Bledisloe heartache as All Blacks blow away Wallabies at Eden Park again

Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson just spoke with his former teammate and captain Michael Hooper at Eden Park. This is how the interview went down.

Hooper: How’s the week?

Wilson: “It’s been a really good week. I’m really excited now. It’s go time. We’re not going to take a backward step tonight. We’re in enemy territory against a tough opposition, so we’ll step in and take on this battle.”

Hooper: How much does it mean?

Wilson: “I can’t wait. This rivalry is massive. Any chance to play in it is important and we really want to do Australia proud.”

OK, here are the teams and details tonight.

Kick off is at 7:10pm local time and 5:10pm AEDT. The game is on Stan and Nine GEM.

Both nations are down some troops. The All Blacks are missing their captain Ardie Savea, while the Wallabies are without a host of players, including Hunter Paisami (suspension) and overseas-based stars Taniela Tupou and Tom Hooper.

Kiss made just one change to his starting XV, bringing in Isaac Henry for the suspended Paisami. Henry will start at outside centre, linking up with his former schoolboy teammate Len Ikitau who shifts to inside centre.

There’s plenty of changes on the bench, including the recall of Declan Meredith to provide cover at playmaker. It’s an inexperienced backline and that’s where the All Blacks will target.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Wallabies’ clash with the All Blacks at Eden Park.

My name is Christy Doran and I will be with you on the blog, and we have Iain Payten back on the ground at the Garden of Eden. All our game coverage and Payto’s match report, as well as Peter FitzSimons’ reaction, will be right here, so don’t miss a second and stay with us this evening.

The All Blacks are the favourites. Of course they are. The three-time world champions are on a 53-match unbeaten streak at Eden Park, which is a streak dating back to 1994. The Wallabies’ hoodoo at Eden Park is even longer: 40 years. Does it end tonight? If it does, the Wallabies will keep the Bledisloe Cup alive for another week, with Les Kiss’s men needing to deny the All Blacks victory across the two Tests to win back the prized piece of silverware for the first time since 2002.

But the All Blacks are under pressure. Dave Rennie’s side have lost three straight, having lost the Greatest Rivalry against the Springboks 3-1. It will also be Rennie’s first time entering the Bledisloe Cup with the expectation to win it, having lost three series as Wallabies coach (2020-22). He is the last man to lead the Wallabies to a win against the All Blacks though (November 2020), with the men in gold on an 11-match losing streak against the All Blacks.