Fortunes turn all black very quickly
NOT only have the Wallabies gone winless at Eden Park since 1986, they’ve not won a game against the All Blacks anywhere in New Zealand since 2001.
That’s 22 straight defeats across the Tasman, but All Blacks coach Steve Hansen believes none of that history will mentally cripple the Wallabies as they try to wrest back the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 17 years tomorrow.
“I’ve never met an Aussie with self-doubt,” Hansen said. “If you can introduce me to one I’d like to meet him.”
The All Blacks aren’t big on self-doubt either.
But the furnace facing Hansen this week is uncharted territory.
This will be his 100th Test match in charge of New Zealand – he’s lost just nine games in eight years at the helm – yet in front of a packed conference yesterday Hansen was forced to defend his big selection shake-ups, address the team’s attitude and explain his tactics.
That’s because the Kiwis have only won two of their previous five games and last week suffered a record 47-26 loss to Australia in Perth, setting up a monumental showdown for the trophy Australia gave up in 2003.
“It’s a helpful thing when they’ve just punched you in the nose,” Hansen said.
“Do we know what we’re going to get? Yeah.
“Do we have to front up? Yeah.
“They’ve got one hand on the Cup, and we’ve got to take it off it.”
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika does not want his players to shy away from the fact no Australian team has beaten the Kiwis in Auckland in 33 years.
“There’s no point hiding from it,” Cheika said.
“We know it’s a big challenge, but if you want to make change, one person’s got to start to say ‘OK, this is going to change’.
“Then the next person will join him, and the next person will join him.
“You’re allowed to understand the history of the event, the game, the trophy and the venue to make it ultra-important and not be worried about it.
“If you call that the pressure of the event, the way I see it, it’s a privilege.”
New Zealand’s imposing record at home has given some fans confidence that the form dip is temporary, and the “real” All Blacks will emerge on Saturday and restore world order with a savage thrashing.