Beauden Barrett in action during the opening Bledisloe Cup test of 2016 in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images.
Alex McLeod runs through all you need to know you need to know ahead of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup clash between the All Blacks and the Wallabies.
The 159th test match between New Zealand and Australia will take place this weekend in a match that doubles as the opening Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup fixture of 2017.
It will be the 72nd trans-Tasman meeting to be held in Sydney throughout the 114-year history the sides share with each other, with ANZ Stadium hosting the event for the 17th time.
In that time, both the All Blacks and the Wallabies have eight wins apiece at the 83,500-capacity venue, while the two nations shared the spoils in a 14-all draw in 2014.
The previous 21 opening Tri Nations/Rugby Championship encounters between the two teams have been an overhwelmingly successful fixture for the All Blacks, having emerged victorious 16 times to Australia's four.
That trend of starting quickly in Bledisloe Cup series has been a long-existing one for the New Zealanders, as since the Bledisloe Cup was first contested for back in 1932, the All Blacks have won 40 of the 56 series opening clashes against the Wallabies.
This statistic seems unlikely to change for the Australians given their recent results against both the All Blacks and in their June test series, as well as the performances of their Super Rugby franchises this year.
Last year, the Wallabies did little to knock the All Blacks off their perch as the more dominant side of the two, losing the Bledisloe Cup series 3-0 following a 42-8 thrashing in Sydney, a 29-9 loss in Wellington, and a 37-10 defeat in Auckland.
The Wallabies' aggregate score of 27 points was the lowest total score any Australian side has posted in a three-match Bledisloe Cup series since 1972.
Their prospects of claiming a rare victory over the All Blacks since 2015 further diminished in the June test window earlier this year.
Two lacklustre performances against Fiji and Italy in Melbourne and Brisbane were compounded by a demoralising 24-19 loss to Scotland in Sydney, just their tenth loss to the Scots in their 90-year history.
In addition to the Wallabies' sub-par performances over the past year is the disappointing results posted by Australia's Super Rugby clubs this season, who went 26 matches without victory against Kiwi sides in 2017.
The Brumbies qualified for the playoffs as Australia's top side with 34 competition points from a 6-9 record. By contrast, the Blues finished at the bottom of the New Zealand conference with a better record (7-1-7) and more competition points (37) than the Canberra-based outfit.
The All Blacks' recent drawn series against the British and Irish Lions may not have done a lot to emphasise the perceived gulf in class between them and Australia, but all of the aforementioned contributing factors have most definitely not installed fear that the Wallabies will pose a threat against the All Blacks this weekend.
Pound for pound, the Wallabies have the individual talent at their disposal to challenge the All Blacks in this year's series, but the All Blacks' superior strength of squad depth, combined with the Wallabies' lack of confidence following such poor outcomes in recent results by Australian sides should see the All Blacks extend their prolonged tenure as Bledisloe Cup holders for a 15th year.
Six changes have been made to the starting All Blacks side that drew with the British and Irish Lions in Auckland last month.
Five of these changes have been made in the backline, with perhaps the most notable of these being the selection of Damian McKenzie at fullback.
The lightweight 22-year-old was electric for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, finshing near the top of many key attacking statistics at the conclusion of the season.
He was first in running metres (1,713), line breaks (22), tackle busts (89), second in runs (74), and fourth in offloads (31), all of which highlight his outstanding attacking capabilities.
He will be looking to prove the All Blacks selectors wrong after getting dropped from the Lions series to make way for fellow youngster Jordie Barrett.
It is the injured Barrett who he replaces at fullback, with vice-captain Ben Smith shifting to the right wing as he makes his return to the black jersey after suffering from vertigo during the Lions tour.
Smith replaces Israel Dagg, who is being rested after getting through a massive workload with both the All Blacks and Super Rugby champion Crusaders over the past few months.
The other key change in All Blacks' starting side is the inclsuion of Highlanders' loose forward Liam Squire at blindside flanker ahead of veteran Jerome Kaino.
Squire's selection suggests coach Steve Hansen and his assistants are beginning to assess potential candidates to fill the number six jersey once Kaino - who will be 36 years old at the 2019 World Cup - hangs his boots up.
Other changes to the starting line up include Rieko Ioane returning from illness to take the left wing jersey back off the now ommitted Julian Savea, while Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty return from suspension and injury respectively to replace the midfield duo of Ngani Laumape and Anton Lienert-Brown.
Lienert-Brown is still likely to take the field on Saturday, as he has been named on the bench in the number 23 jersey in place of the departing Malakai Fekitoa.
He is one of four changes that have been made in the reserves, with Lima Sopoaga replacing France-bound Aaron Cruden as reserve first-five, Luke Romano taking the replacement lock spot ahead of fellow Crusader Scott Barrett, and youngster Ofa Tu'ungafasi earning the number 18 jersey in place of the departed Charlie Faumuina.
Meanwhile, the Wallabies have made five changes to the starting XV that defeated Italy during the June test window.
The New Zealand-born Curtis Rona has been picked on the left wing to make his test debut in what could be regarded as the most surprising selection by coach Michael Cheika this week.
He is accompanied by Henry Speight on the right wing, with the two speedsters replacing Dane Haylett-Petty and Sefa Naivalu.
A new midfield pairing has also been named to replace the injured Karmichael Hunt the Northampton-bound Rob Horne.
Kurtley Beale completes his return to Australian rugby from English club rugby after being named at second-five, while Samu Kerevi has recovered from injury to partner Beale in the midfield.
The lone change in the forward pack comes at number eight, with Sean McMahon taking the place of his Melbourne Rebels teammate Lopeti Timani, who drops to the bench in the number 20 jersey.
Timani is one of five changes in the reserves, with Tom Robertson, Rob Simmons, Nick Phipps and Tevita Kuridrani all earning places on the bench after missing the Italian test.
All Blacks: 1. Joe Moody, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Owen Franks, 4. Brodie Retallick, 5. Sam Whitelock, 6. Liam Squire, 7. Sam Cane, 8. Kieran Read (c), 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Sonny Bill Williams, 13. Ryan Crotty, 14. Ben Smith (vc), 15. Damian McKenzie
Reserves: 16. Nathan Harris, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 19. Luke Romano, 20. Ardie Savea, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. Lima Sopoaga, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown
Wallabies: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Stephen Moore, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Adam Coleman, 6. Ned Hanigan, 7. Michael Hooper (c), 8. Sean McMahon, 9. Will Genia, 10. Bernard Foley, 11. Curtis Rona, 12. Kurtley Beale, 13. Samu Kerevi, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Israel Folau
Reserves: 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17. Tom Robertson, 18. Sekope Kepu, 19. Rob Simmons, 20. Sean McMahon, 21. Nick Phipps, 22. Reece Hodge, 23. Tevita Kuridrani
The TAB list the All Blacks as strong favourites to draw first blood this Bledisloe Cup series, with the current holders paying $1.09 for a victory in Sydney. In comparison, the Wallabies are paying an unfavourable $7.20 for an unlikely first up win.
Rieko Ioane is the favourite to score the first try of the match, paying $7.50. Israel Folau, Henry Speight and Curtis Rona are joint favourites to score the first try for the Wallabies, paying $15.
Perhaps the best way to emphasise the perceived gulf in class between the All Blacks and Wallabies is that the TAB consider Ioane, Ben Smith, Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett, Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty and Kieran Read as either more or just as likely to score before any of the aforementioned Australians.
The Herald will be live blogging the game, and RadioSport will have live commentary. Sky TV will be showing the match live on Sky Sport 1 at 10pm.
South Africa and Argentina will round out the opening weekend of the Rugby Championship tomorrow morning, with kick off at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth scheduled for 3.05am (NZT).
The Springboks will head into the clash as favourites, as they are playing in front of a home crowd and will look to continue on from their successful test series whitewash against France in June.
However, since their inclusion in the Rugby Championship in 2012, the Pumas' best winning record is against the South Africans - a trend they will look to continue.
Springboks: 1. Tendai Mtwarira, 2. Malcolm Marx, 3. Coenie Oosthuizen, 4. Eben Etzebeth (c), 5. Franco Mostert, 6. Siya Kolisi, 7. Jaco Kriel, 8. Uzair Cassiem, 9. Ross Cronje, 10. Elton Jantjies, 11. Courtnall Skosan, 12. Jan Serfontein, 13. Jesse Kriel, 14. Raymond Rhule, 15. Andries Coetzee
Reserves: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Steven Kitshoff, 18. Trevor Nyakane, 19. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20. Jean-Luc du Preez, 21. Francois Hougaard, 22. Curwin Bosch, 23. Damian de Allende
Pumas: 1. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2. Augustin Crrevy (c), 3. Enrique Pieretto, 4. Guido Petti Pagadizábal, 5. Tomás Lavanini, 6. Pablo Matera, 7. Tomas Lezana, 8. Leonardo Senatore, 9. Martin Lendajo, 10. Nicolas Sanchez, 11. Emiliano Boffelli, 12. Jerónimo de la Fuente, 13. Matías Orlando, 14. Ramiro Moyano, 15. Joaquin Tuculet
Reserves: 16. Julián Montoya, 17. Lucas Noguera Paz, 18. Ramiro Herrera, 19. Marcos Kremer, 20. Javier Ortega Desio, 21. Tomás Cubelli, 22.Juan Martín Hernández, 23. Matías Moroni
The North Island is expected to get off to a wet start this morning, with lingering rain.