Bledisloe Cup 2021: Australia Wallabies v New Zealand All Blacks – Rugby Championship live! | Sport

5 mins: Good kick from Barrett, solid lineout, powerful maul, the All Blacks are rumbling… Barrett improvises, kicking long crossfield from right to left. Ioane gathers and passes back inside in one motion, but Australia win the breakdown. Play is recalled for an earlier NZ penalty. The kick to the corner results in another safe lineout and rolling maul – but Australia gain some traction and the ABs end up spinning their wheels in the right corner until the penalty is awarded to the Wallabies. A welcome win for the home pack – Swain in particular earning plenty of credit.

4 mins: No try. Play has been called back for an offside gold jersey at the ruck that Kerevi just careered through. Major warning for the Kiwi defence.

4 mins: The All Blacks keep things short for a few phases until B Barrett chips to the right corner. The Wallabies collect safely and dig their way out of congestion – and then they explode! Welcome back Samu Kerevi! He blasts his way through the breakdown and 30m beyond halfway. Koroibete is on his inside shoulder and accepts the well-timed pass to power the remaining metres to the line… but does he touch down? Stacks for the TMO to look at it with the grounding, offside in the build-up, and maybe a forward pass too – but that could be the opening try…

3 mins: The set-piece has not started well for the Wallabies. After the lineout was stolen the first scrum feed – for New Zealand – ends with a penalty in their favour.

2 mins: It is unfamiliar, but not unwelcome to watch a Test in such sunny conditions. Australia’s newish gold jerseys really sparkle in the Perth light. They don’t help with set pieces though as Fainga’a misses his first lineout throw after the All Blacks were happy to kick possession away early after the kick-off.

Australia drop the ball on the centre spot and Bledisloe III is underway!

Lots of stares at the end of the haka. There’s going to be plenty of feeling in this one.

Rugby does pageantry well. Even in broad daylight the welcome to country and anthems were a terrific spectacle. And now a haka; we are being spoiled.

The more experienced skipper Michael Hooper jogs out with his gold shirted troops following behind.

Both XVs assemble for the welcome to country and national anthems.

Dave Rennie has spoken to the TV guys and mentioned there’s been a focus on starting well after half-time, and avoiding the costly 10-15 minute drop-offs. Other key words include brutality, accuracy, and foot-on-the-throat. The Wallabies are grumpy.

There’s just enough time left to whet your appetites with Bret Harris’ scene-setter.

It is bee-yuuuuuu-di-full in Western Australia right now. This match will be played beneath a cloudless sky in temperatures around 20C. There is a whisper of breeze, but nothing like the Eden Park gales. No excuses.

Nic White was mic’d up during the warm-ups, and the major takeaway – through deep breaths – was the Wallabies are keen not to make mistakes this afternoon and avoid inviting pressure upon themselves, as they did in Auckland.

In the history books this fixture will appear as a straightforward third Bledisloe Cup fixture, but plenty has gone on behind the scenes since game two, and it has left Rugby Australia furious.

Don has logged on from beautiful Dubbo, eager for the action to get underway. “Waiting for the game today reminds me of being at school and being told by the teacher to come to his office after the class. It meant a sure caning was ahead. The time passing was worse than the actual punishment. Fortunately times have changed and Australians are only caned in rugby these days.”

Thanks Don, although I am now slightly concerned you may have PTSD.

Ian Foster has been forced into three childbirth-related changes, and select a new skipper, but the All Blacks XV retains a formidable look.

There’s only one alteration to the pack with Scott Barrett replacing Samuel Whitelock in the second row. In the captain’s absence Ardie Savea will lead his country for the first time.

It’s a revamped backline with Brad Weber getting the nod over TJ Perenara as Aaron Smith’s understudy, while Beauden Barrett is the impossibly good replacement for Richie Mo’unga at five-eighth.

Behind them there’s further reshuffling with Anton Lienert-Brown‘s return from injury at centre shifting Rieko Ioane to the left wing in place of Sevu Reece. While at fullback Jordie Barrett starts ahead of Damian McKenzie.

“We are ready, and the team is really determined to finish off this block of Tests against Australia with a top performance,” Foster said. “We’ve had a really unique situation going into this Test, with quarantine back in New Zealand and a ‘soft’ quarantine here in Perth, but the work that has gone in preparing the players has been outstanding, so when the whistle goes on Sunday, we’ll be ready.”

Following the mauling in Auckland Dave Rennie has resisted the urge to make wholesale changes. There’s only one alteration to the pack with hooker Folau Fainga’a making it an all-Brumbies front row while Brandon Paenga-Amosa nurses a neck injury.

In the backs the only changes are in the centres, which has been a problem area for Australia in recent Tests. Samu Kerevi is a significant recall and he features for the first time in two years alongside Len Ikitau. Matt To’omua’s in-out run continues with an out, while Hunter Paisami is attending the birth of his child.

“We were really disappointed with the last outing; we sort of played pretty well in the first 40 minutes but you can’t give up soft points to the All Blacks and we got hurt from it,” Rennie said during the week. “We’re a lot better side than that scoreline suggested so we’re keen for a positive response.”