All Blacks’ unbeaten run at Eden Park grows to 50 matches across 30 years after 42-10 win over Argentina

The All Blacks’ 42-10 win in the wet over Argentina in the second round of The Rugby Championship extended their unbeaten run at Eden Park to a 50th match.

Their last defeat at the Auckland venue remains the one they suffered at the hands of France in July 1994, just over 11,000 days ago.

Having spent the week preparing his side to bounce back from last Saturday’s shock 38-30 loss to the Pumas in Wellington, coach Scott Robertson says the boys are talking about this being 50 in a row – adding he did not realise until after the game, and he is really pleased they could add to that.

For loose forward Sam Cane and halfback TJ Perenara – it was almost certainly the last the pair will play there, as the pair of 32-year-olds are bound for Japan on three-year deals at the end of the year.

Cane said during the week he would hate to be part of the team that let the Eden Park record slip and was pleased to have signed off with it still intact.

This time around, the All Blacks’ bettered that points total in 40 minutes, with Damian McKenzie converting the five first-half tries scored by himself, Ardie Savea, Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan and Beauden Barrett.

Jordan added a second two minutes into the second half, which was also converted, but a late try by Argentine fullback Santiago Carreras was the only scoring action after that.

The 32-point win was the equal-seventh largest by the All Blacks during their 50-match unbeaten run, with the largest the 78-point drubbing of Samoa in 2017 and the largest against a tier-one nation the 41-point win over France in 2018.

Almost half of the All Blacks’ wins at Eden Park since 1994 have come against the Wallabies, many of them during New Zealand’s 21-year run of holding the Bledisloe Cup – the other long-running streak they still have to keep going in 2024.

Australian sides have been on the receiving end of 20 defeats during the ongoing Eden Park run – 15 more than any other team.

England and France have both been beaten there five times since 1994, while the Springboks have lost four times, after managing a draw in the first match of the streak 30 years ago.

Ireland have also lost four times during the streak with the Lions (two losses and a draw), Argentina (two) and Scotland (two) the others to have gone down more than once.

Canada, Samoa, Tonga and Wales are the other teams to have played the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1994.

Source: Stuff.co