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After months of anticipation, preparation for the Rugby World Cup is cranked up a notch tonight as the All Blacks host the Wallabies in what will undoubtedly be another epic Bledisloe Cup encounter. Join us from 5.30pm AEST for New Zealand v Australia, live from Eden Park.
View Wallabies v All Blacks Sat 27th August live blog here.
As one of the premier fixtures on Australia’s sporting calendar, the Bledisloe Cup, with its rich history and fierce trans-Tasman rivalry, has never been short of interest, and this mouth-watering match-up will be no different.
Much has been made of Australia’s fearless brigade of young stars, spearheaded by the irrepressible halves pairing of Will Genia and Quade Cooper, who steered the Queensland Reds to their inaugural Super Rugby title last month.
The feeling within the Australian rugby community is that the likes of Genia, Cooper, James O’Connor and David Pocock will not be burdened by the mental scars that have plagued past Wallabies teams that have travelled to New Zealand.
Typically, this has been interpreted on the other side of the ditch as a “lack of respect”, and Cooper’s incident with Richie McCaw in Hong Kong last year will undoubtedly be fresh in the minds of an uncompromising All Blacks pack keen to let the Australian upstarts know they are in NZ territory.
As is often the case in test match Rugby, the battle of the forwards will be crucial to the outcome of this match.
The peerless McCaw will lineup alongside experienced campaigners Brad Thorn, Kevin Mealamu and Ali Williams, and if Pocock, Rocky Elsom and James Horwill are unable to match their New Zealand counterparts at the breakdown, it could very well be a long night for the Wallabies.
It is hard to remember a Bledisloe encounter with so much hinging on the result. On one side, an All Blacks side teeming with experience might use this to stamp out one of their main challengers for the 2011 World Cup, but on the other, an up-and-coming Wallabies unit can end a 25-year hoodoo at Eden Park and bounce into next month’s World Cup with the knowledge that they need not fear anyone.
This all points to a cliff-hanger, and quite simply, it is not to be missed. Join us from 5.30pm (AEST) for live scores and blog for what is the highlight of the sporting weekend.
Teams:
New Zealand: 1. Wyatt Crockett, 2. Keven Mealamu, 3. Owen Franks, 4. Brad Thorn, 5. Ali Williams, 6. Jerome Kaino, 7. Richie McCaw (captain), 8. Kieran Read, 9. Piri Weepu, 10. Dan Carter, 11. Hosea Gear, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 13. Conrad Smith, 14. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 15. Mils Muliaina.
Reserves: 16. Andrew Hore, 17. Ben Franks, 18. Sam Whitelock, 19. Adam Thomson, 20. Andy Ellis, 21. Colin Slade, 22. Sonny Bill Williams.
Australia: 1. Sekope Kepu, 2. Stephen Moore, 3. Ben Alexander, 4. Rob Simmons, 5. James Horwill, 6. Rocky Elsom (captain), 7. David Pocock, 8. Ben McCalman, 9. Will Genia, 10. Quade Cooper, 11. Digby Ioane, 12. Pat McCabe, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. James O’Connor, 15. Kurtley Beale.
Reserves: 16. Saia Fainga’a, 17. Pekahou Cowan, 18. Dan Vickerman, 19. Scott Higginbotham, 20. Luke Burgess, 21. Anthony Fainga’a, 22. Lachie Turner.
Referee: Craig Joubert (SA).
Assistant referees: Marius Jonker (SA), Christie Du Preez (SA).
Kick-off time: 5.30pm (AEST).
TV: LIVE on FOX Sports 3HD and 3, Channel 9 (NSW, QLD, WA, NT) GEM (VIC, SA), WIN (TAS, ACT)
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.