After beating the Springboks, the Wallabies are daring to dream of pulling off the ultimate upset when they tackle the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup opener at Eden Park on Saturday (08:10 kick-off SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.
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Australia maintained their undefeated start under new coach Les Kiss with a 42-38 win over South Africa in Perth two weeks ago.
Even though the Boks fielded an overhauled team, retaining just a pair of players from the starting XV who secured bragging rights in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series decider against the All Blacks, their renowned depth was expected to carry them to victory over the Wallabies.
Instead, the seventh-ranked Aussies upped their game several notches and dominated 65 minutes of the one-off Test, leading 42-17 before conceding four yellow cards and three tries in the chaotic conclusion.
The madness in the final 15 minutes, ramped up by the referees’ communication tech fiasco, in many ways took away from what was an outstanding performance by the Wallabies – one that the All Blacks’ brain trust would’ve taken note of heading into the two-legged Bledisloe Cup series.
It’s been 24 long years since the Wallabies lifted the Bledisloe Cup. That, in itself, speaks to what a seismic challenge awaits the Aussies. However, what propels Saturday’s showdown to the closest thing to rugby’s mission impossible is the fact that the All Blacks are on a historic 53-Test unbeaten streak at their Auckland fortress, dating back 32 years.
It’s been four full decades since the last time a Wallabies team tasted victory at Eden Park, with tries from David Campese and Andrew Leeds plus a conversion and four penalty goals from Michael Lynagh earning Australia a 22-9 win in the 1986 Bledisloe Cup decider.
Overall, the Wallabies last beat the All Blacks in Brisbane in 2020 (24-22), which sees them going into this meeting hoping to snap an 11-match losing streak against their arch-rivals. With the arrival of Kiss, new building blocks were quickly put in place, and confidence is high after a return of four wins and a draw from their first five outings under the 61-year-old.
As impressive a turnaround as it’s been from the Wallabies, they still have a long way to go. The All Blacks have made up significantly more ground than they have in their first season under Dave Rennie.
The All Blacks look reborn under Rennie, who coached the Wallabies from November 2019 to January 2023. The New Zealander simply wasn’t a good fit for the Wallabies and has restored the Kiwis’ Mana.
An unbeaten home leg of the Nations Championship that included wins over France (34-32) and Ireland (40-21) laid the foundation, and the Greatest Rivalry tour was a big success for them, despite the 3-1 series loss.
The 33-16 series opening win over a full-strength Bok team at Ellis Park was a massive result for Rennie and his troops, and while they lost all three of the remaining Tests, they were competitive for the most part.
The wars with the Boks have left New Zealand with a lengthy injury list, which includes names like Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson, Ruben Love, Patrick Tuipulotu and Anton Lienert-Brown.
However, they have sufficient depth to retain the silverware and are set to welcome back two of their biggest hitters in Scott Barrett (who returns from injury) and Shannon Frizell (who returns after a stint in Japan).
If the Wallabies are as effective at the breakdown and dominate the aerial battle as they did against the Boks, they would ask the All Blacks a lot of questions. That said, the hosts have power, pizazz and the growth from the Greatest Rivalry series, which should see them keep their incredible Bledisloe Cup and Eden Park streaks intact.
Prediction: New Zealand by 10.
Suggested Bet: Australia +12.5 at 1.87.
Quintin van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 20 years of experience.
