Online Reporter
Australia were dealt a Bledisloe Cup blow yesterday when fullback Andrew Kellaway was ruled out of Saturday’s clash against New Zealand in Auckland with a calf issue.
It means 21-year-old Max Jorgensen is in line to start at Eden Park.
“It’s such a big game,” Jorgensen said.
“If given the opportunity this week at the play-in, it would be a dream come true,” Jorgensen added while speaking to reporters in Auckland on Tuesday.
“It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s an exciting one. I think for our group… to get the opportunity to play at Eden Park against a team like the All Blacks, it’s always cool.
“They’re a world-class team; they’ve always been good and always will be.”
The Wallabies, who top the Rugby Championship by a point, will have to end two All Blacks’ winning streaks to lift the Bledisloe Cup, which is contested annually between Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand have not lost at Eden Park since 1994, going 51 matches unbeaten, and have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003.
The All Blacks are coming off a record 43-10 loss to the Springboks in Wellington but have been bolstered by the return from injury of scrum-half Cam Roigard, hooker Codie Taylor and lock Patrick Tuipulotu.
Meanwhile, If Australia break their 39-year losing streak at Eden Park against the All Blacks on Saturday it may go down in history as the ultimate inside job given the New Zealanders dominating the Wallabies’ coaching staff.
Having helped the All Blacks reach the 2023 World Cup final as a strategist and selector, Joe Schmidt is plotting their downfall at the Auckland stronghold where the hosts are unbeaten in 31 years and last lost to Australia in 1986.
Two of Schmidt’s trusted lieutenants, both fellow New Zealanders, oversee the Wallabies’ set-piece with Mike Cron in charge of the scrum and former All Blacks lock Tom Donnelly the line-out.
Donnelly worked under Cron’s nephew Simon at Perth-based Super Rugby team Western Force until being picked up in July to replace Geoff Parling, who returned home to coach English club Leicester.
The former Otago stalwart will coach against his home nation for the first time on Saturday and says there will be no mixed feelings.
“I suppose when you’re in professional sports, whatever team you’re involved with, you get emotionally invested in it pretty quickly,” the 43-year-old told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m just trying to do a really good job here with the Wallabies and really enjoying it.
“Preparing to beat an opposition, nothing changes. Just go about my work and make sure that we prepare these boys as best we can, so we turn up on Saturday and give a performance that we’re really proud of.”
Australia, who lead the Rugby Championship by a point, can knock the All Blacks out of the competition with a round to spare if they win with a bonus point while breaking the psychological hold of their long losing streak at Eden Park. However, more importantly for Australian fans would be the chance to end the All-Blacks’ long Bledisloe Cup reign.
New Zealand have held the annual trophy contested by the trans-Tasman nations since 2003, a generational dominance that has cast a long shadow over Australian rugby.
With New Zealand the holders, Australia need to win at Eden Park and avoid losing the re-match in Perth a week later, or vice versa, to wrest back the trophy. —SuperSport
