ABs primed to shut door on 3N title
Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:19
New Zealand can take a stranglehold on this year's Tri-Nations series with a bonus-point victory over Australia in Melbourne on Saturday.
The All Blacks have begun the 2010 tournament in dazzling form with two bonus-point victories over defending champions South Africa to hold a six-point break over the Wallabies.
The Kiwis face the first of back-to-back Tests against the Australians this weekend in Melbourne and in Christchurch on August 7, before heading to South Africa to take on the Springboks at Johannesburg's Soccer City a fortnight later.
The All Blacks are on the crest of a wave - winning their last 11 Tests and lining up for their eighth straight win over the Wallabies with their last loss coming against them in July 2008.
"We've been very successful against the Wallabies over the last couple of years but they are still a huge threat to us," All Blacks goalkicker Dan Carter said.
"We realise what they can produce is very dangerous and I'm sure they will be wanting to put one up on us because of the success we've had."
The Kiwis will pit their enormous experience of 700 combined Test caps in the starting XV against an Australian squad which includes eight Bledisloe Cup newcomers - among them starting centre Rob Horne and tighthead prop Salesi Ma'afu.
Coach Robbie Deans has stressed the importance of the Wallabies winning the mental battle given their losing run, but flyhalf Matt Giteau reckons any psychological scarring is offset by the number of players experiencing their first encounter against the All Blacks.
"A lot of these younger guys haven't experienced the losses that the older players have," said Giteau, who replaces the suspended Quade Cooper at No.10. "So I don't see it as a big issue or a big challenge."
One of the intriguing individual battles will be between All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw and Australia's openside flank David Pocock.
McCaw, who has only lost three of his 19 Tests against Australia, was looking forward to another tight tussle with Pocock - the Man of the Match in Australia's 30-13 win over the Springboks last weekend.
"He did make quite a nuisance of himself at the breakdown and you could see the Boks getting frustrated," said McCaw, lining up for his 86th Test appearance.
"So he had an impact there. These days he's pretty good at reading how to get in there and be a menace."
After running the South Africans ragged in Auckland and Wellington, and watching the Wallabies do the same in Brisbane, McCaw is expecting another breathless contest.
"You don't just throw the ball around willy-nilly. It's about identifying where there's some spaces and backing yourself to be able to do it," he said.
"There's still a spot for kicking at the right time to build pressure.
"The Wallabies didn't kick the ball very much at all last week which would indicate they've got an attitude of using the ball fairly regularly too."
But even though the All Blacks have had the advantage over their trans-Tasman rivals in recent years, in five of their last seven defeats the Wallabies have led at half-time.
In the second half of those Tests, the Wallabies have been outscored 121-43 by the All Blacks after half-time.
Waratahs ace Berrick Barnes, recalled into the inside centre position this weekend, said the All Blacks have the experience to get them over the line in "tight tussles".
He identified Carter as an important figure in the All Blacks' line-up.
"Carter's the key to a lot of it," he said.
"On a number of occasions he's pinned us down in our half and they've come on in the last 15 minutes," added Barnes.
AFP
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