Kiwis target Larkham, Giteau

Wallabies flyhalf Stephen Larkham looks to throw a good pass.

All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith has singled out Wallabies flyhalf Stephen Larkham and inside centre Matt Giteau as the men to stop if New Zealand wants to beat Australia this Saturday night in Brisbane and retain the Bledisloe Cup.

There has been a lot of talk in the media this week about the match-ups in the front row and the battle of the loose forwards but according to Smith it is in the backs where the game will be won or lost.

Both Smith and Wallabies coach John Connolly agree that rugby's two best backlines will be on display at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday with a number of intriguing head-to-head match-ups on the cards. None will be bigger than at flyhalf between Larkham and Dan Carter with the Kiwi coach underlining the need to stop the Australian playmaker.

"He's a quality player," Smith said to <i>AAP.</i> "He has been for a lot of years. He's a unique sort of player the way he plays five-eighth, the way he takes the ball to the line."

"He passes what I call mid-stride. He's difficult to pick when he's going to pass. It can be off either foot and at any time."

"He's a dangerous player and I think the style they're adopting this year suits his game because he's a great decision maker. He gives himself time."

"He's one player you have to be really aware of."

Smith was also wary of Giteau, who makes his first appearance against the All Blacks this season, after he made a triumphant return to the Test arena with a man-of-the-match performance against the Springboks in Brisbane two weeks ago.

"He applies his kicking game pretty well," Smith said of Giteau. "He seems to pop up in the right place and he's a very good support player."

"So he's a dangerous player and we recognise that."

Connolly also said the battle in the backs will worth the admission price alone.

"They're by far the best two backlines in the world," Connolly said.

"Carter-Larkham, (Aaron) Mauger-(Matt) Giteau ... you could go head-to-head across the board and there are 14 pretty special backs on the field on Saturday night."

"We hope we've got a backline that can challenge, and I'm sure New Zealand will think the same thing."