Australia vs New Zealand Preview

Shifting over to the world of rugby with this post.

The Rugby Championship is contested by the four main Southern Hemisphere rugby powers: Australia (the Wallabies), New Zealand (the All Blacks), South Africa (the Springboks) and Argentina (the Pumas). This tournament was originally called the Tri-Nations, being only contested by the Wallabies, All Blacks, and Springboks. From 1996 to 2011, the era of the Tri-Nations, New Zealand were the most successful side, winning the title 10 times, while Australia and South Africa each won three times. Argentina joined the competition in 2012, and it was renamed The Rugby Championship. New Zealand then proceeded to win the 2012 championship by winning all six of their games.

In addition to competing for the Rugby Championship title, Australia and New Zealand also compete for the Bledisloe Cup, a trophy which is decided over three games, the two home-and-home matches the teams play during the Rugby Championship, and a third match, sometimes at a neutral site. New Zealand have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003, an unprecedented run of 10 straight victories. The greatest Bledisloe Cup match is often deemed to be the greatest match of all time. On July 15, 2000, Australia welcomed New Zealand to Sydney's Olympic Stadium which had just been built for the upcoming Olympics. A record crowd of 109,874 watched an instant classic, to most who watched it, the greatest game of all time. (I won't spoil it for you guys who have never seen it)

Now, on Saturday, Australia welcome back New Zealand to the very same stadium where they played that fateful day in 2000, looking to defeat their arch rivals and take the lead in the Bledisloe Cup series. In his team, Australia's new coach, Ewen McKenzie, named uncapped fly-half Matt Toomua, who I have never seen play but is rated very highly. Most of the forwards are the same as in Australia's last series, against the British and Irish Lions. New Zealand have gone with the tried and true lineup which has gotten them innumerable trophies over the past few years, although they do have some slightly new faces on the wing, with Julian Savea and Ben Smith starting.

Game time is 5 am Saturday morning, so set your alarm, get some coffee or tea, find a stream, and watch one of the greatest spectacles in rugby. Also, if you have never seen the Haka, make sure you find a way to see that.