Australia Barbarians eager to win Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup
Australia Barbarians are looking ahead to grasp the Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup this year. Wallabies coach Robbie Deans and skipper Rocky Elsom are confident that they will secure victory and win the ultimate goal in the upcoming tournament. The Barbarians were in top form this year as they won three of their four matches against Fiji, England and Ireland. Although Australia did lose one test against England, but experts predict that they are surely going to win in the coming days.
With their wins in June, the Wallabies are looking ahead to win the Tri Nations and the Bledisloe Cup this season. The Barbarians suffered from a terrible loss last year in the Tri Nations series as they failed to perform well and could only manage to win one of their six matches. In the Bledisloe Cup, the Wallabies have not won since their last victory in 2002. However, the team looks in top shape in the current season and is aiming to outdo the very best in the business. Australia’s skipper Rocky Elsom said that he and his entire team wanted to defend the Lansdowne and the Cook Cups which they succeeded in doing so. He also said that their main target is to win major tournaments such as the Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cups.
In order to secure victories in these two major tournaments, the Barbarians needed to improve their game. Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill is not impressed. With just 15 months left for the ultimate challenge of the World Cup, O’Neill felt that Australia was not fulfilling expectations. On the contrary, New Zealand and South Africa have prepared well and are ready to start their World Cup campaign. The Wallabies lost their performance in their last two games - one which they lost against England. They won awkwardly against Ireland which shows that more work needs to be done. However, Wallabies Coach Robbie Dean thinks that his team has shown some positive results in this season and have a chance to win the gold this year. Dean said that his team was not perfect but they did their best on the pitch. We included some new guys and they learnt a lot from the experience in the middle. He also added that the effort put in by the players was not satisfactory but still it was much better than last year.
Australia Barbarians are looking to close their gap with New Zealand and South Africa and will be looking ahead to surpass them. The whole team is confident that they would do better against the Springboks and the All Blacks. Quite similarly, the Wallabies’ skipper is thinking on the same lines and is confident that his team will win the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nation Cup this year. He believed that the teams’ performance has improved and will win defeat South Africa and New Zealand with ease. The Australian team will have their top players back in the squad. Their hooker Stephen Moore, who broke his jaw, would make his comeback in the team followed by Benn Robinson who fractured his forearm. The only player whose place in the team is not yet confirmed is Tatafu Polota-Nau. The Wallabies number 1 hooker suffered an ankle injury and will undergo a surgery for a complete recovery.
The Australian side holds a record of 18 wins, a draw and 13 defeats under Deans coaching. It was rumoured that if Dean once again failed to show his performance in the upcoming tournaments, he will be replaced by Ewen McKenzie, the Queensland Reds coach. The Bledisloe Cup will be held on July 31st at the Etihad Stadium. With just one month left in the tournament, the Wallabies will announce their team for the championship on Thursday.
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