In front of a sold out crowd the visitor’s backs were the catalyst scoring six of the Jamie Joseph-coached team’s seven tries to cap an unbeaten tour that included wins over the Barbarians in London and England A in Bath.
Against Uruguay Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens scored two tries and first five Rivez Reihana kicked five of seven conversions to round out a convincing victory. Wing Etene Nanai-Seturo, centre Braydon Ennor, replacement back Daniel Rona, and halfback Folau Fakatava all crossed the line, with prop Benet Kumeroa the only forward on the score sheet.
Ranked No.15 in the world, Uruguay were highly competitive despite the margin with the match poised at 19-14 in the All Blacks XV’s favour at halftime.
All Blacks XV Head Coach Jamie Joseph was pleased with the team’s campaign including how the side had come together and the experience the players had gained through the tour.
“To bring it together this quickly is testament to how good and how keen the players are and they've been well led by Dalton [Papali’i] and David Havili.
“Playing the Baabaas, they had a lot of South African boys there, pretty experienced guys who put us under the pump for that first 30-40 minutes and we found ourselves behind by 20 points… but these guys dug a little bit deeper and after half time came back really determined to get their rugby going and then scored 30-odd points. There’s been some really good stuff.
“Then going into the England A game when the pressure was really elevated. It was Test match status for these guys and probably our match of the tour. Everyone wanted to be a part of it and they really felt the intensity, so to come away with that one was also really pleasing.”
Joseph said the pathway for players coming through the All Blacks XV was clear with the graduation of players like Fabian Holland, Christian Lio-Willie, and Leroy Carter to the All Blacks in recent seasons.
“There's a number of those guys that are playing big test matches now… so that gives a reflection that there's real opportunity in this team and the players know that.”
Scorers:
All Blacks XV 45 (Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens 2, Braydon Ennor, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Benet Kumeroa, Folau Fakatava, Daniel Rona tries. Rivez Reihana 5 con).
Uruguay 21 (Scorers not available). HT: 19-14.
All Blacks XV 2025 fixtures:
Sunday 2 November
All Blacks XV vs Barbarians – W 33-19
Sunday 9 November
All Blacks XV vs England A – W 31-14
Sunday 16 November
All Blacks XV v Uruguay – W 45-21
