A rich rivalry - the history of the Bledisloe Cup.

With the first Bledisloe Cup match of 2024 kicking off shortly, we take a trip down memory lane back to where it all began and deep dive into the rich rivalry between the two trans-tasman sides - the Wallabies and All Blacks.

For rugby fans across Australia and New Zealand, the famous annual battle of the Bledisloe Cup is known by all. Whether you are a die-hard Wallabies or All Blacks fan, or casually watch, the fierce rivalry between these two sides is unmatched with any other rivalry in rugby.  

In 1931, the story of the Bledisloe Cup began, which was named after the New Zealand governor-general, Lord Bledisloe, who donated the prominent trophy that we see today. The inaugural match was played out at Eden Park in New Zealand, with the All Blacks coming out on top for the first win. And this was the start of an on-going tradition between the two sides.

Here are some quick facts about the Bledisloe Cup:

1. The Wallabies won their first Bledisloe Cup in 1934 in Sydney, with a score of 25-11.
2. It wasn’t until 1982 that both sides agreed to contest the cup on an annual basis.
3. The Hong Kong stadium hosted the first neutral match outside Rugby World Cup for the two sides in 2008. In 2009, another Bledisloe Cup match was hosted in Tokyo to boost rugby following in Japan.
4. The last time Australia held the cup was in 2002, with the All Blacks consistently taking out the cup since then.
5. The All Blacks have won 51 Bledisloe Cups, to Australia’s 12.
6. The number of games varies each year, depending on Rugby World Cup, with the series typically spanning over two to three matches, with two during Rugby World Cup years and from 2022 - 2025.
7. The longest time the All Blacks have gone without winning the Bledisloe Cup was between 1998-2002, where Australia won eight out of 11 matches, the worst record the All Blacks have had against any team over 11 matches at any point in time.
8. The Bledisloe Cup has been played at the MCG, Melbourne – a non-traditional rugby stadium, 4 times since 1931, the latest being 2023, where the two sides saw 83,944 people attend.

Looking to witness the rich rivalry between these two sides? Wallabies Travel has you covered with travel packages for both Sydney, Australia and Wellington, NZ matches!

Experience Gold with Wallabies Travel and cheer on the boys as they look to break the famous All Blacks streak.