The Junior All Blacks produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat the Junior Wallabies 34–29 in the opening round of the 2026 U20 Rugby Championship at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, scoring three tries in the space of five minutes to overturn a 12-point deficit that had seemed insurmountable.

4 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Mika Muliaina spread the ball wide left from the lineout and Cohen Norrie glided outside his marker to score near the corner. Muliaina misses the conversion. (5–0)

8 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: From a lineout five metres out, Isaac Fonua powered towards the line before Marshall Le Maitre burrowed low to score. Finn Mackay converts. (5–7)

12 mins – DISALLOWED TRY AUSTRALIA: Leo Jaques sliced through a gap off Mackay but the try was ruled out by the TMO for obstruction by Louis Fenwicke.

16 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Henry Stuart crashed over from close range after a sustained forward assault. Muliaina converts. (12–7)

21 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Mackay and Jaques worked the ball wide right to Riley Whitfeld, who stepped sharply inside Siale Pahulu to score. Mackay misses the conversion. (12–12)

24 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Mackay floated a brilliant cutout pass left to replacement Taione Taka, who evaded one defender and streaked away to score in the corner. Mackay misses the conversion. (12–17)

35 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: From a powerful rolling maul, quick ruck ball reached Ewald Kruger, whose bounce pass was scooped up by Mackay who dived over to score. Mackay converts. (12–24)

Half-time: New Zealand 12–24 Australia. The Junior Wallabies dominated the final 25 minutes of the half, with Finn Mackay pulling the strings brilliantly at fly-half. Australia’s lineout functioned superbly and their forwards consistently made hard metres through the middle. New Zealand needed a fast start to the second half.

46 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Cohen Norrie collected the ball wide left and put on the afterburners around Cooper Watters with a goose-step to score his second. Muliaina misses the conversion. (17–24)

54 mins – RED CARD AUSTRALIA: Cooper Watters shown a 20-minute red card for a dangerous cleanout on Finn McLeod at the breakdown, lifting his leg past the horizontal.

57 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Despite being down to 14, Mackay fired a sharp pass right to Leo Jaques, who powered through two defenders to score. Mackay misses the conversion. (17–29)

62 mins – YELLOW CARD AUSTRALIA: Angus Grover yellow-carded for slowing the ball at the breakdown after Logan Williams had made a 60-metre break. Australia reduced to 13 players.

64 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: From the ensuing scrum five metres out, Charlie Sinton created an easy overlap for captain Haki Wiseman, who powered over under the posts. Muliaina converts. (24–29)

66 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: A Cohen Norrie clearance was charged down, putting everyone onside. Sinton fed Micah Fale at halfway, who in turn supplied Caleb Woodley to score in the corner. Muliaina misses the conversion. (29–29)

68 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Logan Williams hacked the ball ahead from a breakdown, regathered and sprinted past Fenwicke to score out wide. Muliaina misses the conversion. (34–29)

72 mins – DISALLOWED TRY AUSTRALIA: Louis Fenwicke crossed to the left of the posts off a Mackay cutout pass, but the TMO ruled it out for a knock-on by Tyler Maybery at the previous breakdown.

Full-time: New Zealand 34–29 Australia

It was a match that had everything — brilliant individual performances, controversial cards, disallowed tries and a final quarter that swung wildly between the two sides. Australia will feel this was one that got away, having dominated large stretches of the first half and led 24–12 at the break, only for ill-discipline to undo their hard work at the worst possible time.

New Zealand made a sharp start in sunny but breezy conditions, their lineout functioning crisply through Jake Frost and Max Fale. The early pressure told in the fourth minute when Muliaina spread the ball wide left and fullback Cohen Norrie glided outside his marker, beating the defence for pace to open the scoring near the corner. Muliaina’s conversion drifted wide from close to the touchline, a sign of the swirling wind that would make goal-kicking a lottery throughout the afternoon.

Australia’s response was immediate and forceful. Penalised for offside, New Zealand conceded territory and the Junior Wallabies went to the corner from a penalty. Isaac Fonua powered towards the line from the lineout before openside Marshall Le Maitre muscled over for the equalising score. Finn Mackay — the Reds fly-half who had been part of the Australian Under-18 side that beat New Zealand Secondary Schools twice in 2025 — added the extras to hand Australia a 7–5 lead.

The Junior Wallabies thought they had struck again almost immediately when Leo Jaques sliced through a gap running off Mackay on the left edge, but the TMO intervened and the try was ruled out for obstruction by fullback Louis Fenwicke. It was a momentum-killing decision, and New Zealand capitalised. Going down the other end, prop Henry Stuart crashed over from close range after sustained forward pressure, and Muliaina’s conversion restored a 12–7 lead.

What followed was a masterclass from Mackay. The 19-year-old pulled the strings as Australia dominated the final 25 minutes of the first half, outscoring New Zealand 17–0 in a spell of ruthless attacking rugby. Riley Whitfeld levelled proceedings with a sharp step back inside off his right foot that beat Siale Pahulu, before Mackay delivered a sumptuous cutout pass to send replacement Taione Taka over in the corner. The fly-half then got on the scoresheet himself in the 35th minute, swooping on a bounce pass from Kruger after a powerful rolling maul had driven New Zealand backwards. Remarkably, there were no handling errors and only two scrums in the first 40 minutes as both sides played at a frenetic pace.

Trailing 12–24, Kane Jury’s side needed a fast start to the second half and they got one. Norrie, with a goose-step that drew comparisons to David Campese, slipped past his marker wide on the left to score his second in the 46th minute and reduce the deficit to seven points. Australia went close to an immediate response when Jaques exploded through the front line, only to lose possession in a desperate tackle just short of the try line.

The match turned dramatically in the 53rd minute. Finn McLeod had won a crucial jackal at the breakdown, but winger Cooper Watters panicked in his attempt to clear the Canterbury flanker out and was shown a 20-minute red card for lifting McLeod’s leg past the horizontal. It was a reckless act that would prove decisive.

Remarkably, Australia initially absorbed the blow. Despite being down to 14, Jaques finally got the try his first-half performance had deserved, powering through two defenders off a sharp Mackay pass to extend the lead to 17–29. For a moment, it seemed the numerical disadvantage might not matter.

Then came the collapse. Logan Williams, on from the bench, made a searing 60-metre break that scrambled the Australian defence. At the ensuing breakdown, halfback Angus Grover was yellow-carded for cynically slowing the ball, reducing Australia to 13 players. It was the moment that broke Chris Whittaker’s side.

From the five-metre scrum, Charlie Sinton — who had played for Bay of Plenty in the NPC last year — created an easy overlap for captain Haki Wiseman, who powered over under the posts. Muliaina converted and suddenly it was 24–29. Two minutes later came a try with a healthy dose of fortune: Norrie’s clearance kick was charged down, putting everyone onside. Sinton was alert enough to feed the ball to impact substitute Micah Fale at halfway, who in turn supplied openside Caleb Woodley to score in the corner. The sides were level at 29–29 — the same scoreline as the corresponding fixture in 2025.

Williams was not finished. In the 68th minute, the Canterbury prospect hacked the ball ahead from a breakdown, regathered his own kick and sprinted past Fenwicke to score out wide. There were Australian complaints that Tom Robinson had won a turnover penalty at the preceding breakdown, but the referee waved play on. Three tries in five minutes had turned the match on its head.

Australia, restored to 15 players for the final six minutes, threw everything at the New Zealand line. Mackay rifled a cutout pass to Fenwicke, who crossed to the left of the posts, but the TMO ruled it out for a knock-on by replacement Tyler Maybery at the previous breakdown. A rolling maul was held up a metre from the corner flag, with replacement prop Ethan Webber making a crucial stop, and Eli Langi was held up over the line in the dying minutes. New Zealand clung on grimly, and when Muliaina booted the ball into touch after an early siren, the Baby Blacks had completed a remarkable comeback.

Mackay was outstanding in a losing cause, having a hand in all five Australian tries and looking every inch a player destined for higher honours. For New Zealand, Norrie’s double and Williams’s impact from the bench were the decisive contributions, while Sinton’s composure at halfback held the comeback together. The result extends New Zealand’s unbeaten run in the U20 Rugby Championship, having won both previous editions in 2024 and 2025.

Australia’s campaign faces further headwinds, with centre Frankie Goldsbrough in doubt for their next match against South Africa after departing early with a shoulder injury. New Zealand face Argentina on Sunday, while the Junior Wallabies must regroup quickly to face the host nation.

Teams

New Zealand: 15 Cohen Norrie, 14 Oliver Guerin, 13 David Lewai, 12 Haki Wiseman (c), 11 Siale Pahulu, 10 Mika Muliaina, 9 Charlie Sinton (c), 8 Patrick Mauga, 7 Caleb Woodley (c), 6 Finn McLeod, 5 Jake Frost, 4 Max Fale, 3 Dane Johnston, 2 Henry Stuart, 1 Josh Findlay.
Replacements: 16 Luka Patumaka Makata, 17 Ethan Webber, 18 Alexander Hewitt, 19 John Falloon, 20 Micah Fale, 21 Jackson Hughan, 22 Jay Reihana, 23 Logan Williams.

Australia: 15 Louis Fenwicke, 14 Riley Whitfeld, 13 Leo Jaques, 12 Frankie Goldsbrough, 11 Cooper Watters, 10 Finn Mackay, 9 Angus Grover, 8 Eli Langi, 7 Marshall Le Maitre, 6 Tom Robinson (c), 5 Isaac Fonua, 4 Will Ross, 3 Edwin Langi, 2 Ewald Kruger, 1 Jacob Job.
Replacements: 16 Tyler Maybery, 17 Harper Strachan, 18 Jonah Rangiwai, 19 Kenneth Harris, 20 Cooper Eagle, 21 Sam Blank, 22 Jonty Fowler, 23 Taione Taka.

Match details

New Zealand 34 (Tries: Norrie 2, Stuart, Wiseman, Woodley, Williams; Conversions: Muliaina 2/6)
Australia 29 (Tries: Le Maitre, Whitfeld, Taka, Mackay, Jaques; Conversions: Mackay 2/5)
Half-time: 12–24

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)