Bledisloe Cup

Lore & Background

Semantics plays a role in the issue of when the inaugural Bledisloe Cup match was played. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) contend that the one-off 1931 match played at Eden Park was first. The only record of a match taking place is recorded in the minutes of a New Zealand union management meeting several days later that Lord Bledisloe wished to present a cup for the All Blacks and Wallabies competition. The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) believe that the first match was when New Zealand toured Australia in 1932. Between 1931 and 1981, the Bledisloe Cup was contested irregularly in the course of rugby tours between the two countries, with New Zealand winning it nineteen times and Australia four times. In 1949, Australia won the competition 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. It was contested annually from 1982 to 1995, sometimes as a series of three matches (two in 1995) and other times in a single match. During these years, New Zealand won the trophy eleven times and Australia three times. Since 1996, the cup has been contested as part of the annual Tri Nations tournament. Until 1998, the cup was contested in a three-match series consisting of the two Tri Nations matches between the two sides and a third match. New Zealand won the series in 1996 and 1997, and Australia won it in 1998. In 1996, and from 1999 through 2005, the third match was not played; during these years, Australia and New Zealand played each other twice as part of the Tri Nations for the cup. If the two teams won one game each, or if both games were drawn, the cup was retained by its current holder. The non-holder needed 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 two sides being very well matched in ability level, it was very common for the teams to win one game each and many rugby fans were dissatisfied with one team keeping the cup in the years when the series was tied at 1–1 (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004). In 2006, the Tri Nations series was extended so that each team played each other three times, meaning a return of the three-game contest for the Bledisloe Cup. However, the cup reverted to the two-game contest in 2007 because the Tri Nations was abbreviated that year to minimise interference with the teams'

In Their Own Story

Eighty thousand voices at Eden Park don't just roar; they vibrate as a single living organism. The air hangs heavy with the scent of salt spray and cut grass, thick with Auckland's summer humidity. On the pitch, the white oval ball rests on the tee like a loaded weapon against the emerald turf. A New Zealand forward adjusts his boots, the black jersey clinging to him like armor, eyes locked across the scrum at the gold-clad Wallabies. It is a silent dialogue of 90 years of tension, waiting for the referee's whistle to shatter the calm. As the packs bind and the earth shakes under the collision, the history of every previous defeat and victory crashes down on this single moment—the roar rising from the stands becomes a prayer, a threat, and a promise all at once.

Reader's Guide

The Bledisloe Cup is contested annually between Australia's Wallabies and New Zealand's All Blacks. As of 2025, it consists of a two-match series, with matches counting towards The Rugby Championship. Matches have been played in Australia, New Zealand, and at neutral venues including Hong Kong (2008, 2010) and Japan (Tokyo in 2009, Yokohama in 2018). The cup is currently held by New Zealand, who have won it 53 times (including 22 in succession, excluding the disputed 1931 competition). Australia has won it 12 times.

Did You Know?

• The ARU and NZRU disagree on which match was the first Bledisloe Cup contest: the ARU says the 1931 one-off match at Eden Park, while the NZRU says the 1932 tour of Australia.
• The trophy was reportedly 'lost' for a period and rediscovered in a Melbourne store room.
• In 2008, the Bledisloe Cup was contested over four matches, including one in Hong Kong—the first time Australia and New Zealand played in a third country outside the Rugby World Cup.
• The 2018 match in Yokohama drew a record crowd of about 46,000 for a rugby test match in Japan at the time.