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Australia and New Zealand will look to salvage difficult Rugby Championship campaigns as they meet in the first of back-to-back Bledisloe Cup clashes.
Joe Schmidt’s hosts are reeling after a record defeat in Argentina that raised yet more tough questions over the state of the Wallabies. While boosted by the return of a couple of key figures from injury, a tournament wooden spoon will beckon if the home side are beaten today ahead of a trip to Wellington next week.
The All Blacks, meanwhile, were again narrowly squeezed out by the Springboks in their last outing, continuing a run of defeats to South Africa that includes last year’s World Cup final. Scott Robertson’s side are out of the chase for a title they have won in seven of the last eight years, and will now focus on holding on to a Bledisloe Cup that has been in their possession since 2003.
Follow all the latest from Sydney in our live blog below:
James Slipper set to break caps record
Australia captain Harry Wilson said sending James Slipper home a winner after his record 140th test was a major motivation for the team ahead of their Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand.
Slipper, 35, will surpass George Gregan as Australia’s most-capped player when he comes off the bench as a replacement prop at Stadium Australia in the first of back-to-back tests against the All Blacks.
“It’s a massive motivation for us this weekend, he is a great servant to our game and he’s a great mate to everyone in the team,” number eight Wilson told reporters outside the Sydney Opera house on Friday.
“He’s been such a good person for Australian rugby and I really hope we can do him proud tomorrow.”
Wilson said the players had made up 140th test T-shirts and Slipper had been showered with congratulatory messages from everyone from former Wallabies team mates to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Harry Latham-Coyle21 September 2024 05:15
Australia vs New Zealand
It is more than two decades now since Australia last held the Bledisloe Cup, though they arrive with hope of ending that run. Joe Schmidt can welcome back Fraser McReight and Hunter Paisami, two of his best performers this year, while the Kiwi coach has urged his side to focus on the fact that they played relatively well for three halves in Argentina, asking them to forget the second half collapse as the Pumas ran riot a fortnight ago.
The Wallabies are obviously underdogs but their record this year mirrors that of their visitors: won four, lost three.
Harry Latham-Coyle21 September 2024 05:00
Australia vs New Zealand LIVE
A very good day to you, and welcome along to The Independent’s LIVE coverage of the penultimate round of the 2024 Rugby Championship. Australia and New Zealand have had a fortnight to lick their wounds after damaging defeats to Argentina and South Africa respectively, and now brace for the first of back-to-back Bledisloe Cup battles in Sydney. Can the Wallabies show signs of life to salvage their campaign? Or will the All Blacks return to full force and cling on to the trans-Tasman prize?
Kick off is at 6.45am BST.
Harry Latham-Coyle20 September 2024 08:12