Hello everyone and welcome to the live coverage of the first Bledisloe Cup international of the year between New Zealand and Australia. We will be in Wellington at 4 p.m. local time (2 p.m. AEDT).
Seldom has one of the most outstanding events in the sports calendar been so bleak. Neither team has played a full national team since the World Cup almost exactly a year ago, since the sport was rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused rugby authorities to scramble round after round over scheduling, quarantine and finances argued. With all the arguments that have taken place, it is a wonder that a Bledisloe Cup has to be held at all this year.
That said, it’s as clear as mud what defines the 2020 Bledisloe Cup, with two standalone games in New Zealand (today and next Sunday in Auckland) ahead of two rugby championship bouts in Australia. Communication has been extremely poor over the past few weeks as details have been worked out behind the scenes and confirmations have been relayed to a confused audience. The Australian rugby boss Hamish McLennan was only a few months in the hot seat, but has already had the experience of declaring relations with New Zealand rugby to be the “lowest ebb”. This is not ideal for such codependent rivalry.
With the off-field machinations aside, there is no shortage of intrigue in rugby proper. Both nations appointed new coaches many months ago at the start of a new World Cup cycle and this will be their first opportunity to stamp their brands on their respective sides.
Dave Rennie’s first training team has 16 capless players, of whom only six from the 44-member group are over 28 years old. The former chief mentor has been tasked with reinventing the wallabies and his first international season should be full of experimentation. One constant remains, however, captain Michael Hooper, who will lead his team in his 100th appearance in green and gold today.
In contrast, the All Blacks approach is a continuity approach. Ian Foster, formerly Steve Hansen’s assistant, is now in club suit and is helping a well-known group to recover from a chaste loss to England in last year’s semi-finals in Japan.
For Foster and the All Blacks, the next fortnight is full of expectations. Not only does the frustration of this defeat by England need to be blown away, the hostility behind the scenes with Australia has led to palpable tension between close neighbors. In front of large crowds barking for blood, the acclaimed New Zealand outfit not only has to win, but also put on a show.
I’ll be back with casts and so on shortly. If you would like to contact me at any time, you can reach me at Twitter or E-Mail.
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