All Blacks Jeff Wilson and Richie McCaw hoping for closer game

New Zealand All Blacks 2nd-five Ryan Crotty on his way to scoring against Australia, during the Rugby Championship 1st Bledisloe test match. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

It might have brought immense satisfaction to most New Zealand fans to see the Wallabies cop a hiding but a couple of All Blacks greats hope for a better contest in Wellington tomorrow night for the sake of world rugby.

The All Blacks hammered Australia 42-8 in a one-sided contest in Sydney last weekend and expectations are they will win easily against tomorrow night at Westpac Stadium.

The TAB certainly feel that way, pricing them as $1.07 favourites - the lowest pay-out for an All Blacks Bledisloe Cup win in the TAB's 20-year sports betting history.

Former All Blacks wing Jeff Wilson told Radio Sport's D'Arcy Waldegrave he was "disappointed" in what he saw in Saturday's test and hopes for better tomorrow.

"I like contests, but that wasn't a contest. It was an unbelievable performance from the All Blacks but just as unbelievable from the Wallabies how poor they were given they had a month to prepare. And when you think the Bledisloe Cup is on the line, you would have thought they would come with so much more.

"We have all witnessed great contests [against Australia] and that wasn't one. We love the All Blacks winning - and I might sound like me showing some sympathy for the Wallabies because I'm not - but we should all be hoping we see a much better contest in Wellington.

It's a view echoed by former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

"I hope that it is a bit closer, because you don't want to see big one-sided results for the top teams," McCaw told the Guardian. "I don't think that's healthy for Southern Hemisphere rugby, or for world rugby.

"But I can say that now I'm no longer playing. As a player that's the last thing you want to hear, bloody idiots like me spouting on like that."

McCaw led the All Blacks to last year's World Cup, the first time a country had defended the title and first time New Zealand had won away from home, and was one of a number of high profile players who retired from international rugby at the end of the tournament.

It didn't seem to affect the All Blacks, who beat Wales 3-0 in June and who are now overwhelming favourites to win this year's Rugby Championship. They have lost only three games since Steve Hansen took over in 2012.

"Every opportunity they got, they nailed," McCaw said. "That's the great thing about the ABs. It doesn't matter who you are, the team just moves on. They were never going to miss me and DC."

It's probably just as well for Australia they aren't still in black.