New Zealand fly-half Beauden Barrett yesterday warned of an Australian backlash when the fierce rivals clash in the Bledisloe Cup in Japan this weekend.
The All Blacks, who have won the last two Rugby World Cups, will be looking to complete a 3-0 whitewash in the annual series in Saturday’s Test in Yokohama.
But Barrett pointed to Australia’s stunning recent fightback against Argentina – when they wiped out a 24-point half-time deficit to win 45-34 – as evidence the Wallabies have turned the corner after losing six of their eight previous Tests.
“We always get a confident Australia, there’s no doubt about that,” the two-time world player of the year told reporters.
“They’ve probably rediscovered that bit of belief that may have been missing. It was a great comeback, we acknowledge that - be we weren’t surprised to see them come back.
“We can’t take for granted that we’re going to just keep winning,” added Barrett, who is set to win his 70th cap at the weekend. “There’s no secret recipe – we just have to keep working hard. We have high standards and we have to be accountable. It’s a serious business.”
New Zealand slipped up last year after winning the first two Bledisloe Tests, a fact not lost on wing Rieko Ioane.
“It’s a similar situation,” he said. “Last year was a huge learning curve for us, but they came out swinging harder and deserved their win.”
New Zealand face the 2019 World Cup hosts Japan in Tokyo on November 3 before flying to Europe to complete their five-match tour against England, Ireland and Italy.
Room for improvement
But assistant coach Ian Foster refused to look beyond their trans-Tasman rivals.
“The (Bledisloe) trophy is already in the cabinet,” he said.
“But it’s a typical Test against Australia and the beauty of this one is that it’s Test one of a tour, so it’s important we start well.
“We really don’t want to have to rebound from a poor performance in game one.”
Foster insisted the All Blacks would come out firing after beating Argentina twice in the Rugby Championship and splitting a brutal pair of games with South Africa after extending their 15-year stranglehold on the Bledisloe Cup. “I don’t think we’re ever pleased,” he said. “We’re a grumpy bunch in some ways, but overall we’re in an okay spot.
“We’ve come off a pretty tough Rugby Championship, we got really challenged by South Africa and we can still get better and smoother in some areas.”
Australia will also play November Tests away to Wales, Italy and England.
Centre Samu Kerevi, who is set to make his return from a bicep injury, backed the Wallabies to push the World Cup holders all the way.
“You always want to play the best in the world and right now they are the best – period,” he said. “But for us it’s about making sure we’re prepared and have ticked off all the boxes to get the best outcome. The World Cup is not too far away, so hopefully it’s a rehearsal.”
Consistency key for
Australia, says Kerevi
Australia need to be more consistent if they are to challenge the best Rugby teams in the world, according to returning centre Samu Kerevi.
Australia are in Japan for the third Bledisloe Cup clash against New Zealand on Saturday with the All Blacks having already wrapped up the annual series 2-0 after wins in Sydney and Auckland. The Wallabies will, however, look to build momentum for next year’s World Cup with a victory in Tokyo.
Kerevi, 25, is making a return to the Australian squad, having missed the last six games with a bicep injury sustained in June. The Wallabies have lost four times in his absence. “It has been really hard to watch from the sidelines,” Kerevi said in Tokyo on Tuesday. “Consistency with results is the biggest thing for us and this consistency is something we want to improve over this five-week tour.”
Australia’s rankings has dropped to number seven in the world and they know they must improve in the coming weeks, with matches against Wales, Italy and England to come after the Bledisloe clash.
Kerevi wanted his side to lay down a marker in Japan, who host the 2019 Rugby World Cup in less than a year.
“This weekend will be a big game, here in Japan with the World Cup not too far away so hopefully it is a rehearsal,” the Queensland Reds centre said.
“For us it is about being consistent in training and doing the little things so when we do come up against the best in the world then we have prepared and ticked all the boxes.”
All Blacks’ Beauden Barrett (right) with a teammate during their training session in Tokyo yesterday. The New Zealand All Blacks will play Australia’s Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup match in Yokohama on Saturday. (AFP)
