All Blacks are ready to fire for Bledisloe

Willie Jackson's Opinion

Friday, 5th August, 2011

This weekend's All Blacks test match against Australia will give us a real indication of whether our team is good enough to win this year's world cup.

The Wallabies are brimming with confidence despite having lost to the All Blacks 10 out of the last 11 times they have played.

They believe they have a real chance which is understandable given the Queensland Reds' victory in the Super 15 and the Wallabies' triumph over the All Blacks in the last Bledisloe Cup test.

Ironically their best player Quade Cooper is a Maori from the Tainui tribe.

The first-five is the most exciting young player in world rugby.

He's been labelled the new Carlos Spencer and his Maori flair is what ignites the brilliant Australian backline.

It's actually very sad having to watch him play for Australia. If he had stayed in New Zealand he would have been without doubt the heir apparent to the great Daniel Carter.

The pressure on him this weekend will be immense, his weakness is his defence and his flair can sometimes get the better of him.

So it will be fascinating to watch how he copes with his biggest challenge to date.

Opposing him will be the great Carter who looks like he's really starting to hit his straps.

His running game, which wasn't very apparent during the Super 15, looks like it's returned and his tactical reading of the game, is un-matched in world rugby.

Carter should ensure a comfortable victory for the All Blacks because unlike Cooper he will be behind a forward pack that is powerful and dominant.

And that's where this All Blacks team has the edge. Its front five should dominate the Wallabies and our loose forward trio led by Captain Richie McCaw is the best combination in world rugby.

As brilliant as the Wallabies backline is, they should not be better than our backline who will be led by Carter – the world's finest first-five for probably the last six years.

In Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith we have the world's best midfield, the wings Hosea Gear, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Cory Jane should be more than a match for their opposites and last year Mils Muliaina was the world's best fullback.

The All Blacks haven't lost at Eden Park for 17 years and 22 tests. They last lost there to the French in 1994. And they last lost to Australia there a quarter of a century ago.

That run should continue this weekend unless they lose control to the dangerous Maori first-five from Tainui.

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