Wallabies and All Blacks claim ‘most hated’ title ahead of Bledisloe Cup showdown

The Wallabies and All Blacks are doing their best to put aside all ‘external noise’ despite both teams being heavily scrutinised heading into Sunday’s Test where one nation will return to the winner’s list.

Fans are seen prior to the Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, August 17, 2019. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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The Wallabies and All Blacks are both contesting that mantle before their Bledisloe Cup showdown on Saturday afternoon, with each side referencing outside criticism as a motivating factor.

The Wallabies are coming off a record defeat to Argentina, while the All Blacks have lost three of their past four Tests.

It is hardly ideal preparation for the trans-Tasman rivals before they face each other in the first Bledisloe encounter at Accor Stadium, and their patchy form has seen some scathing reviews.

Former England players Andy Goode and Ben Youngs called for the British & Irish Lions to cancel their tour of Australia next year and instead play world champions South Africa, after the Wallabies were walloped 67-27 in Sante Fe.

Meanwhile, fan forums and Kiwi talkback radio have reacted harshly to the team’s recent performances, including a 38-30 home defeat to Argentina, and then recent successive losses to the Springboks.

Who wins on Sunday night? Picture: Getty Images

Wallabies leader Allan Alaalatoa said only winning could change the “external noise”.

“Everyone’s going to have their opinion and there’s always going to be that external noise, for us as leaders and as a group, we got to focus internally on what’s important to us,” Alaalatoa said.

“We understand that those distractions are going to be there, people are going to say what they think of us, but again what is important for us is what we believe ourselves and executing our plan throughout the week to then go out there and then perform and then change the external noise that’s happening, but the front of our mind is to think and focus on the internal on what we’re doing inside the group.”

Alaalatoa’s rival prop, Ethan de Groot, has returned to the All Blacks squad for this match and said Kiwi fans were trying to bring them down.

“The fans and the media love us when we’re going well, and they tend to pull us down when we’re down,” de Groot said.

“I don’t personally buy into it. I think the team’s in a good spot, and the coaching group and everyone here is working really hard to get the performances that the fans deserve to watch.

“It is tough at times, I just try not to read into what’s out there or comments that are getting made.”

Do the Wallabies or All Blacks cop it worse? Picture: Getty Images

While they can argue publicly over who has received the most hate this week, the teams are internally confident of turning the tide.

The All Blacks outscored the Springboks four tries to two in their first Test, and lost 18-12 in the second encounter after failing to cross the line.

They will be in an attacking mood on a sunny, Saturday Sydney afternoon, but so will the Wallabies.

Alaalatoa said while the score against the Pumas had blown out in the second half – the Wallabies had led 20-3 at one stage – they know that when they can stick to the plan devised by coach Joe Schmidt, they can have success.

“We understand the threats that they’re going to bring, but we want to pour all our attention into us delivering our system over and over again, as much as we can,” Alaalatoa said..

“The most important message for us is to deliver what we say we’re going to deliver and understand our own process in our own systems and what we want to execute ourselves. We need to put all our energy into ourselves and delivering on what we say we are going to deliver over and over again.”

Originally published as Wallabies and All Blacks claim ‘most hated’ title ahead of Bledisloe Cup showdown