Wynne Gray: Last chance saloon

Ali Williams and Israel Dagg at an All Blacks training session. Photo / Getty Images

One side will leave the World Cup final venue tonight with renewed confidence they can repeat in 79 days.

Victory in the opening Bledisloe Cup duel at Eden Park will be another notch in the confidence belt, a boost in self-belief about the pathway to the global tournament.

That psychological reinforcement cannot be overlooked as the transtasman foes will have a mere two tests left before the seventh global event starts.

For some this match may be their last chance, a final audition for All Blacks wanting to make the cut when 30 players are named for the tournament. It gets even tighter next week when the All Blacks trim their squad to 26 for their last offshore matches in Port Elizabeth and Brisbane against the Boks and Wallabies.

Who fits in that category?

The coaches want to take away the quartet who have been injured but involved with the squad for the last month.

Israel Dagg, Isaia Toeava, Richard Kahui and Tony Woodcock are primed to run out for some club or ITM Cup rugby soon and if they survive and satisfy the medics, they will get airline departure cards.

The curiosity is the status of the four standby players - Cory Jane, Ben Smith, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Wyatt Crockett - chosen to assist when an array of the originals could not play.

Crockett has played strongly and gets another run tonight, Jane and Sivivatu were also very spritely in their appearances while Smith has gone back to play provincial rugby for Otago. Sivivatu gets another shot tonight while Hosea Gear is out of casualty for the first time alongside a group of Crusaders and Keven Mealamu.

Decisions will be made next week. Injuries may help some decisions and the selectors may choose to take just two halfbacks and two hookers to Africa.

If eight need to be culled from an assembled group of 34 they could be Ben Smith, Zac Guildford, Sonny Bill Williams, Andy Ellis, Liam Messam, Jarrad Hoeata, John Afoa and Corey Flynn.

Performances tonight will count. Sivivatu has lolloped in and out of training and will be gauged against the energetic rubberman Digby Ioane.

Starting at halfback is Piri Weepu where his influence and fitness will come in for some serious scrutiny against the Wallaby conjurer Will Genia. This is Weepu's chance to say he can run a match effectively from the start instead of being wheeled out as an impact closer like he has in the last two tests.

Lock Ali Williams suits up because he needs games to continue his progress and is probably not as effective from the bench as Sam Whitelock.

The Wallabies are confident but all eyes will be on whether their body language matches the chat. They have lost 10 from 12 transtasman duels since Robbie Deans took over.

They have improved and squeaked a result last year in Hong Kong. But are they just that, a two wins from 12 side against the All Blacks or a team which has finally found its zone and conquered its mental frailty?

They have all sorts of flash and dash through their backline but the inside defensive channels manned at set piece by Ioane and Pat McCabe will get the full inquisition.

Welcome to the Daniel Carter-Ma'a Nonu deception and bludgeoning unit, the sword and the howitzer who will give a bigger exam than any of the Tuilagi clan did a few weeks ago.

But up front is where all the muscle and technique will be tested. The Wallaby scrum has to hold for the exceptional David Pocock to have equal breakdown claims to All Black skipper Richie McCaw. Any dazzling back threats will stutter if the gold scrum wobbles and referee Craig Joubert and his assistants are vigilant.

Revenge for Hong Kong or a World Cup alarm and the breaking of a ground hoodoo stretching back 25 years. Make your choice as more than 50,000 will when they attend an upgraded Eden Park.