As Morpheus said, let us make the All Blacks remember

Perhaps Laurence Fishburne should five the pre-game address to the Wallabies

Lord Bledisloe, after whom the Bledisloe Cup is named, was the Governor-General of New Zealand in 1931.

There is dispute as to when the first Bledisloe Cup match was played. Australian Rugby Union history asserts that the one-off Test at Eden Park in 1931 was the first encounter for the prestigious trophy.

However, the minutes of the New Zealand Rugby Union, following that Test, indicate that it was several days after the 1931 match that Lord Bledisloe indicated he wished to present a Cup for contests between the All Blacks and the Wallabies.

Since then, the whole Bledisloe Cup tradition has been somewhat bastardised.

Bledisloe’s intention was that the trophy be awarded at the end of official tours by the All Blacks to Australia and Australia to New Zealand; so that the first match for the trophy, according to New Zealand history, was when New Zealand toured Australia in 1932.

Be that as it may, it now seems to be after a series of three Test matches, sometimes two and other times just a single Test.

These days, the Cup is contested as part of the annual Tri-Nations tournament; so, here we are, this weekend, in Perth.

You may remember that I was critical that after the first Bledisloe Cup match, the Wallaby camp talked up their performance and, consequently, stirred the All Blacks into a record score in the second Test.

After that debacle, I quoted Laurence Fishburne’s character, Morpheus, from The Matrix, who said: “There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.”

Judging by your response to the column, the vast majority of readers agreed with my view, that the Wallabies should shut up and let their performance do the talking. Well, the day of performance has arrived.

Morpheus deserves to be reintroduced in his call to arms speech, when he said: “Tonight, let us shake this cave. Tonight, let us tremble these halls of earth, steel and stone; let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember.”

Perhaps we need Fishburne to deliver the pre-game address to the team.

I am always of the view that the Wallabies can win. We have never been devoid of talent.

Often, when there is a dead rubber, our players tend to cast off their inhibitions and salvage pride; but tomorrow will also require the summoning of a mighty effort.

Some history can guide us, but it won’t save us. The last time we faced the All Blacks in Perth was 2019 and Michael Cheika’s team smashed the Kiwis 47-26. It was the first ever Bledisloe Cup match in Perth in front of a record crowd at a new stadium.

As I have said many times, we will always have plenty of territory and plenty of possession. That has been the case against France and the All Blacks. We have simply failed to take advantage of either.

Our defence is under the microscope. It’s only three weeks since the All Blacks scored eight tries in their record win.

Just as France left some of their best players at home, so too, now, the All Blacks. Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith and Sam Whitelock are all staying in New Zealand for the birth of their children.

The absence of Whitelock, as the All Black captain, significantly weakens their side; and the halfback combination of Smith and Mo’Unga is arguably the best in the world. If the Wallabies can’t take advantage of these opportunities, then we are in trouble.

A couple of points should be made about tactics. The All Blacks are the best counterattacking team in the world. If we want to get out of our half, we should be kicking for touch, not allowing them broken-field counterattacking opportunities.

At the line-out, we have to work comprehensively on aerial pressure on the All Blacks’ throw-in, disrupt their delivery, so our backline defence can get up quickly and shut them down.

It’s then up to our backrowers to take charge of the ruck and give our defence time to reset.

Often the Wallabies fail to understand what defence really is. It’s the shutting down of a movement.

For that reason, we always have 17 defenders — 15 players and 2 touch lines — each of which can effectively end a movement. But if we give these people the elusive time and space, they will cut us apart.

When we have the ball, the All Blacks will offer nothing new in defence, a blitz.

In 2019, Cheika’s attack strategy departed from the somewhat structured approach taken to backline play by Stephen Larkham. And so we too must play direct with a flat attack and aim to redistribute the ball very quickly from the breakdown.

The Kiwis’ tight forwards will usually be defending the blindside. Our runners, with speed and footwork, should be targeting the All Black frontrowers on the short side, because there won’t be a lot of space out wide from the set piece; but there will be space behind the line if we have the courage to put the ball in behind their centres.

But you have to do this for 80 minutes. You have to play minute by minute. No player can be asleep in any given moment.

And one final thought, which is a bit repetitive. Hamish McLennan, when are you going to do something that captures the imagination of the rugby supporters?

I am not in favour of buying players from other codes. But if we are being run over in the public place, why wouldn’t we make a bid for Tom Trbojevic or James Tedesco, just for starters. This would rock the rugby league world and create interest in our code.

Find a philanthropist. Twiggy Forrest has got both plenty of money and plenty of interest in the game; bring him into the tent.

In The Matrix, Morpheus says: “I’m trying to free your mind, but I can only show you the door.”

McLennan, the door has been open for months. Walk through it and bring something with you to inspire us.