The Wallabies paid public homage to the All Blacks on Thursday, as both sides clamoured for underdog status going into the opening Tri-Nations rugby Test.
The All Blacks ”are the best team in the world at the moment,” offered Wallabies coach John Connolly, as he dismissed suggestions his side would go into Saturday’s Test on the front foot after twice thrashing England and backing up with the demolition of Ireland in recent weeks.
The All Blacks Tri-Nations build up included two unimpressive wins over Ireland and a struggle to beat Argentina, forcing coach Graham Henry to admit his side was ”a bit behind” Australia.
But Connolly, known as ”Knuckles” for his hard edge, was having none of that as he prepared for the biggest challenge of his international coaching career, saying the All Blacks were obviously a big step up from playing northern hemisphere sides.
”It will be difficult. Where they’re at, with the experience they have in their side and the maturity they have in their play it will be a big ask for us,” Connolly said as he prepared to drill his side in temperatures hovering around a chilly 5°C.
”We definitely know how the All Blacks play. Whether we can stop them is the challenge.”
The All Blacks, who experimented with 39 players in their first three Tests this year, have been keen to play up the Wallabies’ successes which were built around a settled squad, and prompted Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll to rate Australia the better of the two southern hemisphere sides.
”I think that’s probably fair comment,” said All Blacks back coach Wayne Smith.
”If you looked at the way we played against Ireland, and the way Aussie performed against Ireland you’d make those comments.
Smith sees particular danger signals coming from the Wallabies backline.
”They certainly execute a lot better than any other international teams are playing in this period,” he said.
Connolly has been credited with turning Australia’s rugby fortunes around in quick time, taking over after the Eddie Jones-coached side of 2005 lost eight of nine Tests.
He has instilled a new hunger in the forwards, who have been all too easily rolled in recent years, but despite the way they performed against England and Ireland, he said they needed to front up against the All Blacks to get a true gauge of where they are at.
”The All Blacks do everything well. To be ranked number one in the world you’ve got to do everything well,” he said.
”Their lineout’s good, their scrum’s good, their breakdown work is ferocious, their 10 and 12 kick them around the field very well, they create a lot of turnover ball. There’s ticks in most of the boxes.”
The Test not only launches the new, extended Tri-Nations series with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa playing each other three times, but it is also the first of three Bledisloe Cup matches representing supremacy in trans-Tasman rugby. – AFP
