Smith calls on All Blacks to be inspired
You take your advantages where you can get ‘em. And champion halfback Aaron Smith makes no bones about the fact the All Blacks have been handed a decided leg up in their Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies.
With the trans-Tasman bubble closure forcing a re-scheduling of the Bledisloe and Rugby Championship, New Zealand Rugby has confirmed that the All Blacks and
Wallabies would now meet on consecutive Saturdays at Eden Park.
They open their three-match Bledisloe series on Saturday at Eden Park and return to the same ground seven days later to contest the second match. The third, and potentially deciding, clash in Perth has also been pushed back a week to August 28.
Smith, who will play his 100th test on Saturday night, said backto-backs Bledisloes at their fortress home venue (the All Blacks haven’t lost a test there since 1994, and haven’t dropped one to the
Wallabies there since 1986) presented a chance that had to be jumped on by the All Blacks.
‘‘I’ve never had it before. We’ve got to make the most of that opportunity,’’ said Smith at yesterday’s launch of the new All Blacks and Blacks Ferns jerseys. ‘‘That puts things in our favour very well.
‘‘But the way the Australians are playing, the way I know Dave Rennie coaches, they’re not going to worry about that. It’s a big opportunity for them to make a statement.’’
Smith said the All Blacks’ record at Eden Park made it a ground they enjoyed playing at, but their sustained success there was based on a simple tenet.
‘‘Eden Park doesn’t make you play any better, but knowing that the stadium is full, knowing the history of that field, knowing the