Date | 5 July – 13 September |
---|---|
Final positions | |
Champions | New Zealand (9th title) |
Bledisloe Cup | New Zealand |
Freedom Cup | New Zealand |
Mandela Challenge Plate | Australia |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 9 |
Tries scored | 43 (4.78 per match) |
Attendance | 444,707 (49,412 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | Dan Carter (82) |
Most tries | Jongi Nokwe (4) |
← 2007 2009 → |
The 2008 Tri Nations Series was the thirteenth annual Tri Nations competition between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The All Blacks won the series on 13 September 2008 after defeating Australia in the last match of the series.
This was the first Tri Nations tournament after South Africa's 2007 Rugby World Cup victory, and they went into the competition as the top team in the IRB World Rankings (having ended a 175-week run for New Zealand). On 30 June 2008, before the tournament began, New Zealand and Australia were ranked second and third in the world respectively. [1]
The All Blacks went into the series with a world record 29 successive home victories, [2] [3] and South Africa with a 13 match winning streak. [4]
By the end of the tournament New Zealand had retaken top place in the IRB World Rankings. After 26 weeks at number one, South Africa slipped to second. Australia remained third.
The final match of the Bledisloe Cup series between Australia and New Zealand took place after the Tri-Nations, on 1 November (the first 3 matches of the series were part of the Tri-Nations).
Several of the sport's Experimental Law Variations (or ELVs) were trialled as part of the 2008 Tri Nations. [5] A global trial of 13 ELVs at all levels is to be conducted for one year from 1 August 2008. [6] The Tri Nation's governing body SANZAR approved the trial of all the ELVs that had been included in the 2008 Super 14 season, as well as the ELVs to be trialled globally. Statistics from the 2008 Super 14 revealed the ELVs increased the number of tries, reduced the number of line-outs and penalties, increased the number of free kicks, but did not change the number of scrums or mauls. [7] The changes increased the attacking opportunities from scrums. [8]
Place | Nation | Games | Points | Bonus points | Table points | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference | ||||
1 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 152 | 106 | +46 | 3 | 19 |
2 | Australia | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 119 | 163 | −44 | 2 | 14 |
3 | South Africa | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 115 | 117 | −2 | 2 | 10 |
5 July 2008 [9] 19:35 NZST (UTC+12) |
New Zealand | 19–8 | South Africa |
Try: Kaino 45' c Con: Carter (1/1) 46' Pen: Carter (4/5) 5', 21', 29', 71' | Try: Habana 37' m Pen: James (1/2) 6' |
Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 36,568 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia) |
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Touch judges: |
12 July 2008 [10] 19:35 NZST (UTC+12) |
New Zealand | 28–30 | South Africa |
Tries: Lauaki 56' c Con: Carter (1/1) 57' Pen: Carter (6/6) 5', 10', 17', 25', 40', 74' Drop: Carter (1/1) 66' | Tries: Pietersen 32' m Januarie 75' c Con: Steyn (1/1) 76' Pen: Montgomery (3/4) 13', 20', 23' James (2/2) 63', 68' Drop: James (1/1) 37' |
Carisbrook, Dunedin Attendance: 32,210 Referee: Matt Goddard (Australia) |
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Touch judges: |
19 July 2008 [11] 18:00 AWST (UTC+08) |
Australia | 16–9 | South Africa |
Tries: Tuqiri 36' m Mortlock 46' m Pen: Giteau (1/1) 53' Drop: Barnes (1/1) 79' | Pen: Steyn (2/3) 5', 74' James (1/1) 55' |
Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 41,838 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) |
26 July 2008 20:00 AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia | 34–19 | New Zealand |
Tries: Cross 10' c Hynes 31' c Elsom 55' c Horwill 74' c Con: Giteau (4/4) Pen: Giteau (1/1) 6' Drop: Giteau (1/1) 65' | Tries: Muliaina 24' m Hore 39' c Ellis 45' c Con: Carter (2/3) |
Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 78,944 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
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Touch judges: |
2 August 2008 19:35 NZST (UTC+12) |
New Zealand | 39–10 | Australia |
Tries: Woodcock (2) 21' c, 24' m Nonu (2) 45' c, 80' m Con: Carter (2/4) Pen: Carter (5/5) 6', 14', 39', 58', 65' | Try: Ashley-Cooper 32' c Con: Giteau (1/1) Pen: Giteau (1/1) 4' |
Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa) |
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Touch judges: |
16 August 2008 15:00 SAST (UTC+02) |
South Africa | 0–19 | New Zealand |
Tries: Smith 7' m Carter 66' c Mealamu 72' c Con: Carter (2/3) |
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 52,000 [12] Referee: Matt Goddard (Australia) |
23 August 2008 15:00 SAST (UTC+02) |
South Africa | 15–27 | Australia |
Tries: Jacobs (2) 65' c, 71' m Con: Montgomery (1/2) 66' Pen: James (1/1) 44' | Tries: Robinson 27' c Tuqiri 61' c Mortlock 67' c Con: Giteau (3/3) 28', 62', 68' Pen: Giteau (2/3) 9', 50' |
Kings Park Stadium, Durban Attendance: 50,000 [15] Referee: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand) |
30 August 2008 15:00 SAST (UTC+02) |
South Africa | 53–8 | Australia |
Tries: Bekker 8' c Nokwe (4) 12' m, 25' m, 35' c, 49' m Jacobs 44' c Pienaar 68' c Ndungane 78' c Con: James (3/6) Montgomery (2/2) Pen: James (1/1) 31' | Try: Mitchell 55' m Pen: Giteau (1/1) 5' |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg Attendance: 54,819 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) |
13 September 2008 [16] [17] [18] [19] 20:00 AEST (UTC+10) |
Australia | 24–28 | New Zealand |
Tries: Ashley-Cooper 40' c Horwill 45' c Cross 78' c Con: Giteau (3/3) 40+1', 46', 79' Pen: Giteau (1/2) 22' | Tries: Muliaina 13' c Woodcock 49' c Weepu 62' c Carter 67' c Con: Carter (4/4) 14', 50', 63', 68' |
Lang Park, Brisbane Attendance: 52,328 [20] Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) |
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for their unmatched international success, the All Blacks have often been regarded as the most successful sports team in human history.
The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a similar tournament in the Northern Hemisphere.
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