Don't allow the Wallabies a sniff

Lima Sopoaga proved to last weekend that he is the second-best first five-eighths behind Dan Carter. Photo / Getty images

Opinion

The bigger picture of the World Cup is constantly in the background but the most important thing about next weekend's game against Australia is winning.

The All Blacks can claim the Rugby Championship and lock up the Bledisloe Cup in Sydney next weekend and that shouldn't be devalued, regardless of what is happening in the UK next month.

One thing you don't want to do is give the Aussies a chance to go to the World Cup with renewed confidence if they can somehow beat the All Blacks over the next two games.

The Sydney test will give us a good measure of where they really are at. Australia have been playing quite well recently but they were lucky against South Africa and struggled to overcome Argentina - the score blew out at the end.

I'm pretty confident the All Blacks will be fine because this team seem to overcome whatever is thrown at them.

Time is running out for the All Blacks selectors if they want to give some guys a chance and it's clear some really good players will miss out on a World Cup spot.

One of Colin Slade or Beauden Barrett could be vulnerable because Lima Sopoaga proved to me last weekend that he's not only good enough to play international football but is also the second-best first five-eighths behind Dan Carter. He is also a specialist first-five and, even in this day of versatility, you need specialists.

Wing Cory Jane needs a game to prove he can recapture the form expected of him - it would be a big call to pick him for the World Cup on reputation - and I would love to see Nehe Milner-Skudder given a chance.

One thing I really want to see next weekend, though, is Ben Smith playing at fullback. He was the form No15 in Super Rugby, it's where he wants to play and he can be more of a threat from the back.

Smith plays well anywhere, and scored a nice try against the Springboks last weekend, but he can get lost on the wing. He's a player who needs to be involved because he makes things happen.

Last weekend's game proved to me how dangerous South Africa are going to be at the World Cup. They were awesome, especially in the midfield, and it took a long time for the All Blacks to subdue them.

The All Blacks were lucky to go in 10-10 at halftime because it really could have been 17-3 and I doubt they could have come back from that.

But one thing we have over the Springboks is greater depth on the bench and every All Black seems to make a difference.

It made me laugh to learn Sanzar are appealing their own judiciary, who banned Wallabies flanker Michael Hooper for one game for his slap of Argentine first-five Nicolas Sanchez.

I thought Hooper was in his rights to do something because Sanchez was clearly holding him back and it annoys me when players adopt niggly tactics.

But it's a mockery when players can serve a ban in a club game because Hooper would never have played for them. If you cop a ban from an international, the ban should apply to an international.