Improved Wallabies ready for All Blacks tilt: skipper Hooper

Australianskipper Michael Hooper said yesterday the Wallabies were ready to testthemselves against world champions New Zealand in this weekend’sBledisloe Cup match in Brisbane.Hooper said the Australians were amuch stronger, consistent and confident team than the one swamped 54-34by the All Blacks in the series opener in Sydney in August.The All Blacks have already clinched the Bledisloe Cup for a 15th consecutive year.Butthey only just denied the Wallabies with a converted try less than twominutes from full-time to scrape home 35-29 in a cliffhanger when theteams last met in Dunedin on August 26.The Wallabies have onlybeaten the All Blacks once in their last 18 meetings, but Hooper saidhis team had steadily improved throughout the Rugby Championship,finishing second to New Zealand and ahead of South Africa and Argentina.“We’re ready to test ourselves,” he told reporters yesterday.“We’ve definitely done some good building over the last couple of weeks.“Ithink we have got a greater belief in our game and what we can do andwe have also seen a lot of players step up within that time as well.“For us to beat them in front of a home crowd would be fantastic.”Whileit has been all one-way traffic in the Bledisloe Cup in recent years,the Wallabies feel it could be a good time to face the All Blacks.NewZealand will be without ace fly-half Beauden Barrett and lock BrodieRetallick and with the series already decided, the Australians may havemore to prove in the dead series rubber.The All Blacks have opted not to risk Barrett after a recent head knock, with Lima Sopoaga to start at No.10.“It’d be great to beat the No.1 team in the world,” Hooper said.“Thatwould do a lot of things for a lot of people and maybe change theirperception but we’re very positive of how things have been working inand around the team and the guys’ commitment to the detail and togetting better.“Tomorrow night’s just going to be a reflection of that.”Hooper said his side have grown principally in their game management enough to secure the win.Retiringformer captain Stephen Moore, named among the replacements, willfeature in his last Test in Australia and his 125th overall.The veteran hooker will end his international career after Australia’s European tour next month.The All Blacks were forced into a late team change yesterday after reserve flanker Matt Todd injured his groin in training.Ardie Savea was called up as a new replacement after missing out to Todd in the original team selection.