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Beauden Barrett back in starting All Blacks team to play the Wallabies at Eden Park
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Now is the time for Wallabies to end Bledisloe drought
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The Wallabies have not had a better chance to end the Bledisloe Cup drought than here and now in 2026.
A strong opponent visiting Eden Park in recent years has often been met with trepidation and tension in the build up with worries that the record could fall.
This was certainly the case in 2025 with the Springboks and earlier in 2026 with Ireland. Two teams with a history of beating New Zealand at home brought with them the possibility of ending the streak. Both floundered and were undone in the first 20 minutes of the game, conceding early tries.
This week with the Wallabies there has been none of that talk. They have completely flown under the radar, despite riding a six-game undefeated streak.
This suits the Wallabies perfectly. The talk of the streak ending has proven to be fuel for the All Blacks, not the opposing side. The All Blacks have played better when the pressure is on. This week they can be lulled into sleep with the lack of talk.
This week’s Bledisloe has not been able to attract much hype, but that ignores what is a strong Wallabies outfit.
The Springboks side they played in Perth was not full of bums. They trounced them 42-17 when it was 15-on-15.
In Argentina, a place the All Blacks have not been able to handle the last few years, the Wallabies produced a win and a draw for their first ever winning series over Los Pumas at home.
Whilst the Wallabies are absent some big names, Will Skelton, Tom Hooper, and Taniela Tupou, so are the All Blacks.
An All Black side missing Ardie Savea makes a massive difference, and so does missing Ruben Love.
Love, playing injured in the South Africa, still gave the All Blacks a mature No.10 who doesn’t make bonehead plays. Love doesn’t implode and put his own side under pressure. He’s surprisingly calm and composed and doesn’t reach for plays that aren’t there.
What you get from Beauden Barrett recently is often the opposite, who has been named to start at fullback. The 35-year-old’s greatest strengths were never game management, it was always out-the-box rabbit tricks and riverboat gambler plays.
In his prime it was magic, but he doesn’t have the game to produce those any more, so you just get too much of everything else; selfish kicking for cheap turnovers, contact shy running.
This absolutely gives the Wallabies more than half a chance at Eden Park. A few bad Barrett errors can swing the possession stakes a few too many times.
The Wallabies boast the better back row in this series with Ardie Savea missing. Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini would all start in a combined ANZAC XV loose forward trio.
In the second row too, you’d pick likely pick Fabian Holland and Josh Canham. But even Jeremy Williams was instrumental in picking apart the Bok lineout in Perth, something the All Blacks couldn’t do.
Angus Bell would genuinely take the loosehead spot and on form, you’d take Brandon Paenga-Amosa over Codie Taylor. At tighthead prop Allan Alaalaatoa is a test legend who can hold up the scrum better currently than Tyrel Lomax.
The All Blacks are picking players on work rate and the Wallabies are picking on power and set piece. Guess what won Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry?
The Australians have much better ball carriers than the All Blacks. Angus Bell, Canham, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Wilson, Valetini. These are big boys who can smash down the front door. They did it to South Africa and they can do it again. The All Blacks should thank their lucky stars that Skelton and Tupou are not available.
The missing ingredient for the Wallabies since 2020 has always been the halves to provide the control they need to manage the pack around. They’ve found it in Ryan Lonergan.
The Wallabies new halfback was exceptional in Perth and they finally have a game driver to control the game. This led to Australia winning the aerial game with Joseph Suaalii and Max Jorgensen dominating the catch zone.
The Springboks exposed the All Blacks weakness in the aerial game. The Wallabies have a better one than South Africa.
If the Wallabies don’t implode and throw this game away in the first 20 minutes, they can take it. They have everything they need and the game plan to play on their terms.
They just need to play patient, play for territory and drag the All Blacks into the same parts of the game that South Africa did.
Everything is set up perfectly for the Wallabies to shock the world and end the Eden Park streak.
1 YEAR TO GO
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