All Blacks to continue Bledisloe Cup dominance

David Skippers

Eden Park in Auckland will host the first instalment of this year’s Bledisloe Cup encounters between trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand and Australia on Saturday.

Although Australia were victorious in the previous Test between these adversaries – in Brisbane last year – the home side head into this fixture in a confident mood as they are on a remarkable 19-year Bledisloe Cup winning run.

To have any chance of claiming the prize for the first time since 2002, Australia have to win one of the two Tests at Eden Park –  where they haven’t won since 1986 – over the next couple of weeks, to keep the series alive.

Due to ongoing Covid-19 issues, there has been an enforced change in fixtures after Australia beat the closing of the Tasman travel bubble when given an economic exemption to travel to Auckland from Queensland.

The initial plan was for the opening Test to be played in Auckland, before the teams would travel to play the second Test in Perth and then return to Wellington to complete the series.

However, the changes saw the Wellington Test discarded, the second Test moved to Auckland, with the final Test now set to be played in Perth.

Both teams impressed during their July Tests with the All Blacks racking up a century of points during a one-sided triumph over Tonga at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland before claiming back-to-back wins in tougher assignments against Fiji in Dunedin and Hamilton.

But the Wallabies will be more battle-hardened as they were involved in three tightly contested internationals against France and they eventually came out on top courtesy of a 2-1 series victory.

Last time they met

After suffering a humiliating 43-5 defeat to the All Blacks in Sydney the previous week, the Wallabies bounced back by claiming a 24-22 victory against the same opponents in Brisbane during a Tri-Nations game last November. Both teams were reduced to 14 men after Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Lachie Swinton were red carded during the first half. Reece Hodge was Australia’s hero as he finished with a 14-point haul as he slotted four penalties and a conversion, while Tom Wright and Taniela Tupou crossed for tries. For New Zealand, Rieko Ioane, Codie Taylor and Tupou Vaa’i scored tries while Jordie Barrett added two conversions and a penalty.

What they said

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster is wary of the Wallabies, especially after finishing on the losing side in that previous encounter but he is happy with his team’s progress in 2021.

“Both teams know each other pretty well so I don’t think will be major surprises on either side about how to play,” he said.

“It’s the application of what you want to do on the day that really matters.

“We’ve got a squad that has worked really hard. The strength of the squad at the moment is they are working for each other and I think we’ve developed some good options, and good depth through July.”

The home side might be overwhelming favourites but Australia are excited rather than daunted by the Eden Park challenge, according to Wallabies assistant coach Dan McKellar.

“They have quality players, but the big thing is, they’re human beings and if you put them under pressure, put a little bit of stress on them, we saw last year through Wallaby performances they can feel that stress, pressure and anxiety and [we can] cash in off the back of them,” he said.

“We’ve got a whole lot of respect for them. We’ve focused on what we’ve learnt from the French series and understand that we need to front up in a couple of key areas to win our first game.”

Players to watch

It will be a momentous moment when veteran All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith takes to the field in his 100th Test for the men in black and he will be determined to mark the occasion with an outstanding performance. Although emotions will be running high for the 32-year-old, he is known for his calm demeanour under pressure and it’s unlikely that his nerves will get the better of him. His speed at the breakdown and slick service to his outside backs means he will be closely watched by the Australian defence.

Another player who will receive special attention is Smith’s half-back partner, Richie Mo’unga, whose ability to dictate the pace of the match makes him a genuine attacking threat. Mo’unga’s game management and playmaking skills are superb and those aspects and his excellent kicking ability – at goal and out of hand – should give his side the edge over their opponents.

If the Wallabies want to upset the apple cart, then their forwards will have to match their counterparts and the visitors’ captain, Michael Hooper, will have to be at his best. Renowned as one of the game’s best players in his position, the openside flanker will be expected to lead from the front, with his ball carrying and breakdown work set to have an impact on this game’s outcome.

Another player who will be important to Australia’s cause is inside centre Hunter Paisami, whose game has shown steady improvement since making his Wallabies debut in 2020. Equally at home at outside centre, the 23-year-old is preferred to the more experienced Matt To’omua for the Wallabies number 12 jersey and he will be keen to repay the faith shown in him by head coach Dave Rennie by delivering a solid performance. Paisami’s excellent running game and elusive step are two of his strengths and if he builds up a head of steam, he could be a handful to the All Blacks defence.

Main head-to-head

Both sides are blessed with outstanding attacking players, especially in the respective backlines, but the duel up front between All Blacks number eight Ardie Savea and Wallabies counterpart Harry Wilson should be one of the highlights of the game. Although he’s primarily an openside flanker, Savea’s versatility is one of the strings to his bow and he has shown in the past that he can slot in seamlessly at the base of the scrum. Powerful with ball in hand, Savea will be expected to give his side momentum with strong carries while he has shown in the past that he can thwart his opponents’ attacks with his brilliant defensive skills. Meanwhile, Wilson is an exciting prospect, who has cemented himself in the Wallabies’ starting line-up since making his Test debut last year. Like Savea, he is a great attacker, who will be hoping to make his mark in that department, while he is also a handy option as a lineout jumper at the tail of the set-piece. Although he is not a renowned defender, he is not afraid to put his body on the line in that facet of play and will be keen to make an impact with some big hits.

Prediction

Facing the All Blacks at Eden Park is one of the toughest challenges in the game and although the Wallabies will come out fighting, they will find the going tough. We expect the home side to dominate throughout and seal a comfortable win in the end. New Zealand to win by 15 points.

Previous results

2020: Australia won 24-22 in Brisbane
2020: New Zealand won 43-5 in Sydney
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

The teams

New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 David Havili, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Samuel Whitelock (c), 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower
Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Jordie Barrett

Australia: 15 Tom Banks, 14 Jordan Petaia, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Andrew Kellaway, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Darcy Swain, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Matt To’omua, 23 Reece Hodge

Date: Saturday, August 7
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19:05 local (08:05 BST, 07:05 GMT)
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: (New Zealand), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)