Three reasons why the Kiwis will keep hammering the Kangaroos.
1) The Kiwis have a Dream Team running the show - Issac Luke, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Kieran Foran and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will scare the Aussies all the way to the 2017 World Cup. Leuluai will be in his 30sby then and Luke might be tempted by an English contract after that, but it's looking great for now. The halves and Tuivasa-Sheck have got plenty of good years in them yet.
2) Coach Steve Kearney and his staff are on a roll with selections and team culture. Maybe Kearney learnt the hard way, with his abysmal decision to sack the humble Tohu Harris for the 2013 World Cup to accommodate Sonny Bill Williams who had been mucking Kearney around. Some brotherhood that was and the tournament result spoke for itself. Show boaters like Benji Marshall and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves - a needless penalty risk - no longer make the cut.
3) The Kiwis have got the power in the forwards. It comes in various shapes and styles, and New Zealand's has uncovered a version of Gorden "Raging Bull" Tallis in the mighty mammoth Martin "Kapow" Taupau. But wait. There's more. A lot more. It's called Jason Taumalolo. While the Kiwis rely on a thin veneer of brilliance elsewhere, there's a growing queue of classy heavyweights ready to pummel the Aussies.
1) They always do and there are no hiding places anymore - they've been dealt to well and truly and are no longer the best test side. Their pride has been smashed. Whenever Australia re-builds after a team of star veterans falls over, they come back better than ever.
2) They are still capable of a dirty trick or two. There are stricter rules around eligibility but other avenues remain. The one to worry about is a rule change that would introduce two referees for test matches. A stricter policing of the 10 metre line would work against the big Kiwis side, as would a reduced interchange.
3) There's not a lot of trans-Tasman in this trans-Tasman rivalry - most tests are played in Australia. That is less of a problem in an age when all the players come from the NRL clubs and there is a big contingent of Kiwi fans across the ditch. But with Australia now cast as the underdogs, there is the potential at least for the home crowd factor to have an influence and referees are only human.
