The All Blacks’ 43-10 defeat to the Springboks in Wellington didn’t make the New Zealand Herald’s list of their 10 most painful losses.
The All Blacks have suffered 131 Test defeats since 1903, with Saturday’s loss to the Boks the heaviest, but it didn’t hurt as much as the matches below, according to Cameron McMillan.
The All Blacks’ second-biggest defeat – a 35-7 loss to the Boks at Twickenham, was only given an honourable mention.
10. Wales 3 All Blacks 0, Cardiff, 1905
To this day, it remains New Zealand’s only loss to Wales.
9. Ireland 40 All Blacks 29, Chicago, 2016
A great All Blacks comeback in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as all the damage was done in the first half when the Irish streaked to a 25-8 lead.
8. Wallabies 47 All Blacks 26, Perth, 2019
The All Blacks could not recover from a red card given to Scott Barrett in the first half. From there, the Wallabies made their numerical advantage count and pushed 47 points past the All Blacks.
7. France 22 All Blacks 8, Christchurch, 1994
Les Bleus’ first win over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil, set up the victory at Eden Park a week later. Still the last time the All Blacks were beaten at their fortress. Jonah Lomu made his debut in this Test.
6. England 38 All Blacks 21, Twickenham, 2012
A third-quarter triple for England set the platform for their biggest victory over the All Blacks to date.
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5. England 19 All Blacks 7, Yokohama, 2019
Outclassed by England in all departments and were just too sloppy to get a foothold in the game. The end of the Steve Hansen era.
4. All Blacks 3 Lions 13, Athletic Park 1971
The Lions’ second win in their four-Test series against the All Blacks.
3. Wallabies 19 All Blacks 14, Sydney 1998
This loss was the culmination of five straight Tri-Nations defeats for the All Blacks – including two at home.
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2. France 43 All Blacks 31, Twickenham 1999
A Test with many similarities to Saturday’s Wellington win. The All Blacks conceded 33 unanswered points in one of the worst 35-minute patches of rugby in their history.
1. France 20 All Blacks 18, Cardiff 2007
The infamous Freddie Michalak forward pass where the French pivot was at the end of an uncalled forward pass from teammate Damien Trialle which led to the match-winning try – dumping the All Blacks out of the 2007 World Cup.
Honourable mentions:
Springboks 35 All Blacks 7, Twickenham, 2023
Sydney 40 All Blacks 17, Penrith, 1992
Llanelli 9 All Blacks 3, Llanelli, 1972
Springboks 17 All Blacks 0, Durban, 1928
Australia 16 All Blacks 6, Dublin, 1991
Springboks 26 All Blacks 10, Nelspruit, 2022
WATCH: Why did the All Blacks lose?
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
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