Bledisloe Cup 2014: Qantas Wallabies v All Blacks 3rd Test Live Stream and More
Australian hopes of forcing New Zealand to relinquish their grip on the Bledisloe Cup may already be dashed, but the Wallabies will defend Brisbane borders with the utmost tenacity nonetheless this Saturday.
Suncorp Stadium will host the two Southern Hemisphere giants for the first time since 2012, where Ewen McKenzie's hosts are hoping to put the demons of a 51-20 embarrassment during the Rugby Championship behind them.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Instead, Australia will look to summon some of the spirit which led them to a 12-12 draw against the All Blacks in Sydney two months ago, in the hopes that the world's finest can somehow be surmounted.
Looking toward a third Bledisloe Cup fixture of 2014, we provide all the essential viewing details for Saturday's encounter and more.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 18
Time: 7 p.m. local/10 a.m. BST/5 a.m. ET
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), SuperSport Stream (SA)
Key Players to Watch
Australia: Adam Ashley-Cooper
Set to earn his 100th cap for Australia, Adam Ashley-Cooper can't afford to pause for sentiment this weekend in the face of an oncoming monolith.
Nine years after the 30-year-old made his Wallabies debut, the utility back will see just reward for his servitude to the side, and loyalties have been tested to their extreme in what's been a difficult period for Australian rugby of late.
Speaking of his upcoming achievement, "AAC" was quoted by Fox Sports as saying:
"It’s a little surreal. I’m sure it’s going to take a while for it to all sink in. Once it’s all happening on the weekend and the caps have been handed out, I’ll probably still pinch myself. From where I’ve come from, I’m just a Central Coast battler and trying to survive.
I didn’t really have an idea that I was going to be a professional rugby player until I left school. So it wasn’t until I started playing first grade that I thought I’d ever even give it a decent crack. Then before I knew it, I was picked up by the Brumbies. It all really happened very quickly. But I remember when it all started that there was no way I thought I’d ever play Super Rugby, let alone for the Wallabies and, here I am, on 99 Tests.
I find it hard to believe where I am, but I’ve just enjoyed the ride.
"
It's all so typically Ashley-Cooper, from the nonchalant attitude he takes to the humble way in which he goes about his business, both on an off the field.
Come Saturday, he'll be doing so off the right-wing berth he's become more and more accustomed to playing, helping nurse McKenzie's back-line absences by doing what he does best—helping out for the better of the team.
After next year's Rugby World Cup, the malleable playmaker will move to Europe, with Rugby World's Paul Williams noting his talent:
With Julian Savea lined up opposite, Australia's veteran has no easy task in quelling New Zealand's assault down his flank, where he promises to be preoccupied largely in a defensive sense.
New Zealand: Brodie Retallick
Injury meant Brodie Retallick was forced to miss a rare fixture in Week 6 of the Rugby Championship, the same date New Zealand's unbeaten streak came to an end at the hands of South Africa, beaten 27-25 at Ellis Park.
By no means is that to say Steve Hansen's defeat was entirely attributable to Retallick's absence, but the tight five assuredly look a more confident beast when their prime lock is playing.
Ben Coles of Planet Rugby has rated Retallick so highly this year, in fact, that he tips him for IRB Player of the Year honours:
One area in which the Wallabies have found some selection consistency is in the pack, and with Sam Carter and Rob Simmons, their first-choice lock partnership will continue.
Retallick is in the type of form that could see the game turn depending on his influence alone, be it at the set piece or in the loose, making his return that much more pivotal.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
