No-one is giving us a chance: Cheika
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika isn’t surprised almost everyone has written his side off.
Rank outsiders with the bookies to beat the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday night, slagged off by their own fans and practically biffed in the scrap heap by many Kiwis - tell him something he doesn’t know.
‘‘I think no one does [give us a chance], to be honest,’’ Cheika told media yesterday.
‘‘It’s up to us to write our own chapters if we want to change that attitude around. People would be justified to think that.’’
A miserable year for Australian Super Rugby teams - they went 0-26 against Kiwi franchises - started the 2017 rot, before the All Blacks twisted the knife with a 54-34 flogging in Sydney last weekend.
Given what happened at ANZ Stadium, chances are even the most passionate Wallabies fan would laugh in your face if you asked whether or not they felt their team could win in Dunedin and deny the All Blacks from locking up the Bledisloe Cup for a 15th consecutive year.
The TAB has slapped the All Blacks down as $1.02 favourites, while the once feared Aussies have blown out to $12.00 outsiders.
Struggling against the All Blacks isn’t new. New Zealand have won 17 of the 22 tests played between the teams since 2010, with the Wallabies winning a couple and the teams sharing the spoils twice.
But their dreadful record has seemingly never stopped the Wallabies from talking themselves up, perhaps until now.
‘‘We’ve got to let our game do the talking [on Saturday],’’ Cheika said. ’’We do lots of good stuff away from the field, but what counts is on the field for everybody.’’
The Wallabies have been dealt a blow on the eve of Bledisloe II, with rugged lock Adam Coleman ruled out of the match with a shoulder injury.
He’s been replaced by Rory Arnold in the starting side, while 21-year-old Reds lock Izack Rodda comes into the match-day 23 and is in line to make his debut off the pine.
Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper labelled the scratching of Coleman a ‘‘huge blow’’, but maintained the team’s preparation was on point.
‘‘I was happy to see the guys really disappointed. I was really disappointed and that trickled through the whole team from last week’s game,’’ he said.
‘‘But the way we were able to turn that around into a really positive week, as me being captain and the other leaders of this group, really happy to see.’’
Hooper is aware the Wallabies are going to have to produce something special if they are to record their 43rd win against the All Blacks in 160 attempts, but doesn’t believe it’s beyond his under-fire team.