All Blacks v Australia
When: Thursday, September 15, 9:55pm kick off (NZ time).
Where: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TAB betting odds: All Blacks $1.25 Australia $3.80
Preview:
Australia's battle for credibility in front of sceptical home fans will reach a crescendo in Melbourne on Thursday, where their quest for two pieces of coveted silverware could unravel against the All Blacks.
Defeat at Docklands Stadium would ensure the Bledisloe Cup remains in New Zealand hands for a 20th year in succession and could also eliminate the Wallabies from the Rugby Championship race.
A year out from the World Cup in France, the home side desperately need a performance to rally support.
Languishing at a record low of eighth in the world rankings, after a morale-crushing 24-8 loss to South Africa at Sydney, patience is wearing thin with their form under Dave Rennie.
Organised to accommodate the AFL and NRL finals, the match's weeknight scheduling already speaks volumes of the Wallabies' diminished standing in a sports-mad country. As it played out, the two AFL matches will take place at Sydney this weekend, while Melbourne Storm have been knocked out of the NRL finals race.
On Thursday, Kiwis may well outnumber Wallabies fans in the crowd at the 53,000-seat Docklands.
The All Blacks have had their own struggles, losing to both South Africa and Argentina in the Rugby Championship, and are still yet to win back-to-back tests this season.
However, they returned to their ruthless best in a 53-3 hiding of the Pumas at Hamilton in their last outing and bring a settled line-up to Docklands.
To win back the Bledisloe Cup, Australia must beat the All Blacks at Melbourne and then somehow stave off defeat at Eden Park, where the hosts have not lost since France in 1994.
With New Zealand's powerhouse No.8 Ardie Savea excused from the test for the birth of his third child, Rennie will hope his rejigged back row of Rob Valetini, Rob Leota and Pete Samu can outmuscle the All Blacks at the breakdown.
Defending champions New Zealand lead the Rugby Championship on 10 points, one ahead of the rest, but all four teams can still win the trophy.
A bonus-point victory at Docklands would go a long way to securing back-to-back titles for the All Blacks and could also eliminate Australia, if the home side fail to pick up a bonus point in defeat.
"We feel we're getting there," said All Blacks coach Ian Foster, adding he wanted his side to "build a bit more consistency".
"History tells us they're a pretty hard team to beat," said Wallabies prop James Slipper, who will again stand in as captain for the absent Michael Hooper.
"They've had the wood on us for 20 years so, us as a playing group, we understand what's coming and it's going to be a hard task to win the Bledisloe, and it starts tomorrow here."
Their task has been made harder by injuries, with Rennie reaching for the long-forgotten Bernard Foley to start at first-five in his first test since the 2019 World Cup.
Team line-ups:
All Blacks: 1-Ethan de Groot, 2-Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-Brodie Retallick, 5-Sam Whitelock, 6-Scott Barrett, 7-Sam Cane (c), 8-Hoskins Sotutu, 9-Aaron Smith, 10-Richie Mo'unga, 11-Caleb Clarke, 12-David Havili, 13-Rieko Ioane, 14-Will Jordan, 15-Jordie Barrett
Reserves: 16-Dane Coles, 17-George Bower, 18-Fletcher Newell, 19-Akira Ioane, 20-Dalton Papali'i, 21-Finlay Christie, 22-Beauden Barrett, 23-Quinn Tupaea
Australia: 1-James Slipper (c), 2-David Porecki, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 4-Jed Holloway, 5-Matt Philip, 6-Rob Leota, 7-Pete Samu, 8-Rob Valetini, 9-Jake Gordon, 10-Bernard Foley, 11-Marika Koroibete, 12-Lalakai Foketi, 13-Len Ikitau,14-Tom Wright,15-Andrew Kellaway,
Reserves: 16-Folau Fainga'a, 17-Scott Sio, 18-Pone Fa'amausili, 19-Darcy Swain, 20-Fraser McReight, 21-Nic White, 22-Reece Hodge, 23-Jordan Petaia.
Recent history:
2021: All Blacks 38 Australia 31 - Perth
2021: All Blacks 57 Australia 22 - Eden Park
2021: All Blacks 33 Australia 25 - Eden Park
2020: Australia 24 Australia 22 - Brisbane
2020: All Blacks 43 Australia 5 - Sydney
Weather forecast:
Partly cloudy. High chance of rain, most likely in the early morning.
The chance of a thunderstorm in the early morning. Rain to ease in the evening in time for kickoff.
Reuters/Newshub
Join us from 9:45pm Thursday for live updates of the All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup test
