FOR much of its long history, the main rivalry to the All Blacks came from South Africa but that has shifted since a few decades ago to Australia and with it, a more combative challenge for the Bledisloe Cup.
Saturday’s game between the trans-Tasman rivals is only the second in this year’s Rugby Championship but already there is so much at stake for the Wallabies and their coach Michael Cheika when they take on the All Blacks in Dunedin. Incidentally it was in the same city that the Wallabies last beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, in 2001 at the former Carisbrook Stadium.
Win this one and there’s hope the Wallabies finally have a chance of winning back the trophy contested by these rivals from the early 1930s but lose the Test and it’ll be a 15 th consecutive series defeat for them.
Both sides have had to make last-minute changes to their matchday 23, with Cheika naming another debutant in Izack Rodda amongst the forwards on the bench.
Back in to start are Rob Simmons at lock, Dave-Haylett Petty at wing and Tevita Kuridrani at centre.
If they are to have a chance of at least preventing another breakout by the All Blacks, the Wallabies will have to do much better in defence. So too the All Blacks who let in four tries in the last 30 minutes, although by that time the game was as good as over as a contest.
As is widely known by now, Australian rugby needs a big morale booster to bounce back from a very gloomy phase.
The finances of the national union are not good, chief executive Bill Pulver has tendered his resignation and the issue of the culling of the Western Force Super Rugby franchise remains unsettled, with the state union getting a court injunction that prevents the national union from taking any further action for now.
But unlike the national union, the boys in Perth are being backed by big money from mining billionaire Andrew Forrest.
With the rather uninspiring results by the Wallabies since the last World Cup in 2015, it is no surprise that Cheika has many detractors and recently received hate mail after the 54-34 defeat in Sydney last week.
For the All Blacks, the changes from last week’s team are all in the forwards, with hooker Dane Coles back to start after recovering sufficiently from concussion. This will be his 50th game in the black jersey.
Apart from intending to seal the leaks in defence, the home side wants to continue their dominance by putting up a show worth the memory of the legendary All Black Colin Meads, for whom Saturday’s team will display a special tribute. The funeral for Meads who died recently aged 81 is scheduled for Monday.
A good win too will be an inspiration to the Blacks Ferns who will take on defending champions England in the final of the Women’s World Cup in Belfast.
In seven editions, the Black Ferns have won the title four times, England twice and the United States once but a good semi-final win over the US has given the Kiwis the momentum they need to also avenge a 29-21 defeat to England in Rotorua last June.
In the other Rugby Championship game between the Pumas and Springboks in Salta, there are changes too to the backs by both sides.
The Boks had it easy last week to win 37-12 in Port Elizabeth but Salta cannot be their favourite venue.
Three years ago they won narrowly 33-31 but last year lost by 26-24.