New Zealand v Australia - Teams and Prediction
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP, ROUND SIX: Milestones, fadeouts and the Wellington hoodoo will be motivating factors as the All Blacks seek a Bledisloe Cup shutout against the Wallabies.
A 31-28 win over Australia in Sydney last weekend means New Zealand have already claimed the trans-Tasman trophy - for a 22nd straight year - heading into the return clash in Wellington on Saturday.
Retaining that piece of silverware is about all that's gone right for the All Blacks under new coach Scott Robertson.
New Zealand limped past England, were beaten by Argentina on home soil, then lost both away Tests to South Africa in the first season under the former Crusaders coach.
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"We want to finish this championship strong," All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said on Friday.
"We've felt like we haven't had a complete performance this season yet, so we're looking to do that tomorrow [Saturday]."
Those second-half fadeouts are a big reason why the All Blacks have given up the Rugby Championship after four years of holding the Southern Hemisphere title.
The loss of that title has gone under the radar in New Zealand, where the focus is on the shape of Robertson's team as he works towards the next World Cup.
In Wellington, Beauden Barrett will be given a chance in the No.10 role, with Damian McKenzie shifting to the bench.
As a finishing player, McKenzie will have the chance to end that last-quarter rot.
Captain Barrett said part of the second-half puzzle was also better discipline, given five yellow cards had been given to the All Blacks in recent Tests, including two against Australia.
"They can swing the momentum of the game, as we've seen in past Test matches," he said.
"A lot of them come when you're defending, so if you have the ball and you can hold it, you're a bit more in control [and] taking the referee out of it with decision-making."
The All Blacks will celebrate the careers of Sam Cane and TJ Perenara on Saturday.
Cane, the skipper who was infamously red-carded in the one-point World Cup Final loss last year, will become just the 13th All Black to feature in 100 Tests.
Both he and Perenara, an 86-cap hometown hero, won't be eligible to represent the All Blacks from next year as they take up club contracts in Japan.
Barrett said giving them a fitting send-off would also be part of the motivational mix.
"You can draw upon that for energy and your fuel for the team, so we have done that," the captain said.
And then there's the most surprising record at Wellington Regional Stadium, where the All Blacks haven't won in five Tests - a stark contrast to their record at Eden Park, where they are unbeaten in 50.
Barrett said it had been talked about in camp.
"We're certainly not proud of it and we want to turn that around," he said.
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Meanwhile, Australia captain Harry Wilson demanded a strong start from his side this weekend in Wellington.
"We have to start better. We can't be giving them a 21-0 lead, especially in New Zealand," Wilson told reporters.
"We took a lot of confidence from the second half of our last game and we really want to build on that."
In Sydney, the All Blacks ran in three converted tries in the opening quarter.
"We were quite passive early and we let New Zealand run on top of us, so we have to show some improvement there by winning the physicality in contact," added Wilson.
Australia drew 16-all with the All Blacks in 2020 when the teams last played in Wellington, and the Wallabies' only victory at Wellington Regional Stadium was back in 2000.
"It's really exciting for us," Wilson said. "We haven't won over here in 20 years and we really want to be the team to do that."
Australia will be without star wing Marika Koroibete, who is sidelined by a wrist injury, while scrumhalf Nic White has been axed from the matchday squad.
White started last week but was overlooked in favour of Jake Gordon with Tate McDermott the preferred replacement.
The hosts are under pressure to snap their Wellington hoodoo with New Zealand winless in their last five games in the capital dating back to 2018.
Players to watch
For New Zealand: New Zealand veteran Beauden Barrett was recalled to start at flyhalf, replacing Damian McKenzie who has been relegated to the bench. Barrett will partner scrumhalf TJ Perenara in the run-on side, who has replaced Cortez Ratima. Meanwhile, Anton Lienert-Brown comes in at inside centre for Jordie Barrett, who drops out with a knee injury. There will be a spotlight on loose forward Sam Cane who will play his 100th Test, becoming only the 13th All Black to reach the milestone, in front of an anticipated capacity crowd.
For Australia: Jake Gordon returns to the No.9 jersey after Wallaby head coach Joe Schmidt kicked Nic White out of his matchday 23. Western Force wing Dylan Pietsch gets his first Wallaby start and he will have a big job marking Sevu Reece. Flyhalf Noah Lolesio needs to start producing the goods in the No.10 jersey, but his pack will need to lay the platform on Saturday. Prop Taniela Tupou is an abrasive character when he builds momentum and he will need to show aggression in the scrums as well.
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Prediction
@rugby365com: New Zealand by 24 points.
Teams:
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 David Havili.
Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Josh Flook.
Date: Saturday, September 28
Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Kick-off: 19.05 (17.05 AEST; 07.05 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be clear, but chilly with a slight breeze.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England); Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
AAP, AFP & @rugby365com
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