Fox Sports rugby commentator Greg Clark previews the Wallabies-All Blacks Hong Kong Bledisloe clash

 


  • Greg Clark
  • From FOX SPORTS
  • October 25, 2010 4:10PM






Huge tour ... Wallabies' spring endeavours could pave the way to World Cup glory. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited


After a break of seven weeks the Wallabies and All Blacks are ready to continue their rivalry when they clash at Hong Kong Stadium on Saturday night.

It’s the start of the Wallabies’ most important northern tour since the game went professional in 1996.

Not since Rod Macqueen took over as coach in 1997 has an Australia team been under so much pressure to perform.

Coming off three losses to the All Blacks and a record defeat at the hands of the Springboks in Pretoria, Macqueen was handed the task of getting the Wallabies back on track just two years out for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

A drawn series in Argentina and a draw with England at Twickenham wasn’t a great start for the new coach, but a big win over Scotland at Murrayfield in the final tour match gave long suffering fans some hope.

The rest is history. The Wallabies won 11 of the 13 Tests played in 1998 and then went on to win the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

It was a golden era for Australian rugby and we’ve just got to hope that this current squad can repeat history and win the World Cup in New Zealand next year.









Robbie Deans is not one to look for excuses but he has had more than his fair share of bad luck this season.

Injuries have meant that he’s had to blood more players than he really should have. Inexperience has been a major issue at crucial times in Test matches.

Australia couldn’t protect a winning lead against the Boks in Pretoria and then allowed the Boks to come back from 25 points down and hit the front in Bloemfontein.

Fortunately Kurtley Beale’s late penalty goal clinched our first win on the highveldt for forty seven years.

Then there was the third Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney last month. Australia looked to have it all sewn up in the second half before yet another All Black’s comeback.

I reckon it wouldn’t have happened if a few older heads were out there. Injured forwards like Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Wycliff Palu and Tatafu Polota-Nau were missed.

You only have to look at highlights from last year’s northern tour and the early Test matches this year to see what impact Digby Ioane brings to the Wallabies.

His injury was a major blow for our Tri Nations’ campaign.

Having said all that, it now means that others have been given a taste and hopefully we’ll have more than enough depth over the coming years.

With a few players returning from injury for this tour there really can’t be any excuses. If the Wallabies get a good start against the All Blacks in Hong Kong on Saturday they should be able to go on with it.

Another loss will make it all that much harder to break this long run of defeats to the men in black.
New Zealand want to keep the foot on the Aussie’s throats and chalk up an 11th straight win, and they’ll also be desperate to keep their overall unbeaten run going.

They have now won 15 straight and are in sight of the world record of 17 wins on the trot, a record they share with South Africa.

New Zealand have scored 28 tries to Australia’s 14 over the past ten test matches but the Wallabies showed in Sydney last month that the gap has closed. The All Blacks came from behind to win by a single point.

The All Blacks are unbeaten in 2010 while Australia has won five from ten. All the stats suggest New Zealand deserve to be favourite but I have a good feeling about Australia’s chances.

At the recent John Eales Medal, Wallaby Hall of Fame inductee Andrew Slack said no team had played better rugby than the Wallabies this year.

It was only those 15 or 20 minute lapses in certain tests that costs us dearly. If they can stay focused for longer periods they’ll be a real handful.

I look forward to the upcoming tour and while the All Blacks will be tough, an unbeaten tour is not out of the question.

Australia failed to win the Grand Slam this time last year but victories over New Zealand, Wales, England, Italy and France this time will be a timely boost in the countdown to next year’s Rugby World Cup.

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