Rugby Championship: Wallabies hope to make most of Wellington hoodoo

With New Zealand failing to win any of their last five Test matches in Wellington, Australia will be hoping to give the All Blacks more problems at the Cake Tin on Saturday.

The All Blacks have failed to win in Wellington in the last six years and, after pushing the Kiwis close in Sydney last week, Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies will head to New Zealand with hopes of causing an upset on the final weekend of the 2024 Rugby Championship.

. What: New Zealand v Australia
. Where: Sky Stadium, Wellington
. When: 17:05 (AEST), Saturday 28th September
. How to watch: Stan Sport
. Odds: New Zealand 1.05, Tie 41.00, Australia 9.00

Wallabies can take heart from Sydney

After a 67-27 thrashing at the hands of Argentina in their previous outing, Wallabies supporters heading to Accor Stadium would have been forgiven for being slightly nervous about their following game against New Zealand last weekend.

With Will Jordan scoring a great solo try just 90 seconds into the game, those nerves would have certainly been rising.

Tries in the ninth minute and the 15th saw the All Blacks pull clear and it looked like it could be a cricket score in Sydney.

However, unlike their performance in Santa Fe, the Wallabies showed resilience and made the most of some soft Kiwi defence before the break.

With New Zealand feeling the pressure their ill-discipline saw two players shown yellow cards and allowed Australia to get back to 31-28.

However, time was against Australia in the end and perhaps just a few more minutes on the board would have seen them pull off a famous victory.

All eyes on Wellington

From Sydney, it’s on to Sky Stadium in Wellington, as Australia look to finish their 2024 Rugby Championship on a high.

Schmidt will know his side can afford to give New Zealand a headstart like the one they enjoyed in Sydney and the Wallabies will have to be at it from the off on Saturday.

Australia, who are 9.00 to cause an upset in Wellington, looked strong from the set-piece and that’s where they will look to exploit weaknesses in the All Blacks defence.

Scott Robertson’s side were given a real scare in Sydney and that performance will certainly sharpen minds as these rivals prepare to renew hostilities this weekend.

On another day, if New Zealand had kept their foot on the gas, the All Blacks could have run away with the victory at Accor Stadium.

The Kiwis are heavy favourites once again to come out on top this weekend in Wellington, with the All Blacks available at 1.90 with -19.5 in the Line market.

This is a huge game on Saturday, not just for bragging rights, but a match to have a significant impact on how this 2024 Rugby Championship will be looked back on from both sides of the Tasman.