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
38 – 3 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
2 September 1972 |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
30 – 17 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
19 August 1972 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
29 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1968 |
22 June 1968 |
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
18 – 19 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
15 June 1968 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
11 – 27 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1967 |
19 August 1967 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
29 – 9 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
1964 |
29 August 1964 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
5 – 20 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
22 August 1964 |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
18 – 3 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
15 August 1964 |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
14 – 9 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1962 |
22 September 1962 |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
16 – 8 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
8 September 1962 |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
3 – 0 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
25 August 1962 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
9 – 9 |
Australia |
draw |
4 June 1962 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
5 – 14 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
26 May 1962 |
Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
6 – 20 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1958 |
20 September 1958 |
Epsom Showgrounds, Auckland |
New Zealand |
17 – 8 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
6 September 1958 |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
3 – 6 |
Australia |
Australia |
23 August 1958 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
25 – 3 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1957 |
1 June 1957 |
Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
9 – 22 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
25 May 1957 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
11 – 25 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1955 |
17 September 1955 |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
3 – 8 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
3 September 1955 |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
8 – 0 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
20 August 1955 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
16 – 8 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1952 |
13 September 1952 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
15 – 8 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
6 September 1952 |
Lancaster Park, Christchurch |
New Zealand |
9 – 14 |
Australia |
Australia |
1951 |
21 July 1951 |
Woolloongabba Ground, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
6 – 16 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
7 July 1951 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
11 – 17 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
23 June 1951 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
0 – 8 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1949 |
24 September 1949 |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
9 – 16 |
Australia |
Australia |
|
3 September 1949 |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
6 – 11 |
Australia |
Australia |
1947 |
28 June 1947 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
14 – 27 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
14 June 1947 |
Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
5 – 13 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1946 |
28 September 1946 |
Eden Park, Auckland |
New Zealand |
14 – 10 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
14 September 1946 |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
31 – 8 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1938 |
13 August |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
6 – 14 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
6 August |
Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
14 – 20 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
23 July |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
9 – 24 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
1936 |
12 September |
Carisbrook, Dunedin |
New Zealand |
38 – 13 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
|
5 September |
Athletic Park, Wellington |
New Zealand |
11 – 6 |
Australia |
New Zealand |
1934 |
25 August |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
3 – 3 |
New Zealand |
draw |
|
11 August |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
25 – 11 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
1932 |
23 July 1932 |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
13 – 21 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
|
16 July |
Exhibition Ground, Brisbane, Queensland |
Australia |
3 – 21 |
New Zealand |
New Zealand |
2 July |
Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales |
Australia |
22 – 17 |
New Zealand |
Australia |