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Eden Park. There’s nothing in the name to suggest an intimidating fortress. Nothing in the ground itself, or its surrounds, either.
The dressing rooms are quite normal, of a similar size to those at our main stadia in Australia.
You run out on halfway in Auckland, the same as in Australia too.
Even though renovations for the Rugby World Cup enclosed the playing arena while boosting capacity to around 60k, the crowd is not even ‘on top of you’ as it can feel like at some other international grounds.
Yet the statistics on Eden Park suggest that to leave the visitor’s dressing room is akin to being led down death row: 33 All Black wins on the bounce through 20-years, and 34 unbeaten in all.
It was interesting to hear Steve Hansen complimenting the Wallabies after last weekend’s draw in the muck, the All Black coach acknowledging that games against Australia, through his decade of involvement, had usually been close.
We could take it as a back-handed compliment that Australia has contributed 14 defeats to the All Blacks’ winning run. The Wallabies get landed with Eden Park so much (10 since the Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship began) because the locals want the historical advantage the ground gives them.
The All Black record is intimidating, and its already been spoken about a lot.
Yet for the Wallaby players, it provides a fantastic opportunity.
Imagine being in the first team to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park for 20 years?
And the first Wallaby team to win there in 28?
It’s enough to set the pulse racing even thinking it!
Of course, that’s all easy to say – and has been said before. The key will be to get out and play like it’s possible – belief as opposed to bravado!
It was clear last weekend that the Wallabies set out to make a statement physically. They were not going to be intimidated and met the All Black challenge head on.
Michael Hooper led the charge (when have we ever seen a Wallaby forward so dominant against the All Blacks in the carry?), but he was ably supported.
The work-rate of James Slipper in such conditions was phenomenal.
After weathering the early All Black storm, if you will pardon the pun, the Wallabies got the upper hand physically.
That will have dented the Kiwis’ psyche a bit, especially among their tight forwards, but the Wallabies need to assert themselves from the start this week, because the All Blacks will come out hard with vengeance on their minds.
Standing up to the inevitable assault, and giving it straight back, will be critical – not only for confidence – but also for the perception of the referee. Frenchman Romain Poite is in charge.
Thankfully he’s more experienced than the likeable but insecure Jaco Peyper, whose apology to the All Blacks (as revealed by Hansen) for his performance reinforced the widely-held perception that he is a decent guy, albeit while underlining that he probably wasn’t ready for a match if that magnitude.
Poite will have no such worries. He’s also a friendly guy to speak to, for a former copper, and he has a good command of English, but – perhaps reflecting his police background, he is assertive and does like to set the tone early in his games.
Which means that the team that first creates the perception of being on top in both set piece and contact generally gets the benefit of his decisions for the whole game. The lesson: do the work on the field, rather than making noise off it!
Too often the Wallabies – externally, but perhaps even more importantly, internally – have turned on the bravado prior to crossing the Tasman.
At times, it’s felt hollow due to the suspicion that the speaker hasn’t really believed what he is saying. In Hooper, the Wallabies have a leader who clearly does believe.
His reaction at fulltime on Saturday night, where he spoke of it feeling like a loss, showcased his attitude.
He’s unfulfilled, and not scared of what lies ahead.
Hopefully his teammates, particularly among the ‘piggies’ up front, share the strength of his attitude.
True leadership is about providing a rallying point for your mates. The confidence leaders show by their deeds is infectious. It’s like making a big hit in a tackle – the action lifts everyone.
History and a key personnel change will make the All Blacks better on Saturday night.
Conrad Smith, who returns, is a great player, his role in the machine often underestimated.
Smith is a general of the Dan Carter-ilk, a guy who you see Richie McCaw talking to a lot out on the field. The All Blacks really lacked backline leadership in his absence, especially when the prospect of missing the record began to weigh heavily.
With Smith back, expect the home team to play a lot smarter.
But there will be a huge pressure on, maybe even some doubt, which will only have been added to by the absence of Ma’a Nonu and especially Jerome Kaino.
And while the All Blacks traditionally excel in such positions, it is a situation they haven’t had to deal with in a while, probably as far back as the Rugby World Cup.
So there is a genuine opening for the Wallabies with nothing really to lose.
The Bledisloe can’t be won on Saturday night, whatever the outcome, so don’t even think (or talk!) about it.
Eden Park doesn’t have to be intimidating. Enjoy the experience.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.