Test match: England lose again to New Zealand (24-17), unbeaten in Auckland for 30 years

After suffering a one-point defeat last week, England were again narrowly beaten (24-17) by New Zealand and an inspired Beauden Barrett, in the second Test match on Saturday in Auckland. Thanks to a brace from winger Mark Tilea, the All Blacks won this round against XV de la Rose, after their 16-15 success in the first meeting.

With a seven-point win on Saturday, New Zealand extended their impressive run at Eden Park to 49 wins since their last defeat in Auckland 30 years ago, against a French XV. But as in the first Test, Ardie Savea’s team-mates had to fight back to regain the advantage in the second half against a victorious England side, led by the lively fly-half Marcus Smith.

After leading 17-13, Steve Borthwick's men saw the game reversed after fullback Beauden Barrett came on (50). Barrett, a two-time world player of the year, cut through the English defence before sending Tilea down the wing for New Zealand's second try (62). After falling to seven points, England were on the verge of getting back on level terms at the last minute. But their strike was halted on the All Blacks' try line.

Australia beat Wales 36-28 on Saturday in Melbourne without a flash of colour, winning their second successive test against the Welsh youngster and the first since 2021 for a confidence-seeking Wallabies side. Often making the most of the youngster's errors, the Wallabies scored four tries with a brace from Melbourne Rebels winger Philippo Dojono (7', 67').

The Australians had already dominated Wales last week (25-16) in Sydney. Warren Gatland's men continue to dig deeper and record a ninth successive defeat, closing in on the record of ten in a row set in 2002 under Steve Hansen. They have now dropped to 11th in the world rankings behind Italy and Fiji.

After quickly falling behind 17-0 after 25 minutes, the Welsh team came back to score but paid for their efforts by conceding several penalties. Returning to the dressing room at half-time with a nine-point lead (23-14), the Australians capitalised on some major Welsh errors in the second half to secure their victory and win this two-test series.