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The lessons the Wallabies must learn in order to beat the All Blacks in Bledisloe Cup III

Wallabies players look dejected after losing the Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies at Eden Park on October 18, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
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Wallabies attack coach Scott Wisemantel says Australia need to bring their A-game against New Zealand on Saturday, demanding accuracy as they attempt to level the Bledisloe Cup series.

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Missed tackles and turnovers by the Wallabies were costly in the 27-7 loss in the second test in Auckland and Wisemantel wants to see better in the ANZ Stadium clash.

“We just need to be far more accurate,” Wisemantel said.

Asked for more specifics the coach replied: “Where do you want to go? Defence, attack? Our whole all-round game we’ve got to be more accurate, that’s it.

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Bledisloe III Preview | The Breakdown | Episode 40

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Bledisloe III Preview | The Breakdown | Episode 40

“We spoke about accuracy and we’ve got to get that right.”

Wisemantel helped England head coach Eddie Jones orchestrate a win over New Zealand in last year’s World Cup semi-final so knows what it takes to knock them over.

He said the Australians had the right mindset but were let down by their execution.

However, he was adamant there wasn’t a “drop-off”.

“There wasn’t a drop-off,” Wisemantel said.

“The intensity, the intent was good. You saw the intent. We went out there to score tries, we went out there to smash them.

“The problem was we didn’t control the game and were inaccurate and that’s what cost us.

“If you’re inaccurate against New Zealand, who many say are the best team in the world, then you get punished and that’s what happened.”

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The Wallabies will have a new inside centre following Matt Toomua’s groin injury but Wisemantel felt they would be well-covered in the absence of the veteran.

Brumbies back Irae Simone could get his test debut or Hunter Paisami, who shifted there in Auckland after Toomua left the field, may also wear the No.12 jersey.

“Irae deserves to be in the squad on the back of his performances with the Brumbies,” he said.

“His evolution is a slow burn … he’s changed a few things about himself and was in a great system with the Brumbies and that culmination of two things was a tipping point.”

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Among other changes with the team to be named Thursday, veteran fullback Dane Haylett-Petty and exciting outside centre Jordan Petaia could come into the starting side.

“When you look at that attacking shape we can chop and change within that and that’s the beauty of the system that we’re playing,” he said.

“Whoever jumps into that role, we expect them to do the job and do it well, with good skill.”

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NoLongerARuck 52 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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