For me, the biggest disappointment of this weekends clash between Australia and New Zealand is that it's being played in Auckland... For two reasons really.
If it was here in Canterbury, I'd be first in line for a ticket.
It is going to be a huge game. A clash between the two top contenders for the World Cup... Two Unbeaten teams. And quite frankly, Aucklanders aren't getting behind the All Blacks like the rest of the country. The crowd won't be worthy of the spectacle.
OK - I feel guns being aimed at me, so lets not go there just now... It's another argument for another day, but lets not forget it.
So lets compare the teams...
Injuries:
Neither team has a large number of injury worries, but that could change
closer to the game. Most notable are:
| Christian Cullen | Cully is being rated as "safe to play"... He had his snout broken during training but all going well should still start on Saturday. |
| Dan Crowley | Leg and achilles tendon problems mean that Crowley is unlikely to take the field against New Zealand. Expect to see Glenn Panaho in his place. |
The Forwards
If the Australians have a weakness, it is probably in their forwards, and
to be fair, it's more of a chink in the armour than a weakness. Last Saturday the
Boks were able to apply pressure up front early on with their Mack Truck forwards, but
once they ran out of petrol, the tide quickly turned. The All Blacks forwards,
though not as big as the Boks, will no doubt attempt to also gain some ascendancy up
front. They will most likely look to do this in the front row. If Crowley
can't play then Panaho, a tighthead specialist, will have to move to openside and this may
provide a weakness worth probing. The Otago front row could well have enough
understanding and cohesiveness to do it and unsettle the Aussies.
The Backs
What can you say really. The Wallabies have a superb back line.
They are a well oiled, experienced and coordinated unit. The All Black back
line will have to be at their absolute best to equal them The talent is there to do
it, but the matchplay and experience are not, and so far they simply haven't looked slick
enough. Key for the All Blacks will be solid well organised defence and good
communication. The Wallabies switch direction and change angles with precision and
deadly accuracy, so the New Zealand tacklers will have to be just as deadly. As we
all know, Gregan and Horan are key men - shut them down and you all but shut down the
Wallaby back line... accomplish that, and you should probably buy a Lotto ticket and
have a crack at walking on water too.
The Ref
Hmmmm... Derek Bevan. Northern Hemisphere ref. The
Aussies like him. Say no more. Well maybe we will, but not till after the
game. Whatever - expect to hear a lot of whistle.
The Result?
I hate making predictions, but I'll go out on a limb and be bloody
patriotic!
New Zealand 20 - 16 Australia
