The Wallaby - All Blacks game

This from the Sydney Morning Herald this morning:- "The Ewen McKenzie-coached Wallabies will use smarts and strategy to pull off an upset win over the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday. Wallabies back rower Ben Mowen confirmed McKenzie had used the knowledge from his higher than 75 per cent success rate against New Zealand teams at the Reds during the past three years to prepare the squad. Mowen said the former Test prop appeared to have built a strategy based on outfoxing the tourists in the opening Bledisloe Cup match at ANZ Stadium. '[It's] almost a very Australian way of thinking in terms of strategy. We know we often come up against bigger blokes and better athletes but our ability has always been to outsmart them,' Mowen said. Advertisement 'It's a massive strength of Link's that he's [working on] with the players here and from what I've seen here over the last couple of weeks guys are extremely excited by it.' There is also no doubt the odds are against the Australians. Making allowances for the traditional first-game spike often seen under a new coach, the Wallabies go into Saturday's Test after less than two weeks' with their new coach, a raft of new players and the load of a Super Rugby finals campaign weighing on many of their bodies. Mowen acknowledged it was a 'huge ask' but said McKenzie was using tactics that had worked before for the Reds and Brumbies. 'I think what Link's done with the guys that he's picked is [he will use] a similar strategy around what we've done against the Kiwi sides in Super Rugby,' he said. 'With so many of the squad coming from the finals series and the Reds being in the first week of the finals, match fitness and things aren't going to be a drama, it was just getting that little bit of time together.' Mowen, who made his Test debut against the British and Irish Lions this year, is expected to be named in the starting back row on Thursday. He said he was not intimidated by facing the All Blacks for the first time and that work rate would be king in the clash. 'If you look at the All Blacks back row they're not a huge back row but they get through a huge amount of work and they're obviously quality players,' he said. The moral of the story is if MacKenzie is half as smart as a rugby coach as he is in food munching - then there may be a SMALL chance of an Aussie victory in the upcoming test. I still think the AB's should win - unless the wheels come off completely like happened in the Twickenham test last year

Not a bad curtain raiser to the main game involving the Boks and Argies that is for sure!

Will be nice to see some soft impact "netball" rugby before the real men take the park.

 

Good luck to both teams and what a massive occasion for Steven Luatua. Good on you Steven.Much deserved. Go well!