The Wallabies are set to face the seemingly impossible when they attempt to level the 2018 Bledisloe Cup series at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday; a stadium at which they have not won since 1986.
A tough first half performance that saw them well and truly in the contest was all but forgotten when Michael Cheika’s men were steamrolled by the All Blacks in the second forty minutes of the first test; eventually leaving ANZ Stadium on the wrong end of a 38-13 score line.
Understandably, the All Blacks are clear and unbackable $1.04 favourites to beat the Wallabies ($11) at Eden Park and ultimately sew-up another Bledisloe Cup.
Wallabies
It’s tough imaging the Wallabies breaking their Eden Park hoodoo in 2018, particularly after their confidence-breaking performance in Sydney last weekend.
The loss of fullback Israel Folau, who limped off the park after suffering an ankle injury midway through the second half last weekend is obviously a huge blow and his multi-dimensional danger will be extremely difficult to replace.
Young talents Jack Maddocks and Tom Banks loom as possible replacements, through Kurtley Beale’s experience in high-pressure situations and at 15 suggest that he will likely move into the vital position. That would allow a player like Matt Toomua to move into the vacated inside centre role.
Australia’s lineout was truly atrocious in Sydney and that will need to be improved tenfold if they are any chance of competing across the Tasman. To add insult to injury, they also conceded several scrum penalties and cannot afford that kind of performance against the world’s best team again.
All Blacks
In what has become typical for the world champions, New Zealand did enough to account for the Wallabies in the first half of the first Bledisloe test before putting the old enemy to the sword with ease last in the picture.
Having piled on five second-half tries in total, the All Blacks conceded that the job was only ‘half done’ but realistically, they should be icing the series with relative ease on Saturday.
Captain Kieran Read led from the front in his return to the international fold, playing all eighty minutes in his side’s impressive performance. The All Blacks will take a similar-looking side to Eden Park and will look to put on a show for their parochial fans.
Bledisloe 2 Betting
There is no value remaining in head-to-head betting ahead of the second Bledisloe test and the All Blacks ($1.04) look good to secure the game and with it, their sixteenth-consecutive series win over the Wallabies ($11).
The line for the second Bledisloe test is currently set at 22.5 points and given their record at home, against the Wallabies and in their first-up appearance, that could actually prove a tiny task for the All Blacks.
Tip: All Blacks at the Line (-22.5)