Maybe it’s the need for New Zealand to prove itself on the sporting stage. Maybe it’s the constant desire to get one over our closest neighbours. Whatever the overarching reasoning, the All Blacks will never take the Bledisloe Cup for granted.
There’s a school of thought percolating, particularly among Australian rugby fans, that a Wallabies upset in Sydney this weekend would be the best result for the game in this part of the world.
That’s true to a certain extent. Australian rugby, as it scraps for relevance amidst a worrying low ebb while competing with the AFL and NRL finals in Sydney, desperately needs a lift.
The battle for the Bledisloe needs reigniting to capture the casual sporting subscribers. At present it could best be described as a fight between a wombat and a croc.
The All Blacks have held an ironclad grip on the coveted Bledisloe Cup for the last 21 years – such a reign that the youngest member of their squad, Wallace Sititi, was born the same year the Wallabies last claimed the Bled.
In that time All Blacks captains Reuben Thorne, Tana Umaga, Richie McCaw (nine times), Rodney So’oialo, Kieran Read, Sam Whitelock and Sam Cane hoisted the Bledisloe aloft. Scott Barrett, as he and Scott Robertson confront the blowtorch only the demanding Test scene can apply, will be desperate to follow suit.
Australian sporting psyche is such that they are never down and out, never more dangerous than when widely written off. That is certainly where Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies find themselves after conceding 67 points, their highest total in history, with 64 of those in the last 50 minutes, in their record loss to the Pumas in Argentina.
One loss from the All Blacks’ last 12 Tests against the Wallabies – and an average 17-point winning margin in their last seven victories – further underpins their dominance.
Given those records one might expect a sense of apathy to envelope the All Blacks and New Zealand rugby fans this week.
While expectations for a comfortable All Blacks victory emanate, Robertson’s men have made it clear their desire to retain a trophy they value second only to the Webb Ellis Cup remains as strong as ever.
Indeed, as silverware fast dwindles from New Zealand Rugby HQ after three losses from their last four Tests, with the Freedom Cup and Rugby Championship departing, the Bledisloe assumes greater significance. As a reminder of the prize on the line the Bledisloe has held pride of place in the All Blacks hotel in Double Bay this week.
“It’s massive. It’s sitting there in the team room,” All Blacks assistant coach and former midfielder Tamati Ellison said. “Just the amount of history around it. In my day I didn’t get an opportunity to play for it but I was in the squad at the time and to see how Ted [Sir Graham Henry] would speak about it was great. That legacy continues.
“It’s a massive trophy and one you recognise as a kid with Fitzy [Sean Fitzpatrick] and others holding it up. There’s definitely some visceral feelings.”
While the All Blacks have consistently dominated the Wallabies in recent times, 11 members of Robertson’s squad featured two years ago in Melbourne when, in a similar backdrop, a late, highly controversial time-wasting penalty against Bernard Foley helped the visitors escape.
Schmidt’s influential presence provokes unease, too, having switched camps after spending 18 months as All Blacks assistant coach to Ian Foster through to last year’s World Cup.
“In terms of mindset it is pretty ruthless,” in-form All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor said. “We come over here, we’re playing Australia, and that’s all the edge you need as a Kiwi. I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of boys in that team and it’s black versus yellow – it’s going to be a hell of a Test.
“I suppose there’s also appropriate fear involved with holding the Bledisloe. And while we have held the Bledisloe, it’s not ours anymore. We’ve got to go out there and earn the right and that’s what this week is about.”
Despite the lopsided nature of this rivalry, one that extends to Super Rugby, next week’s return Test in Wellington is sold out – a notable feat after the same venue was half full for the Pumas shock upset last month.
Whether the Bledisloe remains up for grabs in Wellington or locked away for another year depends on the Wallabies’ ability to rise for the occasion. For their part the All Blacks, as forwards coach Jason Ryan explains, are seeking the former and expecting the latter.
“We’ve got so much respect for Australia,” Ryan said. “This Test match is different, this is the Bledisloe Cup. It’s a trophy really dear to the All Blacks’ hearts. Every Bledisloe is different and every Bledisloe and you have to earn the right to grab the trophy.”
If the Wallabies are to stun the All Blacks, complacency can’t be blamed.