The Wallabies are facing another daunting task when they take on the All Blacks at New Zealand rugby’s fortress, Eden Park, on Saturday.
After last week’s triumph in the Rugby Championship opener in Sydney, the world champions are on the cusp of another win against their trans-Tasman rivals and victory in this encounter will secure them the Bledisloe Cup for the 16th year in a row.
And what makes the challenge even more difficult for Australia is their record against New Zealand at Eden Park.
The Wallabies last beat the men in black at the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby in 1986, with New Zealand winning the last 17 Tests on the bounce against Australia at the venue, including their last four by an average margin of 27 points per game.
Apart from that, the All Blacks have won 10 of their last 12 matches against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship – with one defeat and a draw – including their last five in a row.
That paints a dire picture for the Wallabies as they head into this fixture and judging from their performance in Sydney, they will have to play out of their skins to pull off an upset.
If Australia want to cause an upset, they must improve in their forward play which was the root cause of their troubles last weekend. They were especially poor in the tight exchanges – with the All Blacks dominating the scrums and line-outs – and it was no surprise that Wallabies coach Michael Cheika tinkered with his front-row for this encounter.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks are in a familiar position as they head into this Test in a confident mood after a superb all-round performance last weekend.
The world champions took a while to hit their straps in Sydney – they trailed 6-5 at half-time – but when they did, they were unstoppable and eventually cruised to a comfortable victory.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen believes backing up a good performance is one of the hardest things to do in sport, particularly when playing the same opponent.
“The fear factor that was there before both teams played each other last week has been removed because we now know each other,” he said.
“Whilst we’ve played each other many, many times before, those two teams [last Saturday] hadn’t met in the middle of the arena.
“Whether we like it or not, sub-consciously, the scoreboard has an effect on us. What we’ve got to be able to manage is our ability mentally to be able to put ourselves back into that nerve state that we were in before we played them the first time. Whether it’s Australia, South Africa, whoever you’re playing in a series, it is difficult.
“Your mind is probably your greatest weapon. You only have to be five percent off in your preparation…if they’re five percent better and you’re five percent off, that’s a 10 percent change. There’s not a lot between some of these teams.”
Players to watch:
For New Zealand: With Ryan Crotty sidelined due to concussion, Ngani Laumape gets a rare opportunity in the world champions’ run-on side. At his best, Laumape is one of the most devastating ball carriers in the game and he has the ability to burst through tackles with ease. The 25-year-old has been inconsistent for the Hurricanes at Super Rugby level, however, and was initially left out of the world champions’ Rugby Championship squad. He will be determined to show All Blacks coach Steve Hansen that was a mistake with a strong attacking display. This Test is also a momentous occasion for veteran prop Owen Franks, who becomes only the ninth All Black to play 100 Tests. He will be keen to celebrate that achievement with a win and hopefully also a try as he has played more games than any other player in Test history without having dotted down.
For Australia: If the visitors want to keep their Bledisloe Cup hopes alive and stun the All Blacks in their own backyard, they will need their half-back pairing of Will Genia and Bernard Foley to be at their best. When on song, both are brilliant playmakers, who have the ability to dictate the pace of a game and get the best out of their team-mates. For them to do that, their forwards must dominate of course but Genia and Foley’s decision making and game management will be pivotal if the Wallabies want to return to winning ways.
Head-to-head: The battle at the base of the scrum between New Zealand’s Kieran Read and Australia’s David Pocock will be keenly contested as they are amongst the best loose forwards in the business. Both players are important to their respective teams’ causes although they bring different attributes into battle. Read showed glimpses of his attacking ability in Sydney last week while Pocock was arguably the Wallabies’ best player and his workrate – especially on defence and at the breakdown – was particularly impressive.
Previous results:
2018: New Zealand won 38-13 in Sydney
2017: Australia won 23-18 in Brisbane
2017: New Zealand won 35-29 in Dunedin
2017: New Zealand won 54-34 in Sydney
2016: New Zealand won 37-10 in Auckland
2016: New Zealand won 29-9 in Wellington
2016: New Zealand won 42-8 in Sydney
2015: New Zealand won 34-17 at Twickenham (RWC Final)
2015: New Zealand won 41-13 in Auckland
Prediction: The All Blacks will continue where they left off in Sydney last week and cruise to another easy victory. New Zealand to win by 18 points.
The teams:
New Zealand: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown
Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Jack Maddocks, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Folau Faingaa, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Tom Banks
Date: Saturday, August 25
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)