VIDEO: Wallabies hit desperation zone
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SPOTLIGHT: The Wallabies are desperate to avoid a 16th consecutive Bledisloe Cup failure ahead of their must-win match against the All Blacks.
Fresh from a 13-38 loss to the All Black on their home turf in Sydney, the Wallabies want redemption at the All Blacks’ Eden Park fortress, lock Adam Coleman said from the team’s remote island base Monday.
Michael Cheika’s men, who have retreated to Waiheke Island, 20 kilometres (12 miles) off the Auckland coast, have a mammoth task at hand.
A favourite weekend getaway for Aucklanders visiting its upmarket vineyards, the island will this week host an Australia team desperate to stop the All Blacks claiming the Bledisloe for the 16th straight year.
Australia haven’t beaten New Zealand at the Eden Park since 1986 and the All Blacks are undefeated through their last 41 starts at the ground.
Coleman said they were disappointed to let a 6-5 half-time lead slip in Sydney by squandering possession and failing at the set piece.
But he believed they could improve in the second match of the three-Test series at Eden Park on Saturday.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in our boys,” he told reporters.
“What a challenge to come to Eden Park and respond here in New Zealand. It’s great motivation for the squad.”
Coleman, 26, was not born the last time the Wallabies beat the All Blacks at Eden Park in 1986.
But he said the Australians were relishing the opportunity to challenge the Auckland venue’s intimidating history.
“We laugh about it but we’re here to do a job,” he said.
“The boys are hurting at the moment and to come here and play at Eden Park is something we’re looking forward to.
“We get to turn around a performance that we’re not really proud of to be honest. I think we let down people on our home turf and it hurts,”
Australia wing Dane Haylett-Petty said turnovers from both set piece and general play were the killer blow.
“When you look at the structured and unstructured defence we were actually really good, but we got killed on turnovers,” he told reporters.
“Four or five tries. It was the main area of the game where we let ourselves down.
“Against other teams, they’re probably not going to capitalise on all those opportunities but the All Blacks definitely do and we can’t afford to open the door and give them those opportunities.”
Fix those key areas and the result may have been different on Saturday but for now, all eyes are on Eden Park.
“We know we’re good enough, we were good enough for 39 minutes in the game and we’ve got to be able to do it for 80 minutes,” Haylett-Petty said.
“It’s going to take a very good performance but we’ve got a very good team, a lot of quality, experienced players and very good coaches.
“If we stick to what we do well, we’ll do well.”
Source: AFP & rugbycomau
