Bledisloe Cup 2023: Wallabies v All Blacks – Rugby Championship ...

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6 mins: Scratch that. The TMO reviews the footage and shows Koroibete’s left arm in touch as he grounds with his right. But hang on…

5 mins: Australia steady the ship with a multi-phase drive to halfway. Can they find a line break? Yes! Nawaqanitawase gallops into open space with only the fullback to beat. He arcs his run, accepts contact and the Wallabies launch a mighty assault on the line. Skelton and Holloway both go close but are held up a fraction short. New Zealand are desperately scrambling. There must be space out wide – there is – and pass-catch reaches Koroibete who dives full length into the corner – try for Australia!

TRY! Australia 0-5 New Zealand (Frizell, 3)

Wow! Australia execute a perfect lineout but the second McDermott accepts possession off Holloway’s tap-down, Scott Barrett flies like a human missile into the unguarded scrum-half, taking man and ball and sending shrapnel flying everywhere. Frizell swoops in, scoops up the loose ball and touches down. Blimey, that tackle will go down in Bledisloe history.

Mo’unga misses a gettable conversion.

3 mins: Australia secure the lineout but go nowhere with ball in hand. Gordon tries a very shallow Garryowen that allows the All Blacks to reset. A bomb to halfway isn’t claimed by the defence and Smith continues the momentum with a delightful kick to the right corner… and then…

2 mins: Both sides exchange early kicks before the Wallabies take a couple of tackles. Kerevi goes back to his boot, allowing New Zealand to work through some phases on halfway, but it ends disappointingly with Smith missing the target of Frizell and the ball bouncing into touch.

Kick-off!

Bledisloe I is under way…

As the All Blacks begin what looks like a Kapa o Pango Haka, Allan Alaalatoa walks forward and places a boomerang on the centre spot as an acceptance of the challenge.

The Welcome to Country is a delight, complete with a tiny tearaway dancer. The anthems are typically full throated. The big screen operator cuts to Eddie Jones wearing his now trademark call centre operator’s earpiece and microphone. Everything in its right place.

There’s a much louder roar for the arrival of the Wallabies, led by Allan Alaalatoa. Australia are wearing their golden First Nations jersey tonight, with green shorts and socks.

Ardie Savea leads his side out of the changing rooms, past the canteen, and up the race of the MCG. Plenty of cheers greet New Zealand, who are wearing their familiar all black uniform.

As we inch towards kick-off – clearly nowhere near the scheduled time of 7.45 – I’ll point you in the direction of Angus Fontaine to set the scene. A scene that reads like something from the screenplay of a horror movie if you’re an Australian.

Few give the Wallabies any hope. The men in gold were diabolical in the 43-12 loss to South Africa in Pretoria, self-destructing in the 34-31 defeat to Argentina in Sydney. Now they face a New Zealand side who blew South Africa away with 17 points in as many minutes and did even worse to Argentina, scoring three tries in 12 minutes to lead 31-0 inside half an hour. It’s not a form line that screams “Australia to win the Bledisloe for the first time in 21 years”.

Angus Fontaine

I’m here at the MCG, and I know Melburnians love their dark garb but the early crowd is decidedly black with flecks of Wallaby gold. Let’s hope the locals empty out of the pubs soon and the gold rush begins.

Australian Crawl’s Boys Light Up is playing full blast on the PA system – a portent of Eddie’s threat for his young guns to “light up the MCG”?

The Wallabies warm up in front of a growing crowd. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

The All Blacks have kindly knocked up a stats graphic for us.

The most experienced referee in international rugby, England’s Wayne Barnes, is your man in the middle for the night. With over 100 caps, Barnes has refereed more Tests that anybody in history. At the age of 21, Barnes became the youngest referee ever appointed to England’s Panel of National Referees. That was back in 2001, the last time Australia won the Bledisloe outright.

A shot clock to prevent time-wasting and a “Bunker” review system for upgrading yellow cards to red are among innovations that will be in place for the upcoming Rugby World Cup warm-up matches this summer.

It’s been a beautiful winter’s day in Melbourne, with the City bathed in sunshine and temperatures hitting a balmy 18C. A northerly breeze has done its best to be noticed, but that is running out of steam as night falls.

The ground was used last night for a huge match in the AFL, so conditions underfoot may not be ideal, and there are likely to be some stubborn pitch markings in un-rugby-like places.

The MCG has hosted three Bledisloe Cup clashes, with an average attendance of 81,529. The All Blacks won 33-18 in 1997, then a year later the Wallabies evened the ledger 24-16. Most recently, in 2007, Australia claimed a narrow 20-15 victory.

The All Blacks have cultivated one of the most rock solid brands in sport, but their choice of front-of-shirt sponsor could be a rare misstep.

For anyone heading to the MCG tonight – or there already – a trip to the MCC library is always a treat. True to form, they’ve even published a Bledisloe fact sheet.

The All Blacks warm up on the hallowed turf. Photograph: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

This is worth a few minutes of your time as the two squads go through their paces out in the middle of the G.

All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith cranes his neck to size up the top tier of the enormous MCG. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Here’s more on the selection of the two line-ups.

New Zealand XV

By contrast, the in-form All Blacks make only one change, with skipper Sam Crane nursing a neck strain allowing Dalton Papali’i an opportunity in the back row. Coach Ian Foster also has the luxury of easing the class of Anton Lienert-Brown and Samuel Whitelock back into action off the bench after spells out, while Cam Roigard is set to debut from the bench.

“As the final Rugby Championship Test, there is much at stake in this game,” Foster said. “We have learned a lot from two stern Tests so far this year and there is huge excitement about playing Australia at this iconic ground.”

New Zealand: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Brodie Retallick, 5 Scott Barrett, 6 Shannon Frizell, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 8 Ardie Savea (captain), 9 Aaron Smith, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 11 Mark Telea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 13 Rieko Ioane, 14 Will Jordan, 15 Beauden Barrett.

Reserves: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Caleb Clarke.

Australia XV

Almost exactly six weeks before Australia’s World Cup opener, and for a Bledisloe Cup clash against New Zealand, Eddie Jones has made seven changes to the starting XV that was humbled at home to Argentina. This overhaul includes an entirely new pairing in the halves, but neither of the two co-captains. It is a sobering indication of where the Wallabies are at, at this late stage of a four-year cycle.

Angus Bell, Nick Frost, and Tom Hooper come into the pack, while in the backs, Carter Gordon makes his highly-anticipated starting debut, alongside the recalled Tate McDermott, Jordan Petaia, and Andrew Kellaway.

James Slipper, Richie Arnold, Nic White, and Quade Cooper all drop to the bench, Len Ikitau is in a race against the clock to make the World Cup after suffering a fractured scapula against the Pumas, while Fraser McReight and Tom Wright have been jettisoned altogether.

“We are a team that wants to make Australia proud and Saturday night is a great opportunity to light up the MCG,” Jones said. “A young starting 15 and vibrant, experienced finishers will give us the 80 minutes we want.”

Australia: 1 Angus Bell, 2 David Porecki, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 4 Nick Frost, 5 Will Skelton, 6 Jed Holloway, 7 Tom Hooper, 8 Rob Valetini, 9 Tate McDermott, 10 Carter Gordon, 11 Marika Koroibete, 12 Samu Kerevi, 13 Jordan Petaia, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 15 Andrew Kellaway.

Reserves: 16 Jordan Uelese, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Richie Arnold, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Nic White, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Izaia Perese.

For 20 years, the Bledisloe Cup has resembled corporal mortification on the northwestern side of the Tasman Sea, but Stuart Walmsley has found at least one reason for Australian optimism.

The All Blacks have held the trophy since 2003, but each year Australian rugby fans find reason to hope, and this time it comes in the form of youth and Mark Nawaqanitawase. The 22-year-old Sydneysider moves like swiftly running water, and will start on the wing for the Wallabies on Saturday as part of a hugely inexperienced team. The stage couldn’t be any bigger: the MCG, and a projected crowd of 85,000.

Angus Fontaine did his best to put a positive spin on the wreckage of Australia’s defeat to Argentina.

Last week, Australia were a rabble and the Springboks turned them to boerewors inside an hour. Against Argentina they were brave in defence and audacious in attack but dumb errors and poor composure hobbled them. But with 32% possession, it was a miracle they got as close to winning as they did.

Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v New Zealand in round three of The Rugby Championship. Kick-off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is 7.45pm AEST.

It’s been a horror series so far for the Wallabies, and a nightmare return to the hot seat for Eddie Jones. After consecutive defeats – the first a thumping by the Springboks, the second after being outplayed by the Pumas – questions are once again being asked about the health of Australian rugby. With the World Cup on the horizon, a morale boosting victory over New Zealand is needed.

But, typically, the All Blacks will be no pushovers. They’ve owned the Bledisloe Cup for most of this millennium and in recent weeks have flexed their muscles against Argentina and South Africa. A breathtaking first-half spell against the Springboks a fortnight ago was as potent as any seen this hemisphere for some time. Coach Ian Foster will relish the opportunity to add the finishing touches to his side’s World Cup preparations on hostile turf.

I’ll be back with teams news and insights from the two camps shortly. If you want to get in touch at any point you can always send me an email.