Aussies still not in Cup frame

IF the Wallabies were hoping for any complacency in an allconquering All Blacks side that has held the Bledisloe Cup for the past 14 years, Kiwi enforcer Jerome Kaino shut the notion down emphatically.

Australia last won the trophy in 2002, and you’d think by now the Kiwis would have become bored of towelling up their trans-Tasman rivals year after year.

But Kaino says the All Blacks are as desperate to hold onto the Cup as the Wallabies are to win it back when speaking about the rivalry between the two sides.

“It’s more amplified now because everyone puts a highlight on how long they haven’t had the trophy for and how long we’ve had it,” said 34year-old Kaino, who has played 81 All Blacks Tests.

“They’ll be really desperate to get their hands on the trophy, and we’re the same, regardless of how many years we’ve had it.

“We’ve got the same desperation to hold onto it as tight as we can.

“I know for a fact we’ll do whatever it takes to keep that in New Zealand. Losing doesn’t come into our thinking.

“The Bledisloe is the most important piece of silverware outside of a World Cup to us.

“Whatever we do, it’s all about making sure we hold onto it.”

The Wallabies host the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, attempting to pull off one of the greatest upsets in series history after no Australian Super Rugby team managed to beat a Kiwi rival in 26 attempts in 2017.

While the British & Irish Lions exposed some holes in the usually impenetrable All Blacks armoury during the drawn June series, Kaino believes that will only make his team stronger this weekend.

“We’ve had a few weeks now where we’ve been able to sit down and watch the tape, we’ve drawn a line in the sand where we can just look forward to the challenges and take what we need out of what happened (against) the Lions,” Kaino said.

“We’ve got a good challenge this weekend, where we can hopefully put a lot of those learnings to practice, and I think we’re in a good spot.”