When Australia last held the Bledisloe, the country was a very different place
Ansett was still in the skies, George W Bush was only in his second year as US president, Brasil was the football world champions, the second movie in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy had just hit the screens, Eminem and Shakira were topping the charts, Alan Langer was still playing for the Broncos, it was the year the Steve Bradbury won THAT Olympic gold medal, the average price of petrol was 81c per litre and you could by a house in Sydney and get change from $500 000.
All Blacks historians may have a blank page open and pen in hand in anticipation that the worlds No. ranked team will provide an 18th consecutive Test win for them to document, and no doubt, if the All Blacks pull it off, it will be a feat worthy of congratulation.
Yet, the Wallabies have not given it a second thought as they strive to win back the long elusive Bledisloe.
With all the talk of the All Blacks record breaking run, everyone seems to have forgotten that the Wallabies are on a streak of their own, seven in a row. Something the Wallabies haven’t achieved since they last won the World Cup in 1999.
Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie has made six changes to his line-up, with the selection of Kurtley Beale at fly-half being the biggest shock of all. That forces Bernard Foley to the bench alongside outside centre Tevita Kuridrani, with Adam Ashley-Cooper shifting from wing to his preferred number 13 jumper. Pat McCabe and Rob Horne are the new wingers for Ashley-Cooper and Nick ‘The Honey Badger’ Cummins (Japanese rugby).
Up front hooker Nathan Charles makes his first Test start for Tatafu Polota-Nau (knee) and lock Sam Carter starts ahead of benched Waratahs giant Will Skelton. Hooker Stephen Moore and flanker David Pocock are out for the season with knee injuries. Young gun Tolu Latu (broken arm) and prop Laurie Weeks (hamstring) both suffered injuries last week and weren’t considered for selection.
Steve Hanson also sprung a surprise of his own, but of lesser proportions, leaving Israel Dagg out of his match day 23 in favour of in form Highlanders flyer, Ben Smith. Conrad Smith will also miss the opening test after flying home yesterday to be with his expectant wife. In his place comes Malaki Fekitoa. Fekitoa had a blinder of a season with the Highlanders and was a major reason for their success this year.
The loss of Conrad Smith is no small thing for the All Blacks. The 32 year old veteran is a defensive monster. With his loss, the Wallabies would be looking at opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be there.
While Ma’a Nonu is solid on head to head defence, he can occasionally be found out in defence when lateral movement is required. Fekitoa may be a match winner with ball in hand, but you have to bear in mind, his defensive errors were a major factor when the Waratahs thrashed the Highlanders in Sydney 44-16. And Fekitoa will be matched up against the same centre that gave him those nightmares that day, Adam Ashley-Cooper.
With all the line-up changes, the big question still remains, can the Wallabies forwards match it with the Kiwi’s and give Beale the best chance to perform at his best at 10?
Key Match-Ups
Kurtley Beale v Aaron Cruden
It’s the biggest call since Coach Bombay swapped Goldberg for Julie the Cat in the penalty shoot-out during Mighty Ducks 2.
Not a fan of Disney’s famous ice-hockey trilogy? Well let’s put it this way – Kurtley Beale’s inclusion instead of Bernard Foley is a massive call, considering the superb play of the Waratahs No.10 this season.
But it looks to be the right one; McKenzie is throwing all his cards on the table in Sydney, as he knows the likelihood of a win in Auckland a week later isn’t all that great.
Beale’s speed and excellent passing game has been preferred to Foley’s direct approach in a move that is sure to see the Wallabies play with an enormous amount of width. The big question is whether the Wallabies forwards can get enough momentum up front to free up the space out wide.
That selection won’t have worried Aaron Cruden with the relaxed All Blacks No.10 back to his best after some indifferent early season form. He has the familiar midfield pairing outside him while his once frail defence is now more assured than ever.
His job is also made a lot easier by the wonderful flat service of halfback Aaron Smith.
Israel Folau v Ben Smith
This time last year both Israel Folau and Ben Smith found themselves playing on the wing – it’s now inconceivable that they play anywhere else but fullback.
Folau made the moved to fullback midway through last year’s Rugby Championship and hasn’t looked back with his aerial ability, counter-attack and footwork making him one of the toughest players to defend in the game.
He is coming off a superb Super Rugby season with the Waratahs and will need to continue that this weekend when he finds himself the leader of a new-look Wallabies back three.
Smith meanwhile has finally been given the chance to nail down the No.15 jersey at the All Blacks after he was preferred to Israel Dagg by coach Steve Hansen.
Smith had a sensational June series against England, his combination with powerhouse winger Julian Savea creating all kinds of headaches for the English defence.
The Highlanders custodian is also supremely confident under the high ball and has a powerful running game that belies his relatively slight frame.
Nathan Charles v Dane Coles
Saturday night’s clash has thrown up an intriguing match-up at hooker with Nathan Charles making his run-on debut against the robust Hurricanes rake Dane Coles.
Coles has already run up 18 caps in what has been a reasonably quick introduction to Test rugby following the retirement of Andrew Hore a couple of seasons ago.
The 27-year-old plays a little wider than most hookers and has an impressive turn of pace that allows him to not only bust the line, but also make metres once on the other side. His set-piece work is solid without being brilliant but in-form locks Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock should make easy targets at lineout time.
Charles’s story has been well-documented but it’s one worth repeating such is the devastating impact of cystic fibrosis. Charles has inspired people the world over yet his place in the side is no charity case – the boy can plan.
A workmanlike hooker in a similar mould to Coles, Charles’s main challenge will seemingly be at scrum time with the Wallabies front row set to be under all sorts of pressure from their All Black counterparts.
Prediction
Every year we hear the Australian fans and media beat up the Wallabies chances, only to see the Wallabies flop against the All Blacks. It’s one of the main reasons why the “fair weather fans” have turned away from Australian Rugby Union over the last 10 years.
How ever, this year, there is actual, genuine reason to get excited about this Wallabies team, it’s the first time in years they’re not coming into an international period without a massive list of injuries to vital players and with the Waratahs winning the Super Rugby title, there’s belief amongst the players as well.
The All Blacks are a team that can never be taken lightly, while Australia may be chasing their eighth consecutive win and sixth straight at home, the All Blacks have won the last four times the two teams have met in Sydney.
There is no question that the Wallabies are a much improved team from the one that went down 41-33 in Bledisloe III last year, however, whether or not they’ve improved enough to on top of the All Blacks is a different proposition.
Either way, this should be one entertaining match. Ewen McKenzie has never been one to sacrifice attack in place of defence and the All Blacks have plenty of attacking weapons of their own.
We predict a highly entertaining, high scoring match. And who will win? I’m going to sit on the fence for that. Too Close To Call.
Teams
Australia: 15 Folau, 14 McCabe, 13 Ashley-Cooper, 12 Toomua, 11 Horne, 10 Beale, 9 White, 1 Slipper, 2 Charles, 3 Kepu, 4 Carter, 5 Simmons, 6 Fardy, 7 Hooper (c), 8 Palu.
Bench: 16 James Hanson, 17 Pek Cowan, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Tevita Kuridrani.
New Zealand: 15 B Smith, 14 Jane, 13 Fekitoa, 12 Nonu, 11 Savea, 10 Cruden, 9 A Smith, 1 Crockett, 2 Coles, 3 O Franks, 4 Retallick, 5 S Whitelock, 6 Kaino, 7 McCaw (c), 8 Read.
Bench: 16 Mealamu, 17 B Franks, 18 Moody, 19 Luatua, 20 Cane, 21 Perenara, 22 Barrett, 23 Crotty.
