What Will Happen When Australia Faces New Zealand Again in the Tri-Nations?
The Australia Wallabies and New Zealand All Blacks will go head-to-head this weekend in AMI Stadium in Christchurch. The meeting will mark the second of the tournament between the two sides and could make New Zealand the winner of this year’s Bledisloe Cup.
Table
Right now, the All Blacks look almost unbeatable as they sit at the top of the Tri-Nations table with 15 points and a point differential of plus-55. The Aussies are sitting in second position with four points and a differential of minus-four. The South Africa Springboks look to be all but finished in the competition as they sit in last place with zero points and a differential of minus-51.
The All Blacks have had one of their greatest Tri-Nations of all time, running over the competition at every turn. The squad has collected a bonus point in all three of their meetings thus far, and with three more matches left, one more point will put the Springboks out of the tournament completely. If the All Blacks are able to get the win this weekend in Christchurch they will have won the tournament even before travelling to South Africa.
Preview
The All Blacks have been unstoppable thus far in the 2010 tournament, and that has had a great deal to do with their speed and their skill in the middle. Expect nothing to change this weekend in Christchurch.
It looks as though the line-up will remain the same, as there have not been any injuries reported from the All Blacks camp so far this week. The wingers should remain the same upon home coming, as Rene Ranger is expected to stay with his squad playing in the ITM Cup, and Joe Rokocoko has continued to put on a clinic every time he has the ball in his hand.
In addition, New Zealand can boast the most success in the middle, as fly-half Dan Carter currently leads the tournament in scoring with 39 points, while scrum-halves Jimmy Cowan and Piri Weepu have looked great, moving the ball and keeping the New Zealand offence up-tempo.
The Wallabies looked great in their first match against the Springboks, hitting penalties left and right to take advantage of an undisciplined Boks side.
In their second match, they looked totally different. They were not able to generate as much speed as their first game, and the quick All Blacks were not taking as many penalties. Meaning that the Wallabies had to rely on their ability to score tries, which was absent during most of the match.
Heading into their second encounter with the All Blacks, the Aussies are going to have to play better. In order to do so, they will have to find a better replacement for scum-half Quade Cooper, who is suspended for another week after a dangerous tackle on Morne Steyn in Australia’s opening match of the Tri-Nations.
The centre of the field was a struggle all day for the Wallabies as Matt Giteau was able to hit his penalties but did not seem to work well with Will Genia. To make matters worse, centre Rob Horne has been ruled out of their next match with an injury. Coach Robbie Deans will have to try and figure out a way to solve the issue before this weekend.
Moreover, the Aussies need to remain disciplined. The Drew Mitchell send off made beating the All Blacks even more difficult. The Boks had a similar problem playing the Blacks and they were unable to stay in the match with so many penalties.
The All Blacks are expected to win over the weekend as they head back home to their fortress in Christchurch. Recently, the Aussies have had a very difficult time defeating the All Blacks on the road, and with the recent losses to their line-up, it will be made even more difficult this weekend.
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