Wallabies can give All Blacks rare third straight defeat in Bledisloe Cup opener
Despite the Wallabies being in a shocking run of form, they could expose an underperforming All Blacks side in the Bledisloe Cup opener and push the NZ side to a place they have hardly ever been.
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The Wallabies could hand the under-fire All Blacks a third successive loss for only the seventh time in their history as they aim to break a 22-year Bledisloe Cup streak.
New Zealand is coming off back-to-back losses against South Africa and are more vulnerable than ever as they adjust to new coach Scott Robertson.
One factor in their favour is that these All Blacks are facing a rare event; the prospect of losing three games in a row.
It has only happened six times before, dating back to their first international match in 1903, and that only adds to the pressure of retaining the Bledisloe trophy for an astonishing 23rd straight year.
While few will dare imagine the Wallabies pulling off the upset after their humiliating 67-27 loss to the Pumas a fortnight ago, the All Blacks are already talking as though they’ve lost the trophy.
“There’s that appropriate fear with holding the Bledisloe, having held the Bledisloe, but it’s not ours anymore, we’ve got to go out and earn the right,” All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor said.
“There’s an Aussie team that some people might be talking negatively about, but we’re making no assumptions.
“We’re definitely not taking any of this lightly. We’re in Sydney, we’re in their home ground, Australia can do anything on their day and we’ve seen that in the past.
“There’s already a bit of edge, and it’s only a Monday.
“Although they had a pretty tough result last week, I feel like any Australian team is confident at home.”
The last time New Zealand lost three in a row was two years ago, when they were defeated at home twice by Ireland, and then on the road in South Africa. But they regrouped to make the World Cup final the last year.
They’ve only lost two or more games in succession 22 times.
Wallabies fullback Tom Wright dismissed the notion they’d be facing a weakened All Blacks this weekend.
“They just came up against the guys that won the World Cup, I don’t know if weakened is a fair assumption or a fair assessment of where they’re at,” Wright said.
“I still look at them the same way, one of the top tier nations in the world.
“But anytime I’ve got the opportunity to play the All Blacks, whether or home or away, I know I’m always excited for the task.
“Anytime you lose, and particularly back-to-back as we faced a couple of weeks ago, you certainly have your tail up and you’re keen to rip in.
“But the brand of footy they’re playing, they were a whisker away, in both games.”
All Blacks forwards coach Jason Ryan said their two-decade stranglehold on the Bledisloe would not be a talking point within camp this week.
“The 22 years, you’ve got to be careful there, because it’s all about the Test that is in front of us,” Ryan said.
“We know the history is there and the legacy, that is special for what it is. But each Test is different, and this one will be as well, so we’ll prepare accordingly.
“We’ve got so much respect for Australia, but this Test match is different, this is Bledisloe Cup, this is a trophy that is really dear to the All Blacks’ heart.
“Every Bledisloe Cup Test is different, and every Bledisloe Cup match, you have to earn. You have to earn the right to grab the trophy.”
Originally published as Wallabies can give All Blacks rare third straight defeat in Bledisloe Cup opener