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The Wallabies have scored a win to be treasured over the All Blacks, defeating the New Zealanders by five points on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Wallabies 23
All Blacks 18
The Wallabies are playing for pride and momentum leading into the Spring Tour as they look to knock over the All Blacks in Brisbane in the final Bledisloe Cup match of 2017. Catch all the live scores, highlights and action on The Roar from 8pm (AEST).
New Zealand has already wrapped up the Championship and Bledisloe for yet another year but were given a massive scare from the Aussies in Dunedin.
Despite being run all over in Sydney in Game 1, the Wallabies came out firing on the road.
Jumping out of the blocks with two early tries, the Wallabies very nearly pulled off the biggest win in recent memory but dramatically gave up the lead in the dying moments of the game through a heartbreaking try to Beauden Barrett.
The Championship has been one of the most entertaining while also frustrating for the Wallabies this year, with a pair of intense draws against the Springboks leaving the Aussies without key results.
They weren’t able to be split with the South Africans in Perth or Bloemfontein, taking home 23 and 27-point draws respectively.
They were able to end their campaign on a high note though, sliding past Argentina in Mendoza two weeks ago to take second spot in the Championship thanks to a single bonus point over the Boks.
For the All Blacks, they took the title with six wins from as many games for the second year running.
They very nearly fell short of the undefeated mark though, holding on to a one-point win over the Springboks in Cape Town 25-24.
In terms of today’s opponent, the All Blacks dominance over the Wallabies is a broken record, having won every single one of the past 15 Bledisloe Cup’s dating back to 2002.
On top of that, Australia have won just one of their last 18 games against their Trans-Tasman rivals.
Team News
Coach Michael Cheika has made just the one change from the side that beat the Pumas.
It’s a forced change, with 21-year-old Izack Rodda injuring his shoulder earlier in the week and requiring surgery, ruling him out of the rest of this game and the entire Spring Tour as well.
That has opened the door for Rob Simmons to slot into the back row and Ned Hanigan to take his bench spot for his ninth Test in the green and gold.
For New Zealand, they’ve taken a big blow with flyhalf Beauden Barrett being ruled out with concussion symptoms.
Highlanders main man Lima Sopoaga has been called in to replace Barrett, having picked up a dozen caps since making his international debut in 2015.
Cheifs enforcer Brodie Retallick will again miss the game as he did against South Africa due to tragic family reasons as the All Blacks camp continues to rally around him.
Luke Romano will also be absent for family reasons.
Prediction
The Wallabies were entirely different sides in the previous two Bledisloe clashes this year so it’s nearly impossible to predict what kind of side will turn up tonight.
They’ve put in some huge performances across the Championship but have struggled to really put in that 80-minute performance and it’s hurt them and their results.
Without Barrett, the All Blacks could be a little directionless, but this is a world-class side and Sopoaga is a seriously underrated player that has proven his place in the New Zealand side before.
I would hope for Australia’s sake it’s a closer contest than their last home game in Sydney, but the All Blacks should be looking at another clean sweep of the Bledisloe with a win today.
New Zealand to win by 11
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.