Milestones, fadeouts and the Wellington hoodoo are motivating the All Blacks as they 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.
Quite incredibly, they are yet to score a single point after the 60-minute mark in any of their five Rugby Championship Tests to date.
“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.”
Those 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.
Jordie Barrett, Beauden Barrett and Scott Barrett. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
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.
(Photo by David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
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 Sky 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.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson shrugged off that poor Wellington record as an irrelevance.
After a miserable run lasting decades, both the Wallabies skipper and coach are happy to admit playing the All Blacks is intimidating.
But both mentor Joe Schmidt and captain Wilson are choosing to focus on the opportunity on offer.
On Saturday night, another chance arrives to beat the All Blacks on their home turf for the first time since 2001, and in doing so give long-suffering Wallabies fans a reason to smile.
Some in the Wallabies squad hadn’t even been born when they last saluted in New Zealand.
Substitute Josh Flook wasn’t even a month old.
It’s therefore understandable Schmidt – the New Zealander who will coach against his country on Kiwi soil for the first time on Saturday – would admit trepidation from some of his team when facing the All Blacks.
“Some of ours are only dipping their toe in for the first time really at this level which has been pretty daunting for them to be honest,” he said.
“It was particularly daunting at 21-0 down last weekend.”
The Wallabies recovered after that disastrous start to run the ill-disciplined All Blacks close, losing 31-28 in Sydney’s Bledisloe Cup opener.
That defeat meant Australia cannot claim back the trophy, last in their possession in 2002.
Wilson, who will run out for his 19th Test and fourth as skipper, said this weekend’s assignment was tougher than last week’s match at Homebush.
(Photo by Daniel Jayo/Getty Images)
“It’s probably more daunting than playing in Australia,” he said, before flipping the challenge into a positive.
“It’s really exciting for us, we haven’t won over here in 20 years, and we really want to be the team to do that.”
In the Wallabies’ favour is the All Blacks miserable record in Wellington, where New Zealand have had no wins in their last five Tests.
Schmidt’s side has eschewed the harbourside stadium in favour of training at the picturesque Rugby League Park in suburban Newtown, a grassroots ground surrounded by the lush green of Wellington’s town belt.
Kickers will do a reconnaissance trip to Sky Stadium to familiarise themselves with conditions, though the infamous Wellington winds are not forecast to roar.
On Australia’s last visit in 2020, a mighty gale was blowing, sending Reece Hodge’s late kick onto a post as the Wallabies settled for a 16-16 draw.
Wilson, who debuted in that match, might also draw strength from his Reds’ improved showings in New Zealand, winning matches each of the last two seasons.
“You take any win as a bit of confidence,” Wilson said.
“But for us it’s about this group tomorrow night be able to get a win over here. We’ve had a really good week’s prep and we’re excited about the opportunity.”
Dylan Pietsch will be chomping at the bit at Sky Stadium, given a first run-on start for the Wallabies at the same venue he made his Sevens debut back in 2017.
He replaces Marika Koroibete who has a wrist injury and was spotted at training with a heavily strapped right hand on Friday.
The second change is at halfback where Jake Gordon comes in, with Tate McDermott remaining on the bench and Nic White missing out.