HOOROO TO THE HOODOO
After 33 winless years at Eden Park, it’s time to say...
THERE are at least 33 reasons why the Wallabies aren’t getting carried away with their recordbreaking win over New Zealand in the Bledisloe Cup opener at Optus Stadium.
While Australia’s six-try 47-26 drubbing of the All Blacks will go into the record books as the Wallabies’ biggest-ever win over their greatest rivals to warm the hearts of every rugby fan in the country, the players all know they face a monumental challenge winning again in Auckland next weekend.
It’s been 33 years since the Wallabies last beat the All Blacks at Eden Park, when rugby was still an amateur game, tries were worth four points and the first World Cup hadn’t even been held.
“Belief can do a lot of things but we are going to have to make sure that we are right on top of our game next week, because we are going to be up against it over there,” Wallabies halfback Nic White said.
“We haven’t won for donkey’s ages – 1986. So, a long, long time. It’s a different beast over there so, as I said, we’ve got ourselves an opportunity now but that’s all it is and we will have to go up to another level to be in with a chance over there.”
Man of the match in Saturday night’s romp in Perth, White knows only too well how the Eden Park cauldron can destroy dreams.
In 2015, White came off the bench and scored the winning try in Australia’s 27-19 win over New Zealand in Sydney, so was promoted to the starting line-up for the return match in Auckland a week later.
The All Blacks responded to their loss by smashing the Wallabies 41-13, with White missing out on a place in Australia’s World Cup squad and being banished from international rugby until his recall just last month.
Later that same year, New Zealand beat Australia in the World Cup final.
“That’s four years ago now. I’ve played a lot of rugby and it’s a completely different time, different group and we’re trying to build some momentum here,” White said.
“We’ve got an opportunity now to go over there – and that’s all it is at the moment, an opportunity – and we’ll work hard this week to hopefully take that. These opportunities don’t come around all that much very often so we’ll try to make the most of it.”
Australia’s in-form centre Samu Kerevi is also wary of the enormous challenge facing the Wallabies.
“We know what the All Blacks can do. The last game doesn’t take anything away from that. They’re still, in my eyes, the No.1 team in the world,” Kerevi said.