The 2025 All Blacks season was a 13-Test campaign that stretched from a July home series in Dunedin to a final whistle in Cardiff in late November. It was year two of head coach Scott Robertson’s tenure, and it delivered both a highlight reel and some hard lessons: a clean sweep of France, a retained Bledisloe Cup, the heaviest defeat in the team’s history, and a Grand Slam bid that fell one match short. This page is a plain-English record of the whole season — every fixture, venue and score, plus the context behind the results — written for New Zealand fans who want the full picture in one place.
Key Facts
- Season: 2025 (13 Tests)
- Record: 9 wins, 4 losses
- Head coach: Scott Robertson (year two)
- Captain: Scott Barrett
- July home series: beat France 3–0
- Rugby Championship: 2nd — South Africa champions (6th title, back-to-back)
- Bledisloe Cup: retained (beat Australia 2–0)
- Grand Slam tour: not completed — lost to England at Twickenham
- Heaviest defeat: 10–43 v South Africa — a record All Blacks Test loss
How the 2025 season was structured
The schedule followed the modern shape of an All Blacks year. It opened in July with a three-Test home series against France. That was followed by the Rugby Championship — the annual southern-hemisphere tournament contested by New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina — which doubled as the Bledisloe Cup (the trophy played for between the All Blacks and the Wallabies). The year closed with a northern-hemisphere tour billed as a Grand Slam attempt: a run of matches against the British and Irish nations, preceded by a one-off Test against Ireland in Chicago.
New Zealand finished with nine wins and four losses. They were strong at home but split their results away, and the two heaviest reverses — to South Africa and England — came in games where a poor 20-minute window cost them the match. For the wider results context and how points are scored, see our guide to the All Blacks results and scoring.
July Test series vs France (home)
The season began with a three-match series against France across Dunedin, Wellington and Hamilton, and the All Blacks won all three to take the series 3–0. The opener at Forsyth Barr Stadium was the tightest of the set, a 31–27 win decided in the closing stages. The middle Test at Sky Stadium in Wellington was the most complete performance, a 43–17 result built on a fast, expansive backline. The series closed with a 29–19 win in Hamilton.
France travelled without several first-choice players, which shaped how the series is read, but a clean sweep at home still set a confident tone for the year and gave Robertson a platform to bed in a quicker, more direct attacking style. It also gave a run of home Tests to blend senior players with those pushing for regular selection — a theme that would carry through the year.
Three different venues also spread the series around the country, from the roofed Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to the open bowls of Wellington and Hamilton. Home advantage matters in July rugby: the All Blacks were sharper at the breakdown and more accurate at the set piece than a rotated French side, and the margins widened whenever the game opened up.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 5 Jul | France | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin | Win | 31–27 |
| Sat 12 Jul | France | Sky Stadium, Wellington | Win | 43–17 |
| Sat 19 Jul | France | FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton | Win | 29–19 |
The 2025 Rugby Championship
The Rugby Championship was the centre of the season and the source of its biggest swings. New Zealand played six matches — home and away against each of Argentina, South Africa and Australia — and won four of them. It was not enough for the title: South Africa took the trophy for the sixth time, and for the first time claimed back-to-back Rugby Championship crowns. You can see how the tournament is scored and ranked in our explainer on the Rugby Championship table.
Argentina: a historic first at home
The campaign opened in Argentina. In Córdoba the All Blacks were clinical, winning 41–24 at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes. A week later in Buenos Aires the Pumas turned the tables, holding on for a 29–23 victory at Estadio José Amalfitani. It was Argentina’s first-ever home win over the All Blacks, and only around the third time in history they had beaten New Zealand in any Test — a marker of how far the Pumas have come. Background on the wider Los Pumas story can be found on Wikipedia.
South Africa: a win at Eden Park, then a record loss
The two Tests against the world champion Springboks were played in New Zealand and could hardly have been more different. At Eden Park the All Blacks ground out a 24–17 win, extending their remarkable unbeaten run at the Auckland ground to 52 Tests — a streak that has stood since a 1994 draw. A week later at Sky Stadium in Wellington, South Africa were overwhelming, winning 43–10 after shutting the All Blacks out in the second half. The 33-point margin was the heaviest defeat in All Blacks Test history, and it effectively ended New Zealand’s title hopes.
Australia: the Bledisloe Cup retained
The All Blacks recovered to see off the Wallabies twice and keep the Bledisloe Cup in New Zealand for another year. The first Test, back at Eden Park, was a high-scoring 33–24 win. The return in Perth was more controlled, a 28–14 result at Optus Stadium that closed out the championship on a steadier note.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug | Argentina | Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba | Win | 41–24 |
| 23 Aug | Argentina | Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires | Loss | 23–29 |
| 6 Sep | South Africa | Eden Park, Auckland | Win | 24–17 |
| 13 Sep | South Africa | Sky Stadium, Wellington | Loss | 10–43 |
| 27 Sep | Australia | Eden Park, Auckland | Win | 33–24 |
| 4 Oct | Australia | Optus Stadium, Perth | Win | 28–14 |
The November tour and the Grand Slam bid
The season finished with a northern tour framed as a Grand Slam attempt — the goal of beating the major home-nation opponents on a single tour, a feat the All Blacks had not achieved since 2010 under Richie McCaw. It began with a one-off Test against Ireland at Soldier Field in Chicago, a nod to Ireland’s famous win at the same venue in 2016. This time the All Blacks controlled the game to win 26–13.
On British soil the tour opened well with a 25–17 win over Scotland at Murrayfield. Then the Grand Slam slipped away at Twickenham (now Allianz Stadium), where England produced a dominant second half to win 33–19 — their first victory over the All Blacks in 13 years, sealing the Hillary Shield. New Zealand signed off in style, running in a 52–26 win over Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The depth of that England rivalry is covered in our feature on the All Blacks’ rivalry with England.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov | Ireland | Soldier Field, Chicago | Win | 26–13 |
| 9 Nov | Scotland | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | Win | 25–17 |
| 16 Nov | England | Allianz Stadium (Twickenham), London | Loss | 19–33 |
| 23 Nov | Wales | Principality Stadium, Cardiff | Win | 52–26 |
Season analysis: year two under Scott Robertson
If 2024 was about installing systems, 2025 was about learning to play them under pressure. At their best — the France sweep, the Wales finale, the Eden Park win over South Africa — the All Blacks looked quick, ambitious and hard to contain. The recurring problem was the concession of momentum in short, damaging spells: the second-half collapse in Wellington against the Springboks and the second half at Twickenham both turned winnable positions into heavy losses.
The season still ended with two of the year’s headline prizes secured — a series win over France and the retained Bledisloe Cup — alongside two results that will define the reviews: the record loss to South Africa and the Grand Slam that got away. For fans, it read as a team with a high ceiling still ironing out its consistency. You can read more about the man in charge in our profile of head coach Scott Robertson.
Squad and leadership in 2025
Leadership ran through experienced heads. Lock captain Scott Barrett led the side, with loose forward Ardie Savea among the most influential players across the year. Robertson used the schedule to widen the player pool and build depth ahead of the next World Cup cycle, rotating his squad through the mid-year Tests while leaning on senior figures for the biggest matches of the northern tour.
That balance — trusted leaders alongside players earning more responsibility — is the platform the All Blacks are building on as they look toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The season showed both the strength of that senior core and the value of the game time handed to the next group.
Attack and defence: the story in the margins
The pattern of 2025 was less about how the All Blacks played at their best and more about how quickly a match could get away from them. When they were on the front foot, the attack was fast and layered: quick ball at the breakdown, forwards carrying to create space, and outside backs finishing from range. The 43–17 win over France and the 52–26 win over Wales were the clearest expressions of that.
The defensive side was where the losses were written. Against South Africa in Wellington and England at Twickenham, short spells of missed tackles and lost collisions turned into points against, and in both games the second half ran away from New Zealand. Tightening those windows — rather than reinventing the attack — was the obvious priority coming out of the season. The set piece, by contrast, was largely reliable, giving the team a steady platform even on the days the result did not go their way.
How fans followed the 2025 season
In New Zealand, Sky Sport remained the home of live All Blacks coverage, carrying every Test with build-up, replays and analysis, and streaming through its apps for subscribers. New Zealand Rugby’s own digital platforms and the official All Blacks channels added highlights, behind-the-scenes content and match reaction for fans following on the move.
Demand for the marquee home Tests — South Africa and Australia at Eden Park in particular — was high, and the Chicago fixture against Ireland drew a large North American crowd, underlining the team’s pull well beyond traditional markets. For more on the tools and platforms shaping the modern viewing experience, see our look at how digital technology is changing the rugby fan experience.
Looking ahead: 2026 and the road to 2027
For all the disappointment of the record loss and the missed Grand Slam, the 2025 season left the All Blacks with clear priorities rather than deep uncertainty. The attacking framework is in place, the leadership group is settled, and a widening group of players has now been tested at international level. The work ahead is about consistency: closing out the 20-minute spells that cost them against South Africa and England, and carrying home form onto the road.
With the next World Cup cycle building toward 2027, 2026 shapes as a season for turning a high ceiling into reliable results. On the evidence of 2025, the All Blacks remain firmly among the world’s leading sides — capable of beating anyone on their day, and now clear on exactly where the improvement has to come.
Where the All Blacks played in 2025
The season took in five main venues plus the away grounds in Argentina and the UK. The New Zealand and Chicago stadiums are listed below with their approximate seating capacities — a guide to the scale of each occasion rather than exact attendances, which vary by match.
Venue Guide
| Venue | Location | Approx. capacity | 2025 fixture(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Park | Auckland | ~50,000 | South Africa & Australia |
| Sky Stadium | Wellington | ~34,500 | France & South Africa |
| Forsyth Barr Stadium | Dunedin | ~30,700 | France |
| FMG Stadium Waikato | Hamilton | ~25,800 | France |
| Soldier Field | Chicago, USA | ~61,500 | Ireland |
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many Tests did the All Blacks play in 2025, and what was their record?
The All Blacks played 13 Tests in 2025 and finished with nine wins and four losses.
Did the All Blacks win the 2025 Rugby Championship?
No. South Africa won the 2025 Rugby Championship — their sixth title and their first back-to-back crown — and the All Blacks finished second. New Zealand did, however, retain the Bledisloe Cup by beating Australia twice.
What was the All Blacks’ heaviest defeat in 2025?
A 43–10 loss to South Africa at Sky Stadium in Wellington on 13 September. The 33-point margin was the heaviest Test defeat in All Blacks history.
Did the All Blacks complete a Grand Slam on the 2025 northern tour?
No. They beat Scotland and Wales but lost 33–19 to England at Twickenham, which ended the Grand Slam bid. They also beat Ireland 26–13 in Chicago earlier in the tour.
Who coached the All Blacks in 2025?
Scott Robertson, in his second season in charge, with Scott Barrett as captain.
