WHY THE AUSSIES MUST WIN
Australians will get the chance to prove they have improved against a weakened All Blacks lineup in the battle of Brisbane
If ever there was pressure on the Wallabies to front, this is it.
Tonight may not be a World Cup final, and sure the Bledisloe isn’t on the line. But in terms of providing tangible evidence to the Australian and wider rugby public that this team i s, indeed, on the rise, Suncorp Stadium could provide a major turning point for the Wallabies.
Or, it could just as easily be another loss to the All Blacks that entrenches mental scars and etches close to neighbourly abuse.
Talk of a great team culture and on- field improvements are well and good. Results wise, though, the Wallabies of 2017 have achieved nothing yet. Two draws with the rebuilding Springboks and dual wins over the regressing Pumas i s nothing to get excited about. It may be a step in the right direction after a dire June home series where they lost to a weakened Scotland, but the bar for success must sit much higher.
This i s where the All Blacks come in.
Knocking over the world’s best for the first time in seven tests would do wonders for coach Michael Cheika and the Wallabies. They need, they crave, vindication.
“As everyone knows if you beat the All Blacks it doesn’t matter what else you’ve done,” All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said. “They’ll be hanging their hat on trying to do that. It’s been a while so they’re pretty desperate. We just need to be as desperate as they are. “If the Aussies win this one they’ll be able to walk around the whole year and say they’ve improved and they’re desperate to be able to say that because they’ve been working hard trying to do that.” In some respects the narrative and expectations have shifted slightly for this match. After their near thing in Dunedin the Wallabies must now repeat that refreshing performance here, in- front of their fans, and prove it wasn’t more due to the All Blacks taking them lightly after the Sydney cakewalk. There’s also the added edge of this being Stephen Moore’s 125th and final outing on home soil.
“It would be great to beat the No 1 team in the world,” Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said.
“It would do a lot of things for a lot of people and maybe change our perception.”
Mick Byrne’s influence on the Wallabies’ skills is beginning to show. As they have been historically, the Wallabies are once again the team most capable of matching the All Blacks’ attacking potency.
In Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau and Will Genia they have creativity and class if the platform allows.
During the Rugby Championship Cheika’s men averaged 4.3 tries and 32.5 points through six games. That was easily closest to the All Blacks’ 5.8 tries and 41 points.
But defence is where this match could be won, especially in Wayne Smith’s final test and with rain which has lingered this week predicted to play a part. The long- serving All Blacks maestro will be keen to finish on a winning note before handing over to Scott McLeod.
Just as Boks wing Raymond Rhule was targeted in the Albany demolition so, too, could Marika Koroibete be in for a tough night marking Rieko Ioane.
History suggests victory won’t be straightforward at Suncorp. Overall the All Blacks have a strong four win, one loss, one draw record against the Wallabies here. But they have triumphed in one of their past three, and all six have been decided by seven points or less. Losing Beauden Barrett and five other genuine first- choice players only increases the sense this test should be tightly contested.
If the Wallabies can’t push the All Blacks close when Owen Franks, Joe Moody, Brodie Retallick, Ben Smith, Nehe Milner- Skudder and Israel Dagg are sidelined . . . then they have not improved at all.
Reserve loose forward Matt Todd was also ruled out last night with a groin injury, replaced on the bench by Ardie Savea.
Full- strength or not, the All Blacks may be more vulnerable than usual.
Lest we forget, there’s also the fact Australians never lack confidence.
“When you play Australia as a New Zealander you enjoy the encounter so there’s not too much difficulty getting people excited about that,” Hansen said. “There’s no motivational problems with this team.”