Bledisloe Cup 2015: Updated Series Schedule and Prediction for Trophy Winner
Australia enjoyed a surprise victory over arch-rivals New Zealand in the first 2015 Bledisloe Cup Test, but they must now beat New Zealand at Eden Park to break the All Blacks' 12-year dominance of the trophy.
The Wallabies' 27-19 victory crowned them winners of the Rugby Championship having triumphed in all three games, sending out a World Cup warning in the process.
However, the work isn't over for Australia, who must repeat the dose against a wounded New Zealand side this weekend.
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| Saturday, August 15 | 8:35 a.m. BST/3:35 a.m. ET | Eden Park, Auckland |
History on New Zealand's Side
In trying to beat the All Blacks away from home, Australia face a monumental challenge.
New Zealand have won each of their last 33 matches at Eden Park in a phenomenal run stretching all the way back to 1994. The Wallabies' inability to beat the All Blacks there dates back a further eight years.
Per Sam Worthington of Fox Sports, flanker Jerome Kaino spoke about how his side could draw on their record going into the match:
"We've got history on our side and we get a lot of confidence playing at home as well.
We just love playing there. It’s home for us, it’s home for me, and whenever we get to play at home and pull on the black jersey, guys just grow another arm and leg.
We’ll get excited about that fact, and look forward to improving next week.
"
Eager to go out on a high will be fly-half Dan Carter, who is set to play in his final Test at Eden Park on Saturday.
The 33-year-old reached an historic milestone in the first Bledisloe Cup match:
Carter's incredible consistency throughout his career and metronomic kicking has allowed him to rack up such an impressive total, and as a veteran will no doubt handle the pressure of the big occasion when the All Blacks fight to retain their title.
If New Zealand walk away victorious yet again in the Bledisloe Cup, Carter's points contribution will surely have played a major factor.
Wallabies in Red-Hot Form
Difficult as their challenge may be, there's plenty of hope for Australia going into the Test.
The Wallabies fully deserved their Bledisloe Cup victory over New Zealand in Sydney, so they're carrying sky-high confidence and incredible momentum into the showdown at Eden Park.
As Fox Sports' Greg Clark noted, the Wallabies now enjoy a wealth of talented options in their squad:
The depth in their squad allows them to make strong substitutions in the latter stages of games to devastating effect.
As Mark Reason reports in the Sydney Morning Herald, "Australia have won the final 20 minutes of their three games in this year's Rugby Championship by 47-5," adding "in 2014 Australia outscored New Zealand in two of the final quarters of their three games" thanks to "a bench that is full of hard men and mavericks, players who will crush you and stretch you when the lungs are burning."
Coach Michael Cheika admitted he could change his team from the side that beat the All Blacks in Sydney. According to the Australian Associated Press (via the Guardian) he said he was "really keen on guys being able to slip in and out."
With the likes of Nic White, Matt Toomua and Israel Folau in good form, the Wallabies have their best chance in years of winning the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2001.
If they can keep the score tight entering the latter stages of the game, expect Australia to grab a dramatic win with some late scoring on an historic night for the Wallabies.
Prediction: Australia win by five points to secure the Bledisloe Cup
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