New-look All Blacks to further Wallabies’ misery

David Skippers

After such a positive start for Australia, it has all gone rather wrong in the following weeks. A draw against the All Blacks in Wellington hinted at a brighter future but two heavy defeats has left new head coach Dave Rennie with plenty to ponder heading to Brisbane.

Injuries have not helped, with first choice fly-half James O’Connor going down and his playmaking partner Matt Toomua succumbing to a groin problem. It has left them short of experience and, as a result, debutant pivot Noah Lolesio was exposed against a New Zealand side which found their rhythm last Saturday.

That 43-5 defeat in Sydney was the biggest margin in history between the teams and showed the work Rennie has to do if they are to get back to the top of the game.

Once again the former Glasgow Warriors and Chiefs boss has made alterations in attempt to find the right formula but, on the face of it, they seem odd. That is especially true behind the scrum as Reece Hodge, a player far more comfortable at centre, wing or full-back, takes his place at fly-half ahead of Lolesio, who has been unceremoniously dropped to the bench.

Reece Hodge selection surprise

Hodge does have experience as the primary playmaker for the Rebels in Super Rugby, but his stint there could hardly be considered a success. He also started against Japan three years ago in an impressive 63-30 victory, but the utility back had the ball-playing capabilities of Kurtley Beale at full-back to take the pressure off.

There is no such quality alongside him this weekend, with Hunter Paisami – who is also playing out of position – Jordan Petaia and Tom Banks all excellent runners but not necessarily individuals that can distribute play quickly to the wider channels.

The changes up front make more sense but there is the continued problem of a lack of out-and-out power. Test centurion Rob Simmons will bolster the lineout but the absence of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto means that they could struggle to get over the gain line.

With Isi Naisarani – by far the best carrier in Australia – not even considered among the best 44 Australian players, according to Rennie, and Pete Samu out in the cold, there is a not much ballast, particularly in the back five.

The Wallabies’ best hope will be that New Zealand’s much-changed side will struggle to gel, with the visitors also trying out several new combinations having already retained the Bledisloe Cup. However, Ian Foster may have stumbled on a more balanced backline for this encounter than the one which tore Australia apart last weekend.

Foster’s men were magnificent in Sydney but Rieko Ioane, even if he prefers centre, is arguably back in his best position on the wing, while Jordie Barrett shifts to full-back. That allows brother Beauden to move back to fly-half and the ever-dangerous Sevu Reece, who was first choice during last year’s World Cup, to come into the XV.

Up front, Akira Ioane will make his debut in a pack which looks a fearsome proposition once again. New Zealand have been ferocious at the contact area over the past two games and they have a number of big and intelligent units that will look to repeat those performances.

A difficult task appears to have become even tougher for Australia with the respective selections and it will be another arduous evening for the hosts.

Players to watch:

For Australia: All eyes will be on Reece Hodge after Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie handed him the responsibility of starting at fly-half in this match. As Australia’s chief playmaker, there will be plenty of pressure on Hodge, who has played most of his previous 42 Tests on the wing and at centre. He possesses a big boot which will come in handy when lining up long-range shots at goal and clearing his line with accurate touch finders, but unlocking the All Blacks’ defence will be a more difficult task and it will be interesting to see how he intends to do that in this encounter. Another player who will be important for the Wallabies is Jordan Petaia, who despite being just 20, plays with a maturity beyond his years. When on song, Petaia is capable of tearing any defence to shreds and if the All Blacks give him too much space, he should wreak havoc on attack.

For New Zealand: After making his debut for New Zealand in a midweek tour game against a French XV in Lyon in 2017, Akira Ioane finally gets an opportunity to make the step up to Test level when he packs down on the blindside flank in this fixture. Brilliant with ball in hand, the 25-year-old’s explosive power, agility and speed makes him a nightmare for defenders and he will be determined to give his team much needed momentum with some strong carries against the Wallabies. Also keep an eye on Jordie Barrett, who has been one of the All Blacks’ standout players this year. The 23-year-old has featured mostly on the wing for his country this year but will start at full-back in this Test. He will be keen to impress as he is in a rich vein of form after scoring a try in each of his last five consecutive starts for the All Blacks.

Head-to-head: Like most encounters between the trans-Tasman rivals, there are several mouth-watering battles set to take place in this one and we have opted to highlight the duel between the scrum-halves – Nic White of Australia and New Zealand’s TJ Perenara – as both players will be important to their respective teams’ causes. White is a vital cog in Australia’s machine and is their first-choice number nine, having started in all of their previous Tests this year. Although the Wallabies are yet to beat the All Blacks in 2020, they came very close to doing just that in their first Bledisloe Cup Test in Wellington which ended in a 16-16 draw and White was arguably the best player on the field that day. Meanwhile, Perenara will make a rare start for New Zealand after starting those three previous Tests against Australia on the bench as Aaron Smith’s back-up. Perenara has a vast array of attacking skills and will be determined to hit the ground running in this Test but will also have to be at his best on defence as White is also impressive with ball in hand.

Previous results:

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
2018: New Zealand won 38-13 in Sydney

Prediction: We can’t see anything other than a comfortable victory for the All Blacks. The changes may mean a slightly scrappier performance from the visitors, but they will still have too much quality. New Zealand by 20 points.

The teams:

Australia: 15 Tom Banks, 14 Tom Wright, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Reece Hodge, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lachie Swinton, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Ned Hanigan, 20 Liam Wright, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Noah Lolesio, 23 Filipo Daugunu

New Zealand: 15 Jordie Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Akira Ioane, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Cullen Grace, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Will Jordan

Date: Saturday, November 7
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 18:45 local (08:45 GMT)
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Angus Gardner (Australia)
TMO: Paul Williams (New Zealand)

 

Australia