Rugby: Breaking the Bledisloe down by the numbers

The All Blacks lost to the Wallabies the last two times the two met in Sydney last year. Photo / Photosport

It is the eve of this years first edition of the annual Bledisloe Cup series between the All Blacks and the Wallabies, with Sydney's ANZ Stadium setting the scene for the 156th clash between the trans-Tasman rivals.

With 155 previous test matches between these two proud rugby nations - a large chunk of those coming in the Tri Nations/Rugby Championship era - there is no shortage of rich and dense history between the double-World Cup winning sides.

A historically rich and dense rivalry between two of the world's greatest rugby-playing nations means there are a lot of statistics to complement their rivalry, with the stats frequently giving fans and punters insight into who may be the next victorious side in one of rugby's most prestigous and exclusive competitions.

Thanks to Opta, comprehensive statistical insight is provided for both fans and punters alike, with the sports data company providing a list of key facts and figures heading into Bledisloe I of 2016, hinting at who may emerge from Sydney with the advantage leading into Bledisloe II at Westpac Stadium in Wellington next week.

Opta Facts:

- The Wallabies have not held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002, with the All Blacks winning or retaining the trophy 13 times since then.

- Between them Australia (2011 & 2015) and New Zealand (2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014) have won the last six editions of The Rugby Championship; Australia are aiming for back to back titles for the first time since 2000-2001.

- The All Blacks have lost just one of their last 13 against Australia (W10, D2); their 10 victories in that run have come by an average margin of 16 points.

- New Zealand have lost just one of their last six at ANZ Stadium (W4, D1), whilst Australia have lost seven of their last 10 at the same venue (W2, D1).

- Steve Hansen's side have won their last 11 on the bounce by an average margin of 27 points; only South Africa have managed to finish within 10 points of the All Blacks in that time.

- New Zealand have not lost their opening fixture of The Rugby Championship since 2005 (v South Africa), winning nine and drawing one since then; overall the All Blacks have won 17 of their 20 opening matches (D1, L2).

- The All Blacks have scored at least one try in each of their last 25 games, the longest current run in Test rugby after Fiji's run of 34 games came to an end in June against Japan.

- Australia have lost their last four Tests in a row and have not lost five on the bounce since a run of seven consecutive defeats in 2005; the fifth defeat in that run came against New Zealand.

- The Wallabies are just 35 points away from scoring their 2000th in the Tri Nations and The Rugby Championship; the All Blacks (2564) were the first team to pass the 2,000 point mark, in September 2012 against Argentina.

- Julian Savea has scored 39 tries in 43 games for New Zealand, and one more try would make him just the fifth All Black to reach 40 Test tries (Doug Howlett - 49, Christian Cullen - 46, Joe Rokocoko - 46 & Jeff Wilson - 44).