Preview: New Zealand v Australia
New Zealand will be hoping to win their third successive match of the year against Australia when the countries meet in Yokohama on Saturday.
Although the All Blacks have won the Bledisloe Cup for the 16th year in a row – after victories in Sydney and Auckland in the Rugby Championship – they will be determined to win this encounter after suffering a defeat in last season’s dead rubber clash between these sides in Brisbane.
Meanwhile, the Wallabies have plenty to prove to their supporters and themselves after an underwhelming international campaign in which they won just three out nine Tests so far in 2018.
Although this match is being played on a neutral venue, this is the All Blacks’ home Test and they will be quietly confident ahead of this encounter as they have dominated this fixture over the years. The men in black and the Wallabies have played 187 Tests since 1903, with 131 wins to the All Blacks, 49 to Australia and seven draws.
Despite those statistics and the Wallabies’ inconsistent form, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen expects a tough challenge from their trans-Tasman rivals.
“We’ll be up against a good Australian team and they’ll be desperate to win, but so are we,” he said.
“We know that they’ll come with a lot of passion and physicality, but our focus this week has been about us and what we want to bring – intensity, skill and a triple threat game.
“Being well prepared, clear in our roles and excited about the opportunity in playing this one-off Test against Australia in Japan, will be a good start in achieving a quality performance.”
Wallabies scrum-half Will Genia believes his side can beat the All Blacks if they put pressure on them from the outset.
“The focus has pretty much been on defence,” Genia said of the Wallabies’ week so far.
“Not allowing them to play so quickly, whether it’s off quick lineout throws or quick taps.
“(Not) playing at the pace that they want to play at.
“As an example, kicking the ball and we put it out, making sure we chase and don’t give them the opportunity to play the quick line out.
“Also getting set quickly in the lineout so they don’t play at the pace they want, getting the jumper up quickly.
“Just managing the pace and tempo of the game and playing it in a way we want to play.
“The way that the game goes, they’re going to get the momentum, they’re going to play at that tempo, but making sure we have the opportunity to control the game in that sense as well.”
Players to watch:
For New Zealand: After making his international debut way back in 2010, All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams will win his 50th Test cap in this fixture. The 33-year-old is yet to hit peak form in 2018 after picking up injuries which has led to limited game-time for the world champions. After a three-month stint on the sidelines, Williams returned to action against Argentina in Buenos Aires last month. There were flashes of brilliance in that game but he had a quiet outing the following weekend against South Africa in Pretoria and he will be keen to hit the ground running on attack in Yokohama.
For Australia: Although the Wallabies have battled throughout the year, one player who has played well on a consistent basis is their number eight David Pocock. The recently crowned Australian Rugby Player of the Year is a vital cog in the Wallabies machine and will be determined to finish on the winning side in this fixture after missing out on his side’s win over the All Blacks in Brisbane last year when he went on a sabbatical. Pocock is arguably the game’s best breakdown specialist and it is in this facet of play that he will be most dangerous. However, he is also an adept ball carrier and excellent on defence.
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Head-to-head: There will be plenty of intriguing battles across the park but one duel to keep an eye on is the one between the scrum-halves. For the Wallabies, Will Genia is an established member of their starting line-up while his counterpart from the All Blacks, TJ Perenara, gets a chance to cement his place in the world champions’ run-on side after being preferred to their first choice number nine, Aaron Smith. Genia and Perenara will be important links between their forwards and outside backs and will also be expected to dictate the pace of the game. Whoever comes out on top in this battle should also be on the winning side at the end of the game.
Previous results:
2018: New Zealand won 40-12 in Auckland
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)
Prediction: New Zealand’s dominance in this fixture is set to continue and they will prove too strong for Australia. New Zealand to win by 15 points.
The teams:
New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Richie Mo’unga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown
Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Sefa Naivalu, 13 Israel Folau, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Faingaa, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rory Arnold, 20 Jack Dempsey, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Tom Banks
Date: Saturday, October 27
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Yokohama
Kick-off: 15:00 local (07:00 BST, 06:00 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa)