skip to main content

Australia pip New Zealand in feisty Tri-Nations battle

Folau Fainga'a celebrates Australia's try during the 2020 Tri-Nations match
Folau Fainga'a celebrates Australia's try during the 2020 Tri-Nations match

Australia held on for a nerve-jangling 24-22 win over New Zealand in Brisbane on Saturday in a spiteful Tri-Nations clash that featured two red cards and bone-jarring tackling.

The All Blacks were reduced to 14 men when trailing 8-5 in the 23rd minute after prop Ofa Tuungafasi was dismissed for a high tackle on debutant winger Liam Wright.

But the Wallabies were unable to exploit the advantage as fiery flanker Lachlan Swinton became the first Australian player to be red-carded on his test debut for planting a shoulder into the jaw of Sam Whitelock 12 minutes later.

All Blacks replacement lock Tupou Vaa'i grabbed a late try to give the visitors hope of snatching a last-gasp win but Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete laid two brilliant tackles in the dying seconds to turn the ball over and secure an epic victory. 

Full match details

We need your consent to load this SoundCloud contentWe use SoundCloud to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple PodcastsSoundcloudSpotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Read Next