McCaw and Kopua ready for epic weekend

07.08.2015 All Blacks Richie McCaw and Silver Ferns Kasey Kopua ahead of their test matches in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Photo Credit ©Michael Bradley. Picture supplied ONE T

Sydney Olympic Park will become a transtasman battleground this weekend, as both the All Blacks and Silver Ferns take on their Australian rivals at home.

The All Blacks meet the Wallabies in tomorrow night's Bledisloe Cup clash at ANZ Stadium, before the Ferns take on the Diamonds in Netball World Cup pool-play on Sunday afternoon just next door at Allphones Arena. The match will be a solid early gauge of where the Ferns' title hopes rest ahead of next weekend's finals.

The two national captains Richie McCaw and Casey Kopua met briefly today in between training sessions and team meetings to wish each other luck with their respective campaigns.

McCaw presented Kopua with a signed All Blacks jersey. Kopua threatened to get him a Silver Ferns dress to put on, but handed McCaw a gift bag instead.

Asked if he had any advice for Kopua and her side before the take the court in their World Cup opener tonight against Barbados, McCaw said:

"I reckon when it comes to tournaments it comes down to one or two moments, you've got to be ready for that, excited by that and not feel like it's a weight on the shoulders."

"The World Cup is something you want to play at so you go through it and don't really enjoy it or make the most of it then it will be gone and whatever result it'll be gone."

"But it's always hard to enjoy it at the time."

"For us going into the game tomorrow you realise that if you just get it off a little bit, they're capable of knocking you over. And it's probably the same with these girls, you know. If you don't get it quite right you end up coming second but you've got to go in believing you can win. I think that's the big thing - that's what makes transtasman games so interesting and exciting."

The sides boast vastly different records against their Australian rivals. The All Blacks have been wholly dominant over the Wallabies. They haven't been beaten by Australia since 2011,while the Bledisloe Cup has rested in the New Zealand trophy cabinet since 2003.

The Silver Ferns will be hoping just a little bit of that winning edge comes their way as they head into Sunday's match is the midst of a nine-game losing streak against Australia.

"We obviously watch the All Blacks and listen to the interviews and certain words Richie says, and seeing if we can bring any of his leadership into what we do," said Kopua.

The All Blacks' prolonged dominance is something rugby-mad Australian netball coach Lisa Alexander aspires to emulate with her side. The Diamonds, who have been crowned world champions 10 times, have not been beaten since October 2013.

The All Blacks had initially planned to attend the Ferns' World Cup opener against Barbados tonight, but the game clashes with a post-training recovery session.