All Blacks coach Graham Henry said on Tuesday he expected the Wallabies to throw everything at New Zealand in Hong Kong this month in a desperate bid to end a record losing run against their arch-rivals.
New Zealand have won their past 10 encounters with Australia, including three dramatic wins to secure this year’s Bledisloe Cup, and Henry said he could sense the Wallabies’ hunger for revenge in the fourth tie on October 30.
“There’s never any dead rubbers between the All Blacks and the Wallabies, they’re always big games,” he told reporters.
“We have had a good winning run against the Wallabies but they have a huge desire to knock us off and you can see that in their eyes. It’s going to be a hell of a big Test match.”
In a match that Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill has described as a likely preview of next year’s World Cup final, Henry said New Zealand wanted to make a statement and extend their recent dominance.
“Ten games goes back to 2008, it’s a long time,” he said. “What you can say at some stage they are going to win, we just hope it is not any time soon.”
Australia’s young side almost made the breakthrough in Sydney last month, going down 23-22 in a last gasp defeat that left Wallabies’ fans complaining of a psychological barrier against the vastly experienced New Zealanders.
“That talk hasn’t come from us,” Henry said. “It’s come from the Wallaby camp I think. We just need to get up there and do the business.”
In a major boost for New Zealand, Henry said star five-eighth Dan Carter was likely to start in Hong Kong after two months on the sidelines following ankle surgery.
“We’re hopeful, he’s making positive progress,” the coach said.
He will also have the option of throwing rugby league convert Sonny Bill Williams into the fray after fast-tracking the giant back’s entry into the All Blacks after just a few games playing provincial rugby in New Zealand.
“He’s a big person, he’s obviously very strong, he’s got the ability to offload well in a contact situation, so he might add an extra dimension there,” he said.
After sweeping all before them this year, New Zealand have inevitably faced questions about whether they are peaking too early for the World Cup, after transforming from favourite to flop in the past three tournaments.
Henry said there would be no repeat of the 2007 order to rest players from the Super 14 tournament that was blamed for key players appearing ill prepared at the last World Cup.
With the Bledisloe Cup already decided, ticket sales for the Hong Kong game have been sluggish, although organisers are hoping for a last-minute rush of interest.
Shorely
Guest
I think some people need to recognise the difference between banter and arrogance. We're just geeing you Kiwi's up. Every single fellow Aussie I talk to has an enormous respect for the AB team and knows in their heart that they are going to romp home with the spoils come 2011... but we're not likely to admit it to you and ruin centuries of pre match back and forth. Where's the fun is that? I think that people bring up the 'choking' tag with the AB's because it really is their cup to lose... and there is a history of it happening with them, as there is for Australia. I just hope one of us makes it and keeps the Nth Heispherians (if that's a word) in their place!
Even looser
Guest
Well said.
mickh
Guest
agree
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
most definitely - just don't think a loss will signify the wheels coming off ...
mickh
Guest
That's the spoils from being top dog Darwin. You stick your neck out and it is always at risk of being chopped off. You guys should be used to being the tall poppies by now.
Darwin Stubbie
Guest
it a simple Oz style equation really ... the AB's aren't allowed to lose a game from now until the world - otherwise they're gone, finished, washed up .. yet the wallabies can continue spluttering along losing, drawing and winning the odd game and that only makes their world cup campaign all the stronger
ohtani's jacket
Guest
Hopefully they don't run out of beer at half time like they did in Tokyo.
Ben S
Roar Guru
'And here I was thinking it was just the English who were this arrogant!!' Wow.
allblackfan
Guest
Incredible that you believe that if the ABs lose to Aust for the first time in 11 games, the ABs are gone at next year's WC?!? And here I was thinking it was just the English who were this arrogant!!
p.Tah
Guest
Stash, that does sound petty, but how many seats in the HK stadium (capacity 40,000) have catering? According to our friends at Wikipedia there are around 3,000 executive seats that I would presume have access to catering. The remaining 37,000 seats that the "ordinary folk' sit in don't have catering. That doesn't explain the drop in numbers compared to 2008. I'll be interested to see what the attendance is come Oct 30.
sammy
Guest
I am here in HK and the local Aussies and Kiwis are pumped for this game. I attended the 2008 game and didnt think the catering was that bad, the referee had the prize for that. Tokyo in 2009 was awful in comparison. The reason ticket sales are down is 0-3 Aussies vs Kiwis this year and although the ABs are great at rugby, it is the Australians who drive everything here and the Aussie jetsetters have given up on the team. I have to agree with whoever else said that if Wallabies lose again, the tour is irrelevant. However if the Wallabies win, look forward to NZ choke at RWC time series no.6 in 2011.
Stash
Guest
Interestingly the feedback from Hong Kong is that the corporates are staying away in droves due to the dismal catering. The stadium used one caterer last time. After the corporates flew in their premium customers - they were served practically inedible foods and struggled to get drinks. (Bad food in Hong Kong can be pretty damn bad). That spells disaster. All that money is now allocated to the Sevens tournament which is immensely popular and is 3 days of celebrating as opposed to 80 minutes. Seems petty...but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Moaman
Guest
I urge you all to take a trip down memory -lane and read Spiro's article of July 5th and the comments thereafter.Wonderful with hindsight!
reds fan
Guest
Thanks BlackWave.
BlackWave
Guest
It's live on channel 7 and 7mate. This is their last rugby broadcast as Ten/OneHD have the spring tour and channel 9 have the rights to the tri-nations and bledisloe next year.
Hayden
Guest
Agreed. That said, I do expect the Wallabies to come out all guns blazing.
johnno42
Guest
only a fool would not consider the wallabies to be a threat... o'neal, however, cannot seem to stop flogging himself off in public.
reds fan
Guest
Is the last Bled and Spring tour on free to air???
kovana
Guest
So how many tickets have been sold?
wahgi
Guest
O'neill cant help himself with his comment "likely preview of next years world cup" , someone at ARU should tell him to keep his mouth sealed leading up to World Cup time, last time he said "we hate the Poms" we all know what happened then, This is a young team yet to earn their stripes, they dont need to hear their CEO or anyone else for that matter building them up.