All Blacks’ 2025 season: Breaking down the key numbers from Scott Robertson’s second season

Scott Robertson’s second season as All Blacks coach saw 13 tests, 52 tries, 10 yellow cards and 45 different players used.

Cameron McMillan checks the numbers.

45-man game

In total, 45 players ran out for the All Blacks in 2025, with 37 of those starting at least one test. Robertson has now used 52 All Blacks across his first two seasons with nine debutants this year – Fabian Holland, Christian Lio-Willie, Ollie Norris, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Brodie McAlister, Simon Parker, Kyle Preston and Leroy Carter.

Will Jordan played almost every minute of the season, missing 10 minutes for a yellow card in the Argentina defeat. He was the only player to crack the 1000-minute mark for the year. Ardie Savea started 12 tests for the second straight year and, like Jordan, would have played the full 80 in each appearance if it wasn’t for a yellow card against Scotland.

Ethan de Groot, Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor are the only other players who started more than 10 tests, while Samisoni Taukei’aho appeared in every test, making four starts and coming off the bench nine times.

Tough game

The injury count reached 25 for the year, including Asafo Aumua and Stephen Perofeta who missed the entire test season.

Players who missed selection for at least one test through injury:

Asafo Aumua, Beauden Barrett, Jordie Barrett, Scott Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Sam Darry, Samipeni Finau, Fabian Holland, Noah Hotham, Luke Jacobson, Peter Lakai, Anton Lienert-Brown, Tyrel Lomax, Tevita Mafileo, Emoni Narawa, Ollie Norris, Stephen Perofeta, Cortez Ratima, Cam Roigard, Wallace Sititi, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Patrick Tuipulotu, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tupou Vaa’i and Tamaiti Williams.

Points scored in 2025

The All Blacks scored 52 tries in 13 tests at four a game, of which 38 were successfully converted at a rate of 73%. McKenzie and Beauden Barrett kicked 16 penalties between them, which was down on the 28 successfully kicked last year.

Jordan was the top try-scorer with seven, followed by Roigard, who crossed over five times in seven tests.

Taylor has scored at least one try every season since his test debut in 2016. Beauden Barrett and Jordan both ended 2025 with 45 test tries, four short of the All Blacks record held by Doug Howlett.

Barrett also ended the year with 144 tests, four behind Richie McCaw in second place and nine back from Sam Whitelock.

Chopping and changing

Five different players wore the No 8 jersey (Lio-Willie, Savea, Parker, Sititi, Lakai), last year that number was two, while there were a few changes in the midfield. Not once did Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane play together in the centres, which was a combination used nine times last year.

Starting midfield combinations in 2025

1) Jordie Barrett-Billy Proctor

2) Quinn Tupaea-Anton Leinert-Brown

3) Jordie Barrett-Quinn Tupaea

4) Quinn Tupaea-Leicester Fainga’anuku

5) Quinn Tupaea-Billy Proctor

6) Anton Lienert-Brown-Rieko Ioane

In saying that, just Taylor and Taukei’aho started at hooker, while the No 10 jersey was only swapped between Barrett and McKenzie.

Cards v discipline

Discipline doesn’t seem to be an issue. The All Blacks’ opponents were penalised a lot more this season. But cards still appear to be a problem. That was aided by twice having three players sent to the bin in the same game, including the defeat to Argentina. Of the 10 cards the All Blacks received in 2025, four were for a deliberate knock-on.

The All Blacks did avoid a red card for a second straight year. Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne received a red in Chicago for a head-on-shoulder contact, but it was later rescinded by a disciplinary committee.

All Blacks yellow cards in 2025:

Beauden Barrett v France, Wellington (Deliberate knock-on)

Billy Proctor v Argentina, Cordoba (Team penalty)

Anton Lienert-Brown v Argentina, Cordoba (Contact with head)

Will Jordan v Argentina, Buenos Aires (Taking out chasing player)

Sevu Reece v Argentina, Buenos Aires (Deliberate knock-on)

Tupou Vaa’i v Argentina, Buenos Aires (Deliberate knock-on)

Leroy Carter v Scotland (Tripping)

Wallace Sititi v Scotland (Deliberate knock-on)

Ardie Savea v Scotland (Bringing maul down)

Codie Taylor v England (Hands in ruck)

Third-quarter woes

For the second straight year, the 20 minutes after halftime were an issue for the All Blacks. In 2024, the points difference for the third quarter was -4. It was an even bigger margin in 2025: -57. The All Blacks went nine straight tests without scoring a try in the first quarter, a run that ended in Cardiff. They ended the season with a positive final quarter tally, despite the Springboks running in 26 points in Wellington.

Haka count

Kapa o Pango led the way, being the haka of choice nine times, while Ka Mate was used on four occasions. Taylor, Billy Proctor and Ioane all led the haka at least once during the season.

74-17

The second-half scoreline across the All Blacks’ three defeats in 2025.

Argentina 16-10

South Africa 36-0

England 22-7

Across those losses, the All Blacks missed 103 tackles, more than 40% of their missed tackles total for the entire season.

Key statistics

Some other statistics of note: the All Blacks completed 87.6% of their tackles, the exact same mark as last season, while their opponents were down at 86.4%, up on last year. The All Blacks missed 46 tackles in the Wellington loss to Argentina and just nine in the opening and third tests against France.

At lineout time, the All Blacks won 86% of their throws, while the opposition were at 84.5% – both figures the same as 2025. They averaged 14.9 kicks in play per test compared with the opposition’s 13.7.

The All Blacks scored the first points in eight of their 13 tests, including the defeats to South Africa and England.

The All Blacks had five tries disallowed by the television match official (TMO) – there were three in the opening test against France and it didn’t happen again until the final test against Wales.

The All Blacks didn’t kick a dropped goal while France kicked one in the third test and England had two at Twickenham.

Statistics sourced from RugbyPass, AllBlacks.com and World Rugby.

Cameron McMillan has been a sports journalist since 2003 and is NZME’s Deputy Head of Sport.