Wallabies vs. All Blacks: Updated Bledisloe Cup 2018 Fixtures and Predictions

Australia face the unenviable task of beating New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday if they are to have a chance of winning the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002.

The Wallabies lost 38-13 to the All Blacks in Sydney on August 18. They will take on New Zealand at Eden Park in the second match of the three-game series on Saturday before a final clash on neutral territory in October, which will take place at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.

Remaining Fixtures

New Zealand vs Australia: Saturday, August 25, 7:35 p.m. local (8:35 a.m. BST/3:35 a.m ET)

New Zealand vs. Australia: Saturday, October 27, 4 p.m. local (8 a.m. BST/3 a.m ET)

Australia took a 6-0 lead early on against New Zealand in the series opener thanks to a pair of penalties, but Aaron Smith's try shortly before half-time reduced the Wallabies' lead to a single point at the break.

The Wallabies crumbled in the second half, allowing the All Blacks to crash home another five tries:

New Zealand were ruthless in taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them, as the Telegraph's Charlie Morgan noted:

Australia defended well prior to their collapse, and coach Michael Cheika will be hoping to see them put in such a performance over the course of an entire match.

Per the Australian Associated Press (h/t MailOnline), he said: 

"All the good work you do can get undone in a very short space of time when you aren't concentrating on what you want to do, playing your role in the team for 80 minutes. 

"We need to be playing more of that 80 minutes, be clear on what we're doing and deliver on that to defeat New Zealand."

Cheika's side lost seven lineouts, but he believes his side should have remained competitive despite those struggles, saying: "You've got to get on with it. It's a lineout; if you don't win it, go get the ball some other way."

There's plenty of room for improvement on what ended as an embarrassing display from the Wallabies, per Rugby World's Paul Williams:

The All Blacks haven't lost at Eden Park since 1994, though, and better Australia sides than this year's vintage have tried and failed to beat them in Auckland in the years since.

Australia may be able to produce a more respectable showing, but upsetting the odds to keep the series alive seems unlikely.

Prediction: All Blacks claim the Bledisloe Cup with a victory at Eden Park.