Official Match Preview - Wallabies vs All Blacks in Melbourne
July 30, 2010 - 8:00pm
Story by: ARU
It’s difficult to think of a recent Bledisloe Cup Test with a bigger build up than the one for this Saturday’s nights clash at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.
All week intrigue and controversy has swirled around the lead up to kick off.
First off there was the suspension of the Qantas Wallabies key playmaker Quade Cooper for a dangerous tackle on Morne Steyn in the win over the Springboks in Brisbane.
Then the surface at Etihad Stadium came under the spotlight and how it may affect the match, with even the usually jovial Robbie Deans even responding sternly to the media’s continuing questions on the topic.
And if that wasn’t enough a photographer snapped a photo of All Blacks coach Graham Henry at training holding what looked like elements of the All Blacks attack strategy.
Or was it the Wallabies moves that the All Blacks were working out how to defend against.
Either way it was an incident that was serious enough for Steve Hansen, the All Blacks Assistant Coach, to describe as a “breach of trust” although both he and Henry downplayed the importance of the leak, perhaps not wanting the Wallabies to realise the significance of the information revealed.
It all came to a head on Wednesday when the photo of the “All Blacks game plan” was published in both Melbourne papers and The Australian, and that afternoon Cooper losing the appeal against his suspension.
Around the same time images were broadcast on TV of the Etihad Stadium staff working furiousily to get the ground ready for Saturday night.
As preparations go, they don’t get much more event filled – and we were still three days away from launch.
But it’s not surprising with so much at stake in Round 1 of this year’s battle for one of the biggest prizes in world Rugby.
The Wallabies are desperate to avoid a couple of very unwanted records.
Firstly the All Blacks are on a seven match winning streak against their trans-Tasman rivals, a record that you have to go right back to 1936 to 1947 to better when New Zealand won nine in a row.
Australia also hasn’t held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002, making this the eighth series since Australia has had their name engraved on the trophy. Only the All Blacks run from 1951 to 1978 (12 series) beats that.
But as we are quickly discovering this is a “good-fast becoming great” All Blacks team which stands on the cusp of legendary status, right up with David Kirk’s side of 1987 – the only New Zealand team to win that most cherished trophy, the Webb Ellis Cup.
Someone who knows something about beating the All Blacks, new Melbourne Rebels coach Rod Macqueen, this week rated the current New Zealand outfit, who are on an 11-Test winning run, as the best side in 13 years, going back to hooker Sean Fitzpatrick's last season in charge.
And as if to prove that theory Fitzpatrick played 92 Tests and his record of 74 victories as an All Black has just been eclipsed by current skipper Richie McCaw, who brought up his 75th win against South Africa two weeks ago.
Since their 2007 Rugby World Cup self destruction, when they were eliminated in the quarter finals, McCaw's team have won 28 of their last 34 Tests and three of those losses were against the Springboks last year.
And on the subject of milestones, Joe “Rocket Man” Rokocoko, on Saturday night will play his 64th Test and become the most capped All Blacks winger of all time, eclipsing legendary names like Jonah Lomu and John Kirwan. Very good company indeed.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for the young Men of Gold. Last week’s win over the Boks in Brisbane was a great boost to both the Wallabies and their fans.
The Jekyll and Hyde Wallabies produced much nearer their best form to outplay a Springbok team who are a shadow of their brilliant 2009 selves and are suffering from costly bouts of indiscipline and general dysfunction.
But on Saturday a much greater challenge faces Deans’ young team.
It’s like they’ve conquered Mount Kosciusko and with no time to enjoy their efforts have to go straight on to tackling Everest.
The All Blacks have been simply awesome in the Bundaberg Red Tri-Nations so far in 2010 with two blockbusting performances that simply blew the World Champions off the park.
Such was the dominant nature of the All Blacks triumphs that they have once again stamped themselves as the clear favourites for next year’s Rugby World Cup – as usual.
What has been so impressive about the All Blacks in their first two outings has been their excellence in every facet of play.
Where in last year’s tournament they went along in fits and starts, in 2010 the All Blacks have been running like a well oiled machine all over the park.
It’s frightening - and thrilling - to see players like Mils Muliaina, Rokocoko, the slimmed down, new dad Piri Weepu and Keven Mealamu (one of Rugby’s undoubted good guys) back to their best, a long with exciting new talent like Rene “X-Factor” Ranger.
The backs have been quick and deadly when given the opportunity and the forwards powerful at scrum time and even more decidedly, more than competitive at the line out, a real Achilles heel in 2009, with the All Blacks even stealing some of the Boks own throws to the peerless Victor Matfield.
But the real decisive factor – and what no doubt will go a long way to determining the result tonight – is the All Blacks, and McCaw in particular’s – dominance at the breakdown.
McCaw was not as impactful in this year’s Investec Bank Super 14 but in the first two rounds of the Tri-Nations he was back to his brilliant best effectively disrupting or pilfering at every opportunity.
But that could have more to do with what seemed a slight modification in the way the breakdown laws were being interpreted by the three different Irish referees who took charge of the opening games in this year’s tournament.
Whereas in the Super 14 the emphasis was on the tackled player being allowed to place the ball, that half-second’s grace for the tackled player has disappeared in the Tri-Nations and traditional fetchers like McCaw and his soon to be successor, the Man of the Match against the Boks, David Pocock, again being allowed to dominate.
The Wallabies and All Blacks seemed to quickly adapt to the re-newed interpretations where the Boks became gun shy at the breakdown, unsure when to go in and stay out, resulting in them losing crucial turn over ball again and again.
The clash of McCaw and his challenger Pocock, who are both very sure of their rights at the breakdown, will do much to determine the scoreboard on the weekend.
Of course the Wallabies go in without one of their undoubted stars. And yes the loss of Cooper, perhaps the most exciting player in world Rugby at present, is a massive blow.
But in even the blackest cloud there is a golden lining.
Matt Giteau was tremendous in Brisbane and he will return to what many believe is his best position at flyhalf and Berrick Barnes at inside centre has hardly let Australia down before.
Who knows – the inclusion of Barnes top notch kicking game on the slippery Etihad Stadium surface could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Barnes is set to torment the All Blacks with his unerringly accurate boot.
Despite how impressive the All Blacks machine has been in the last month this is a game that the Wallabies can win.
Indeed it is a game they must win if they are to stand any chance of reclaiming the Bledisloe Cup or the Tri-Nations (last held in 2001).
The Wallabies must match the All Blacks upfront and you can be sure the All Blacks will re-apply the blow torch to the area of most deficiency in the June Tests – the Wallabies scrum.
Stephen Moore’s inclusion in the starting line up in a swap with the less experienced Saia Faingaa could play a part there.
And on the subject of the Faingaa’s if centre Anthony, who has been selected on the bench for the first time, and Saia both take the field during the Test the Wallabies will achieve their own landmark.
The Faingaas will become only the third set of twins to play for Australia – along with the Ellatwins, Mark and Glen, and the Boyce twins, Jim and Stewart.
The Men of Gold have to measure up at the scrum as well as at lineout time and even more crucially at the breakdown, where Pocock has to at least match, if not edge, McCaw.
The backs must make their one on one tackles, as they did last week, and when they get an opportunity they must come up with five points – something they did not always do in Brisbane.
If 2010 is to be the year of the Wallabies then it must start this Saturday night. Rocky and the boys - your time starts now.
To get your tickets for the Bledisloe Cup and Bundaberg Red Tri-Nationsclick here
The Qantas Wallabies team to play New Zealand in the Bundaberg Red Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup Test at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne on Saturday 31 July, 8.05pm kick off (AEST), is:
15. Adam Ashley Cooper (Brumbies), 14. James O’Connor (Western Force), 13. Rob Horne (NSW Waratahs), 12. Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs), 11. Drew Mitchell (NSW Waratahs), 10. Matt Giteau (Brumbies), 9. Will Genia (Queensland Reds), 8. Richard Brown (Western Force), 7. David Pocock (Western Force), 6. Rocky Elsom (Brumbies, captain), 5. Nathan Sharpe (Western Force), 4. Dean Mumm (NSW Waratahs), 3. Salesi Ma’afu (Brumbies), 2. Stephen Moore (Brumbies), 1. Benn Robinson (NSW Waratahs).
Run on reserves: 16. Saia Faingaa (Queensland Reds), 17. James Slipper (Queensland Reds), 18. Rob Simmons (Queensland Reds), 19. Matt Hodgson (Western Force), 20. Luke Burgess (NSW Waratahs), 21. Anthony Faingaa (Queensland Reds), 22. Kurtley Beale (NSW Waratahs).
ALL BLACKS Team (Number of Test caps in brackets)
1. Tony Woodcock (65), 2. Keven Mealamu (76), 3. Owen Franks (14), 4. Brad Thorn (42), 5. Tom Donnelly (9), 6. Jerome Kaino (29), 7. Richie McCaw – captain (85), 8. Kieran Read (21), 9. Jimmy Cowan (38), 10. Daniel Carter (71), 11. Josevata Rokocoko (63), 12. Ma’a Nonu (48), 13. Conrad Smith (37), 14. Cory Jane (17), 15. Mils Muliaina (85).
Reserves: 16. Corey Flynn (9), 17. Ben Franks (4), 18. Samuel Whitelock (5), 19. Victor Vito (2), 20. Piri Weepu (40), 21. Aaron Cruden (4), 22. Israel Dagg (3)
Date: Saturday, July 31
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off: 20.05 (AEST)
Referee: Craig Joubert (RSA)
