THE FACTS
Backs to the wall, once again. Forced to respond and defend the fortress, once more.
There are no excuses for the near full-strength All Blacks not to front against the Wallabies.
It’s a tip of the cap to highly respected New Zealand coaches Joe Schmidt and Mike Cron that this year’s two-test Bledisloe series at Eden Park and Perth – both of which are sold-out – is among the most highly anticipated of the last decade.
There’s a strong argument, in fact, that Schmidt and Cron have improved the Wallabies far more than Scott Robertson and his coaching team have evolved the All Blacks.
That’s the stark backdrop that greets Robertson’s All Blacks as they find themselves in all-too-familiar territory this weekend.
Three weeks ago, the All Blacks arrived at their same spiritual home with similar frustrations and doubts circling after their maiden loss in Argentina.
One step forward, one back, to remain stagnant at best.
With Rassie Erasmus’ world champion Springboks hunting history and seeking to storm the fortress, the pressure valve was ready to burst.
The All Blacks delivered that night to grind out a gritty victory but as their inconsistent cycle continues, it’s worth revisiting Ardie Savea’s comments after that first-test success against the Boks.
“This is our home but every stadium in New Zealand is our home,” Savea said as he celebrated his 100th test.
“That’s the mindset we should have. We shouldn’t wait for Eden Park to get up with a performance like that.
“We’ll enjoy tonight and then go down to Wellington and try to do a job down there.”
The following week, the All Blacks conspired to deliver one of their worst second-half performances in history, leaking 36 unanswered points and missing 46 tackles against the Boks in a staggering collapse to revive the capital curse.
Which brings us to another Bledisloe battle.
As Savea assumes the All Blacks captaincy from the injured Scott Barrett, he is sure to serve home truths around the team’s failure to heed his demand to deliver at all New Zealand venues and issue another call to arms.
Win, loss, win, loss, win?
The All Blacks are vulnerable but, having regained Cam Roigard, Codie Taylor, Patrick Tuipulotu and Cortez Ratima from injury and finally selecting Caleb Clarke on the left wing, should continue their flip-flop Rugby Championship pattern to retain the Bledisloe for a 23rd straight year and extend Eden Park’s 51-match, 31-year unbeaten status.
Roigard and Taylor’s respective returns cannot be underestimated.
The All Blacks’ lack of attacking penetration has come under fire, for good reason, this season. Digging deep into their halfback ranks contributed to those issues.
Roigard is world-class. His running threat is lethal, which forces defenders to hold around the fringes.
His booming left boot alleviates responsibility on other playmakers and his size allows him to deal with ruck pressure.
No other All Blacks halfback comes close to matching his influence.
With Taylor throwing darts, the All Blacks lineout was a trusted strike weapon that laid the platform for the first two tries against the Springboks at Eden Park.
The following week, though, with third-choice hooker Brodie McAlister, and some seriously questionable lineout calls, the same set-piece platform rapidly disintegrated.
Clarke’s inclusion should have come much sooner in the quest to amend issues under the high ball, and Tuipulotu’s comeback from a facial fracture adds much-needed physicality and experience to the bench.
While the All Blacks regain those influential figures, the Wallabies face a test of depth.
Schmidt has clearly instilled a depth of character, resilience, belief and collective understanding recent Wallabies teams prior to his arrival did not share.
Even when the Wallabies lose they are competitive.
This year the Wallabies were one refereeing decision away from stunning the British and Irish Lions against all odds.
They then went toe-to-toe with the Springboks in South Africa, splitting two tests there which included scoring 38 unanswered points at Ellis Park in one of the all-time great comebacks.
Another 1-1 home series against the Pumas followed, with captain Harry Wilson etching his name into Wallabies folklore by turning down multiple shots at goal to back his men to pull off victory in Townsville.
This week, though, the Wallabies are missing powerhouse forwards Will Skelton and Rob Valetini – and starting fullback Andrew Kellaway to force a reshuffled back three.
And they, too, emerge from defeat with another comeback – and the benefit of a blatant forward pass in their final try – not enough to reel in the Pumas in Sydney.
Schmidt has signalled the Wallabies intent to chase points against the All Blacks by selecting an attacking-minded team that features Tate McDermott’s sniping threat from the base, Corey Toole’s pace on the edge, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto injected as the second-row enforcer and, of course, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s world-class presence from centre.
But the Wallabies are far from full-strength.
After their heaviest defeat in history, with the need to harness that hurt and restore pride, if the All Blacks can’t put the depleted Wallabies away at Eden Park they don’t deserve the Bledisloe.
Much more was expected from Robertson’s All Blacks era.
The time has come to walk the talk.
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.