Christian Leali’ifano’s “calmness” crucial for Australia’s chances in Bledisloe Cup opener

Few could have predicted the match-up of Christian Leali’ifano and Richie Mo’unga in the playmaker roles for the opening Bledisloe Cup clash, but the pair have earned their stripes.

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Of all the odd head-to-head match-ups in Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup clash in Perth, the most unlikely of the lot is the one that could ultimately hold the key to the match.

Even just a few weeks ago, few could have predicted that Christian Leali’ifano and Richie Mo’unga would be assigned the role of playmaker for each of their teams.

That they will go up against each at Optus Stadium is extraordinary enough, but even more so because with the start of the World Cup now less than six weeks away, neither of the finalists from the last tournament in 2015 has settled on their starting five-eighth.

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Christian Leali’ifano impressed in his comeback for the Wallabies against Argentina. Picture: AAP

Saturday night is their audition for the starring role in Japan.

At 31, Leali’ifano is the wise head of the two. He has already started in three Bledisloe Cup Tests, but that was in 2013 and 2014.

Since then, he has been diagnosed with leukaemia and made a comeback that reads like a Hollywood script, getting the nod ahead of Bernard Foley for the Wallabies’ No.10 jersey.

“(He’s) really calm, collected, he simplifies things really nicely and he is in a good place with his rugby at the moment,” skipper Michael Hooper said.

“He is a real calming influence on the team, and in a game with high emotion, it’s good to bring everyone down and get your eyes on the job.”

Christian Leali’ifano has a calming influence on the team, said skipper Michael Hooper. Picture: Getty Images

Although Hooper has rarely spent any time out of the team since he was picked for Australia, he’s learnt a lot from watching Leali’ifano go about his business.

“You come back in so hungry and so excited to get out on the field,” he said. “And that’s not just an individual thing, it rubs off on the people around them.”

Six years younger, Mo’unga’s biggest challenge to get the All Blacks’ No. 10 short was to oust Beauden Barrett, the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year.

To fit them both in the team, the All Blacks moved Barrett to fullback and the combination is starting to gel after being used for the first time in last month’s draw with the Springboks.

“I think we've learned a lot from one having one game under our belts,” Barrett said.

“At times we were perhaps in each other's pockets. Tactically and structurally, if we can be aligned, it will work best for the team and we should see some good rewards from that.”

The one thing Barrett doesn’t need convincing about is Mo’unga’s mental strength, which is remarkably similar to his opponent tonight.

“He's a cool young guy,” Barrett said. “He's very calm when he speaks. Playing alongside him, there's a great sense of calmness and that's a quality of his that rubs off on the boys in those tough moments when you just need to steady the ship and keep things simple.”

Originally published as Christian Leali’ifano’s “calmness” crucial for Australia’s chances in Bledisloe Cup opener