‘Nail it’ or you’re out’

IF you don’t “nail it”, you’re out.

That was Dave Rennie’s message ahead of Bledisloe II, having made four changes to his Wallabies side that came within an inch of defeating the All Blacks on New Zealand soil for the first time since 2001.

Hooker Folau Fainga’a and back-rower Pete Samu were the two biggest casualties of last weekend’s 16-16 draw in Wellington, with the Brumbies pairing left out of the Eden Park clash on Sunday afternoon. While the likes of former Wallaby Morgan Turinui called for Rennie to reward each of the 15 for their strong performances, the New Zealand coach said that everything was being judged on individual “performance”.

“What we’re saying to the players is you need to nail it,” Rennie told reporters on Friday.

“While the result was reasonably good last week, we’re judging everything on performance and that’s not just from a team perspective it’s individually, so you (can’t) leave the door open for other guys to come in and give it a nudge.

“We also hoped that the excitement from those guys who are getting their crack this week will help us get over the line.”

The game will be held today.

INTRODUCED in 1931, the Bledisloe Cup is named after New Zealand’s governor-general, Lord Bledisloe, who donated the huge silver trophy. It is contested by New Zealand and Australia and is the pinnacle of trans-Tasman sport.

While the Bledisloe Cup is now an annual series of anything between two to four matches in duration, depending on whether it falls in a Rugby World Cup year or not, it wasn’t until 1982 that the two countries agreed to contest the trophy on a yearly basis. Overall, the All Blacks have been the dominant force with 48 Bledisloe Cup titles to Australia’s 12 – including the last 16 in a row.

15 facts about a competition

1. First winners 7. Long time between drinks 8. Signing off in style