‘Old Blacks’ skipper ‘prickly’ on crunch Bledisloe Test eve

All Blacks captain Kieran Read warned he was in a “prickly” mood Friday as he demanded a marked improvement in discipline and defence for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup decider against the Wallabies in Auckland.

At stake is not only the All Blacks’ 16-year grip on the cup, but also the defence of a phenomenal record at Eden Park where they have not been beaten in 42 Tests since 1994.

Former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons meanwhile mocked the All Blacks as “old and slow” on Friday just days after a Sydney tabloid labelled them “senior citizens”, stirring the pot ahead of a crunch Bledisloe Cup clash.

Their brazen confidence follows Australia stunning the world champions 47-26 in Perth last weekend, although the New Zealanders were a man down for the entire second half after lock Scott Barrett was sent off.

FitzSimons, now a media commentator, said the Wallabies “simply outclassed the All Blacks” in the record win.

The scale of the defeat raised questions about whether New Zealand’s dominance was at an end, and about the wisdom of relying on players aged over 30.

“Sonny Bill Williams is 34, how’s Sonny Bill going to go up against James O’Connor?” FitzSimons said. “The All Blacks just looked a bit old and slow.”

Earlier this week, the Sydney Daily Telegraph poked fun at the “Old Blacks” by manipulating photos of Williams, skipper Kieran Read (33) and Sam Whitelock (30) to make them look like elderly men.

Williams responded by saying he had faith in the senior players to win the match in Auckland and retain the annual Bledisloe Cup, which Australia have not won since 2002.

“Australia are coming, we know that, but we’re hungry to keep that Bledisloe as well -- so don’t forget that,” he said.

Another Australian triumph would also mark the first time since 2011 that the All Blacks have lost two matches in a row and, after their recent draw with South Africa, it would be the first time in 260 Tests since 1998 they have gone three successive matches without a win.

Wallabies’ coach Michael Cheika has stuck with his winning formula from Sydney a week ago, while the All Blacks are still tinkering with their preferred line-up. Read cut a stern figure as he led the All Blacks through the captain’s run pre-game training session on Friday.

Referring to his “prickly nature”, the All Blacks skipper said: “If you don’t do that you’re not going to get a response.

“It’s a do-or-die game... it’s our discipline and our ability to defend early that’s going to be key. They put pressure on us through that last week so we have to respond.” Coach Steve Hansen, who will be marking his 100th Test in charge of the All Blacks, has been emphatic in spelling out his priorities with the World Cup number one and then the Bledisloe, which he suggested was a learning exercise. “They’re going to test our resolve to step up to the plate and we’ll learn a lot out of it and march on to the next occasion,” he said.

The Wallabies have not won at Eden Park in 18 games over the past 33 years, a dismal statistic which coach Michael Cheika has turned into a challenge.

“There’s no point in hiding from it,” he said.

“We know that that’s a big challenge but if you want to make change, one person has got to say, ‘Okay, this is going to change’. Then the next person will join in and the next person will join in.

“You’re allowed to understand the history of the event and also the game, the trophy and also the venue, to make it ultra-important.” Despite being outplayed last week, Hansen has insisted the situation was like 2015 when the All Blacks were well beaten in Sydney and bounced back with a five-tries-to-one victory in Auckland.

Australia, however, made sweeping changes to their line-up between the Tests four years ago while Cheika this time has made only one, with Adam Coleman in for the injured Rory Arnold.

Hansen has made five changes including the axing of the battle-hardened Ben Smith, Owen Franks and Rieko Ioane.

He used the word “dumped” but also said that with an eye on the World Cup they would probably have been rested anyway to see how replacement wings George Bridge and Sevu Reece, along with prop Nepo Laulala, handle a pressure game.

The Wallabies last beat the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2001, when they sneaked home 24-23 in Dunedin.

Agence France-Presse