Sonny Bill Williams has a height and weight advantage. Photo / Getty Images
Offloading game and knack of running over opponents could help nullify twin threat of Hooper and Pocock.
Sonny Bill Williams, excused from the All Blacks' recent trip to South Africa due, according to Steve Hansen, his busy recent schedule, will find plenty to do against Australia tonight.
With the Wallabies fielding two specialist opensiders in Michael Hooper and David Pocock, the All Blacks will be relying on
Williams, in at No 12 for the injured Ma'a Nonu, to get them over the gain-line. An All Blacks team consistently on the front foot will help nullify the threat of Hooper and Pocock, and Williams - like Nonu - is an expert at that with his offloading game and ability to run over the top of opponents.
The 30-year-old - well used to playing outside former Crusaders teammate Dan Carter and inside Conrad Smith - is up against Matt Giteau, who has never played with Wallabies No 10 Bernard Foley. Giteau is also 28cm shorter than Williams, and about 25kg lighter. That inside channel will be a clear target for an All Blacks team fired up to secure the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup and make up for last year's underwhelming draw at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.
Foley, likely to be tasked with tackling Williams if the Wallabies use a drift defence, is a competent defender but he, too, is much smaller than the former league player Williams. When the All Blacks swept on to the attack in Brisbane last year in a last-ditch bid to win the last test between the two nations, the coaches were screaming for the team to give the ball to Malakai Fekitoa, who had a one-on-one with Foley about 15m out from the Wallabies' line.
