All Blacks beat the Wallabies 28-14 in a Rugby Championship match, 11th win in a row over Australia

PERTH, Australia (AP) — It's now 11 wins in a row for the All Blacks over the Wallabies.

Center Quinn Tupaea scored first-half tries three minutes apart to give New Zealand a 17-9 halftime lead on the way to a 28-14 win over the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup/Rugby Championship match Saturday.

The All Blacks win wasn't quite enough to secure them the Rugby Championship. South Africa retained their title after beating Argentina 29-27 at Twickenham later Saturday. The title was decided on points difference for the first time, the Springboks’ 57-plus margin eclipsing New Zealand’s eight-plus after each team finished with 19 competition points.

Australia hasn't beaten New Zealand since a match in Brisbane in 2020. It's the Wallabies' longest losing streak against their trans-Tasman Sea opponents, having previously lost 10 straight tests against the All Blacks from 2008-10.

The 60,000 sold-out match in Perth, which was hit by steady rain for most of the second half, marked the 151st and final test for Wallabies prop James Slipper, who announced his retirement from test rugby earlier this week.

The Wallabies had three first-half penalty goals from flyhalf Tane Edmed, and Len Ikitau scored their only try in the 65th minute to pull the home side to within six points at 20-14. But a late All Blacks penalty goal and a last-minute try from prop George Bower pulled them clear.

New Zealand, which also had a first-half try from Leroy Carter, secured the Bledisloe Cup for the 23rd year with a 33-24 win over the Wallabies last week in Auckland.

Australia enforcer Will Skelton, who had flown in from France and his Top 14 club duties with La Rochelle to play for the Wallabies, lasted just 15 minutes. He won a breakdown penalty in the second minute, had it immediately reversed for shoving an opponent and then suffered a concussion.

Australia captain Harry Wilson bristled at a question over whether his side was at least competitive against the All Blacks on Saturday.

“We’re not out to be competitive, mate, we’re here to win,” Wilson said. ”Test footy, it’s fine margins and obviously we missed out … We’ve definitely progressed, but ultimately we didn’t get the results in the last few games which we wanted, which is really disappointing.”

His teammate Max Jorgensen was more blunt.

"A lot of silly errors that we need to get out of our game,” Jorgensen said. “You can’t be making those mistakes. If you want to be the best team in the world you’ve got to be at your best at every aspect of the game.”

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said it was a “gritty performance” that “got a bit dirty in the rain."

“It wasn’t the most entertaining footy at times, but it was built on a lot of shoulders and care,” he said. “We can enjoy and connect tonight, it’s really a performance we’re proud of because we’ve done it back-to-back.

“We felt we’ve played some really good footy in a lot of those games, but we put more together tonight.”

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

New Zealand coach Scott Robertson, left, talks to Leicester Fainga'anuku following the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's Ardie Savea, left, runs at Australia's Filipo Daugunu during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's James Slipper is cheered from the field following the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's George Bower, right, embraces teammate Ardie Savea following the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's Wallace Sititi, left, and teammate Caleb Clarke wave to fans following the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's Quinn Tupaea, second left, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a try during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's Quinn Tupaea reacts after scoring a try during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's Damian McKenzie kicks a penalty during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

New Zealand's Quinn Tupaea dives over the line to score a try in the tackle of Australia's Australia's Max Jorgensen during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.

The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.

A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.

“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.

“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”

Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.

Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.

The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)