Rugby fans worldwide are gearing up for the annual clash between New Zealand and Australia as the two teams battle it out for the Bledisloe cup. Since the 1930s, the two nations have held regular contests, with New Zealand coming out on top in more than seventy five percent of them.

Form

Australia goes into the games on the back of a series defeat against England, which will have certainly inspired many English youngsters to go out and buy a rugby ball in hopes of becoming the next star to represent their country. For Australia, there were plenty of positives in their performances that they can draw confidence from going forward. The Wallabies will need their key players, such as Israel Folau and captain Stephen Moore, to be in top form if they are to overcome the All Blacks.

New Zealand is on an impressive run of form. While confidence is always extremely high in the All Blacks’ camp, it will be soaring following their recent 46-6 demolition of Wales, which came in the third test of their summer tour.

Since Steve Hansen took over as coach of New Zealand six years ago, the All Blacks have suffered only three defeats and two draws, while the other 50 games were victories. The team has constantly improved along the way, so it’s no surprise that they’re being referred to as “the powerhouse of Rugby Union”.

With that in mind, Australia heads into the game as underdogs, although they are used to that status. There will be degree of caution, however, given that the All Blacks’ last defeat came at the hands of Australia. Underdogs they may be, but you can guarantee that nobody in the New Zealand camp is writing them off.

Key Dates

The first of the three tests takes place in Sydney on the 20th of August before the two teams meet again in Wellington on the 27th. After that, there is a considerable wait until the final game, which will take place on the 22nd of October in Auckland.

With New Zealand winning the last 13 matches in a row, their chances look very good.