All Blacks to continue Bledisloe Cup dominance

David Skippers
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The All Blacks will be determined to hammer home their Bledisloe Cup advantage when they face the Wallabies in what should be another entertaining trans-Tasman Test in Sydney on Saturday.

The home side have it all to do as a victory for New Zealand will mean that they are crowned Bledisloe winners for the 18th successive year.

Highly motivated

Despite that statistic, New Zealand will still be highly motivated to do well as they haven’t won the cup on Australian soil for 11 years. The last time they retained the Bledisloe Cup in Australia was in 2009 courtesy of a narrow 19-18 victory in Sydney.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster said his team are hugely excited by the prospect of winning the trophy on Australian soil.

“None of our players, even our experienced ones, have had to win the trophy in Australia,” he said. “In the past the deciding game has always been in New Zealand, so I think it’s a great challenge for us.”

Matches between these sides are usually entertaining affairs and, although the All Blacks have been the dominant side, they can expect a tough challenge from their hosts, who have shown signs of improvement under their new head coach, New Zealander Dave Rennie.

Australia gave a good account of themselves and actually held a slight edge over New Zealand in the first Bledisloe Cup Test in Wellington which ended in a 16-16 draw. The Wallabies were also competitive up to half-time in the second Test in Auckland, before the All Blacks took control of proceedings and eventually sealed a 27-7 win.

All Blacks hooker Dane Coles is preparing himself for another tough encounter in the Wallabies’ backyard.

“We’re expecting a big battle,” he said. “The intensity will probably raise from Eden Park. There’s huge stuff on the outcome, so previous results don’t count. They’ll be up for it, and we’ve got to match that and make sure we turn up again.”

Meanwhile, Wallabies attack coach Scott Wisemantel believes his team will have to improve in several areas if they want to win this Test.

“Just need to be far more accurate,” he said.

“Defence, attack, our whole all-round game, we’ve got to be more accurate.

“We spoke about accuracy and we’ve just got to get that right.”

Players to watch:

For Australia: With experienced inside backs James O’Connor and Matt Toomua sidelined through injury, there will be huge pressure on their replacements, Noah Lolesio and Irae Simone, who are both making their Tests debuts in this match. As the Wallabies’ chief playmaker, Lolesio will have to hit the ground running as he will be expected to provide direction to his team. At the tender age of 20, he has played with a maturity beyond his years and had a leading role in the Brumbies’ triumph against the Reds in the Super Rugby AU final earlier this year. That was an impressive performance but taking on the All Blacks is an entirely different matter and he will need nerves of steel if he wants to leave an imprint on this match. Simone, too, will have to be at his best from the outset as facing the All Blacks on debut is arguably the most daunting task in the game. A strong attacker, the 25-year-old will be determined to make his mark with some strong carries to help settle his nerves while also helping Lolesio in the playmaking department.

For New Zealand: With first-choice number eight Ardie Savea missing this encounter after the birth of his child, Hoskins Sotutu gets an opportunity to make his first start at Test level. The 22-year-old impressed as a replacement in the previous Tests against the Wallabies in Wellington and Auckland and will be determined to build on those performances with a polished display this weekend. Sotutu caught the eye with several outstanding displays for the Blues this year and will provide plenty of athleticism to the All Blacks’ cause. He has a great skill-set, is an excellent link between forwards and backs and is a good option in the lineouts. Also keep an eye on Caleb Clarke who was the standout player when these teams faced off in Auckland. He brings plenty of X-factor to New Zealand’s attacking onslaught and if he builds up a head of steam his physicality and ability to beat opponents is sure to keep the Wallabies’ defenders busy.

Head-to-head: The battle at the breakdown usually plays an important role in the outcome of any Test and in Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper and his All Blacks counterpart, Sam Cane, we have two of the game’s leading operators in that facet of play. The openside flankers have made their mark with brilliant breakdown performances over the years as both are outstanding pilferers and don’t be surprised if they manage to win some turnovers for their respective teams in this encounter. Both are also strong ball runners and powerful defenders who were prominent in those departments in the two previous Tests between these countries. Hooper edged the personal duel when these sides met in Wellington while Cane held the upper hand in Auckland. That sets them up nicely for Saturday’s Test and whoever comes out on top in Saturday’s individual battle should also finish on the winning side.

Previous results:

2020: New Zealand won 27-7 in Auckland
2020: The teams drew 16-16 in Wellington
2019: New Zealand won 36-0 in Auckland
2019: Australia won 47-26 in Perth
2018: New Zealand won 37-20 in Yokohama
2018: New Zealand won 40-12 in Auckland
2018: New Zealand won 38-13 in Sydney
2017: Australia won 23-18 in Brisbane

Prediction: Although the Wallabies will have home ground advantage, they will struggle without their accomplished playmaking duo of O’Connor and Toomua. New Zealand to win by eight points.

The teams:

Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Irae Simone, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Reece Hodge, 23 Hunter Paisami

New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Jordie Barrett, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jack Goodhue, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Dalton Papalii, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Ngani Laumape, 23 Rieko Ioane

Date: Saturday, October 31
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 19:45 local (08:45 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO: Angus Gardner (Australia)

by David Skippers

 

Australia