The short side: Bledisloe decider, World Cup warm-ups

Colin Newboult
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The short side returns to Planet Rugby as we study the major talking points ahead of this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup and World Cup warm-ups.

Bledisloe Cup

New Zealand v Australia

After the Wallabies’ shock victory in the first leg of the Bledisloe Cup, in Perth last weekend, it’s crunch time in this fixture as for the first time in years the All Blacks find themselves under pressure to retain the trophy.

All Blacks’ head coach Steve Hansen has sprung a surprise by dropping the experienced trio of Ben Smith, Rieko Ioane and Owen Franks and this Test presents an ideal opportunity for their replacements – Sevu Reece, George Bridge and Nepo Laulala – to cement their places in the run-on side ahead of the World Cup.

The Wallabies will be determined to build on their showing in Perth, however, and reclaim the Bedisloe Cup which they last won in 2002. That will be easier said than done, though, as for nearly 100 years Eden Park has consistently been the hardest place in the world for teams to beat the All Blacks.

In 86 Test matches at the famous venue since 1921, the All Blacks have lost only 10 times and their winning percentage is 86.47.

Added to that, Australia haven’t won at Eden Park since 1986 while the All Blacks are on a 42-match unbeaten streak there – dating back to their three-point loss to France in 1994.

The Wallabies have lost their last 22 games on New Zealand soil, with their last victory registered in 2001 in Dunedin. Despite those statistics, Michael Cheika’s charges will take encouragement from their performance in Perth. They were in a rampant mood last weekend and their 47-26 win equals the record for the biggest defeat ever suffered by the All Blacks.

That sets the stage for what should be a thrilling and drama-filled encounter and the world champions will be determined to show that their defeat in Perth was just a blip.

World Cup warm-ups

Wales v England

The arch-rivals go head-to-head for the second time in a week as Wales host England at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. At Twickenham, a weakened Red Rose outfit impressed on home soil as they showed excellent continuity to overcome a disappointing Welsh team.

Eddie Jones’ men dominated the majority of that encounter and deservedly secured a 33-19 triumph and they will look to build on that this weekend. Once again, the Australian has selected a 23 which he himself has described as a “mix-and-match” side, with Maro Itoje, Ruaridh McConnochie and Courtney Lawes the only alterations.

On paper, the Welsh, who have also stuck with their formula of going surprisingly strong, should have too much, particularly at home, but if they lack the intensity of their opening warm-up then the visitors have the skill and power to make it a very uncomfortable afternoon.

Warren Gatland has decided to make few changes, with Dan Biggar, Jake Ball and James Davies starting. Of course, Biggar’s inclusion is injury-enforced following the awful news that Gareth Anscombe had been ruled out of the World Cup, while Ball and Davies have been handed an opportunity to impress.

Gatland will want his side to step up after a poor showing in London and, with the fervent Cardiff crowd behind them, expect a significant improvement from the Grand Slam winners.

South Africa v Argentina

Although many of their first choice players will not be in action in this match, the Springboks will be brimming with confidence when they head into this fixture after a string of impressive results in recent weeks, which resulted in them being crowned Rugby Championship winners last weekend.

South African rugby is on a high after their impressive performances and, although they will be fielding an understrength team, don’t expect their standards to drop.

What was evident during their Rugby Championship campaign was the depth in the Springboks’ ranks, with their performance against Australia in their opening match of the tournament a good indicator of how competitive they have become under the guidance of head coach Rassie Erasmus.

By contrast, the Pumas head into this encounter low on confidence as they finished yet another Rugby Championship campaign without registering a win and they delivered a poor performance – in their final match of that tournament – as the Springboks ran roughshod over them before claiming an easy 46-13 victory.

That has resulted in Pumas boss Mario Ledesma, like Erasmus, also making several changes to his run-on side and, after disappointing performances from several of the team’s regulars in last weekend’s game against the Springboks, this Test presents an opportunity for several of the fringe players to stake their claim for promotion to the first XV.

This weekend’s match will be a momentous one for hooker Schalk Brits as he will become the Boks’ 63rd captain at the age of 38. To date, the Boks have played 12 Tests matches against the Pumas on home soil, losing only once in Durban in 2015.

Player to watch – Dan Biggar (Wales)

For most Welsh supporters, they will be watching rather nervously as their most experienced fly-half lines up against England. Following Gareth Anscombe’s World Cup-ending injury, it has left the Northampton Saints pivot as the man in command of the shirt ahead of the tournament in Japan.

Should Biggar go down, however, it would leave the cupboard rather bare. That is not to belittle Rhys Patchell or Jarrod Evans, who are the next in line and both talented individuals, but the 29-year-old’s experience will be vital in Japan.

The Saints man played pretty well after coming off the bench in their first warm-up, helping Warren Gatland’s team improve in the second half, and the head coach will be looking for more of the same from the 71-times capped international.

However, most of all, Gatland and the rest of the country will simply hope that Biggar gets through the game unscathed, otherwise their chances of lifting the trophy in just over two months time would be severely dented.

https://twitter.com/PowerOfMike/status/1161941893237891072

One-v-one battle to watch – Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand) v Samu Kerevi (Australia)

This duel is worth the entrance fee (or TV subscription) alone as both players could have a huge impact on this match and the one who comes out on top should also finish on the winning side.

There’s plenty at stake for Williams as he has battled with fitness issues throughout the season. The 34-year-old missed the world champions’ 20-16 win over Argentina in their tournament opener in Buenos Aires due to a hamstring injury, but returned to action in the 16-16 draw with South Africa in Wellington.

He looked rusty in that match and was subsequently sent back to play provincial rugby in New Zealand over the past two weekends. That seemed to do the trick as he has been recalled to the All Blacks’ starting XV.

When on song, Williams’ superb offloading game usually gives the All Blacks much-needed momentum but he will have to be at his best to get the better of Kerevi, who heads into this encounter in excellent form.

The 25-year-old is a brilliant attacker, whose line breaks and physicality makes him a handful for any defence, and Williams will need to improve significantly if he wants to get the better of the Wallaby. Kerevi’s ball carrying was particularly effective when setting up a try for Nic White in Perth.

Subplot to watch – the battle for number one

There have been some rather disparaging remarks about the world rankings over the past few days, but it is a decent indicator as to where the respective teams are currently at heading into the upcoming tournament.

There could well be a new number one too, and there are four teams in the race for it this weekend – one of whom isn’t playing. Following a couple of poor results for New Zealand, it has opened up the spot with Wales, England and Ireland, who aren’t in action on Saturday, looking to usurp the defending world champions.

To an extent, it is out of the All Blacks’ hands as a win by any margin for the Welsh or a victory by 16 or more points for the Red Rose will automatically lift them above Steve Hansen’s men, irrespective of what they do against Australia.

However, a defeat for New Zealand, combined with a draw in the Wales v England game, would then see Ireland take top spot. In fact, a loss reminiscent of last weekend’s horror show would see the 2011 and ’15 World Cup winners remarkably drop down to sixth – their lowest ever position – which means an intriguing day of action awaits.

Best of the rest

There are two more World Cup warm-ups with the pick being France’s encounter against Scotland in Nice. The hosts have already named their 31-man World Cup squad but there is plenty of inexperience in their team, with Alivereti Raka and Francois Cros making their debuts.

Meanwhile, Gregor Townsend has opted to go slightly stronger with Finn Russell the only notable omission, but Duncan Taylor starts for the first time after two injury-hit years.

Elsewhere in Europe, Italy host Russia hoping to gain some momentum following another poor Six Nations. Sergio Parisse captains the side and rises to third on the all-time appearance holders, moving level with George Gregan and just behind Richie McCaw and Brian O’Driscoll.

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