All Blacks look to tackle Wellington woes as happy homecoming surely awaits Dave Rennie
Thursday, 9 July 2026
ANALYSIS: Is it any coincidence New Zealand Rugby opted to take the All Blacks’ ‘easiest’ home test of the year to the venue that has perennially proven problematic?
Far from producing the tasty goods, the Cake Tin has instead dished up quite the unappetising results across the last decade for the men in black, who have triumphed just three times in their past 10 games in their capital city.
That, of course, is highlighted by the humiliation to the Springboks in their last visit last September. That 43-10 loss ranks as the biggest in All Blacks history, and was one of the final straws for then-coach Scott Robertson, who was sacked half a dozen games later.
Talk about some Wellington woes that need rectifying, then. And selecting Italy as the ones to run out at Hnry Stadium would have been seen as a handy banker for the men in black to turn those fortunes.
Maybe it just worked out perfectly with who was scheduled to travel New Zealand’s way in this first window of the new Nations Championship. France had just played in the capital last year, while Ireland not too long ago in 2022, in their famous series-sealing win.
With just four home tests in 2026 and a therefore limited opportunity for revenue, NZR opted to stage two (Ireland next Saturday and Australia in October) at the country’s biggest venue ‒ Eden Park ‒ where the All Blacks also happen to be on a stunning 52-game unbeaten streak.
With Christchurch’s beautiful new indoor arena ready for its first test, and seen as an ideal place to open the international season, that left the Cake Tin ‒ the country’s second-biggest stadium ‒ as the other option, and indeed for the lower-key drawcard that is the world No 10-ranked Italians.
On the back of historic losses to Ireland and Argentina over the past 10 years, it’s the Azzurri who are now the team the All Blacks have the longest-running 100% winning record against, with 17 from 17.
Only three of those have been on Kiwi soil ‒ their maiden meeting, at Eden Park in the 1987 World Cup (70-6), then in Hamilton in 2002 (64-10), then in Christchurch in 2009, in an underwhelming and ugly 27-6 result, which prompted then-assistant coach Sir Steve Hansen to coin his famous “flush the dunny and move on” phrase.
This time the locals ‒ who, despite the attraction of an earlier kickoff time (5.10pm), the game being staged in school holidays, and various discounted ticket offers, have been slow to ensure all 34,500 bright-yellow seats will be filled come Saturday evening ‒ will be expecting something much, much more attractive.
Having already been spoilt this year by a title-winning Hurricanes outfit that will go down as one of the greatest teams in Super Rugby history, they might hope some of that magic dust can rub off on the national side.
After all, this surely has the makings of a happy homecoming for new coach Dave Rennie, who was Upper Hutt-born-and-raised, and spent 40-plus years in the Wellington region, including coaching the Lions to glory in his first NPC season in charge, in the first year (2000) the new waterfront stadium opened.
Having returned to the venue with several teams since ‒ Manawatū, the Chiefs and the Wallabies ‒ he is unbeaten in his most recent starts with all four of them, most recently and notably that 16-16 draw the Aussies managed in the Covid-delayed 2020 season-opener.
What capital curse, he will wonder.
It remains such a weird turn of form, with the All Blacks having won 19 of their first 21 outings at the Cake Tin, before hitting this latest slump, which was started in 2017 by that 24-21 second-test loss to the British and Irish Lions where Sonny Bill Williams was red-carded.
Even the All Blacks’ victories there since have come in years where they have also suffered defeat, so it’s not since 2016 when they have actually endured a successful year in Wellington.
Intriguingly, their stay in the capital this year has been slashed to less than 72 hours, with the team only arriving on Thursday afternoon, before jetting out again on Sunday morning, in a schedule which instead had them based in Auckland for the majority of their week and was set by the previous coaching regime.
Spooked of ghosts, maybe?
All Blacks’ Wellington woes
2025: Beat France 43-17, lost to Springboks 43-10
2024: Lost to Argentina 38-30, beat Australia 33-13
2022: Lost to Ireland 32-22
2020: Drew with Australia 16-16
2019: Drew with South Africa 16-16
2018: Beat France 26-13, lost to South Africa 36-34
2017: Lost to British and Irish Lions 24-21