Written by @QuintenLetcher for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
New Zealand vs Australia | Saturday 23 August | Eden Park | 09:35
The Wallabies churlishly denied the mighty All Blacks their record setting eighteenth consecutive Test win, grinding out a 12-12 draw in last week’s water-logged Sydney showdown. The Aussies benefited from the All Blacks’ aberrant poor discipline, with the visitors losing a man to the sin bin in both halves. Wyatt Crockett picked up a yellow twenty minutes in, and Beauden Barrett receiving his marching orders for slowing the ball down with just ten minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately for the Wallabies, they were unable to make their superior numbers count in the dying moments of the somewhat conservative clash, ultimately missing out on the ideal opportunity to claim a maiden Rugby Championship win over the All Blacks. This will prove far trickier this week when the two meet for the second Bledisloe Cup clash, as Ewan McKenzie’s troops head for the inhospitable Eden Park, a ground that the All Blacks have remained unbeaten for the past twenty years, and where they clinched World Cup titles in both 1987 and 2011. A daunting trip indeed.
To Win (80mins)
New Zealand 2/9
Australia 7/2
Draw 28/1
Handicaps
New Zealand (-10.5) 9/10
Australia (+10.5) 9/10
New Zealand
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has made three changes to the side that settled for a messy draw in Sydney last week, with a debut Test start at centre for the reliable Ryan Crotty. He takes over in the midfield from the injured Ma’a Nonu to form a fresh All Black centre pairing with Conrad Smith, who returns after missing out on last week’s action due to the birth of his son. Just one change in the forward pack sees the return of 32-Test veteran Liam Messam, replacing the injured Jerome Kaino to team up with skipper Richie McCaw and Kieran Read in a powerful All Black loose trio.
Australia
Ewen McKenzie has named an unchanged 23-man squad for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash, hoping to see more ambitious attacking from his progressive Wallaby backline. Kurtley Beale directs the backline traffic again, with McKenzie hoping to see a more composed showing than was possible in the slippery conditions of Sydney.
VERDICT: Australia (+10.5) 9/10
The Aussies, having once again successfully thwarted a concerted All Black effort to extend their consecutive Test win record, will be looking to add insult to injury by destroying the All Blacks’ prized 20-year reign at Eden Park. Neither side really threatened to hit optimum level last week, which means they’ll both be looking to pull of redeeming performances this week. The All Blacks seem to be battling to recreate the magic from their past few seasons, but even a mediocre Kiwi side should be enough to hold off this impressive Aussie outfit, but it should turn out to be a far closer contest than we’ve witnessed in recent times.
Think we’ve got it wrong? Well leave your comments below and tell us how you think this is going to play out.
