‘They’re not quite right’: New Zealand blames Australia for All Blacks’ recent struggles
It has never taken much for New Zealand to ridicule the Wallabies but Australia's national rugby union team is now being blamed for the All Blacks' stuttering displays less than a year out from the World Cup.
Key points:
- The All Blacks recorded three convincing wins over the Wallabies this year
- The Wallabies have won only four of 12 Tests so far in 2018
- The All Blacks' loss to Ireland has been described as a "failure" and a "disaster" in New Zealand
New Zealand's rugby community is delving into a period of deep introspection in the wake of the All Blacks' 16-9 defeat to Irealand in Dublin last Sunday (AEDT), a result which followed a narrow escape the previous weekend against England.
The All Blacks had snuck home 16-15 at Twickenham, but the finger of blame for their recent performances has been squarely pointed at the Wallabies because of their struggles on the international stage.
The Wallabies have won only four of 12 Tests so far in 2018, a return that includes three comprehensive defeats to the All Blacks, who have claimed the last two World Cups.
A 38-13 triumph in Sydney was followed by a 40-12 scoreline in Auckland during the Rugby Championship, before the All Blacks added a 37-20 victory over the Wallabies in the third Bledisloe Cup encounter in Yokohama last month.
The dominance over Australia has been apparent in Super Rugby as well, as illustrated by the 40-match winning streak New Zealand teams enjoyed against their trans-Tasman opponents until earlier this year.
New Zealand considers the Wallabies, who it plays more regularly than any other international team, as too weak to adequately prepare for the likes of Ireland, England and South Africa, who it lost to 36-34 in Wellington during the Rugby Championship.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has regularly offered faint praise to the Wallabies but he now believes they are hindering his side in the build-up to their World Cup defence in Japan next year.
"There is definitely something missing because they [Wallabies] are not quite right and are not performing to the level they can," Hansen said in Rome ahead of the All Blacks' Test against Italy this weekend.
New Zealand's rugby media has also not held back from laying the boot into the Michael Cheika-coached Wallabies, who sit at a lowly sixth on World Rugby's official rankings.
Amid headlines across the Tasman that referred to the All Blacks' "failure" and "disaster" in Dublin, prominent journalist Gregor Paul took aim at the performances of the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup, which New Zealand has held since 2003.
"It's starting to feel like New Zealand have been living in a false economy and the weakest currency is the Bledisloe Cup," Paul wrote this week in the New Zealand Herald.
Hansen clearly does not consider the Wallabies a threat at the World Cup, highlighting the Northern Hemisphere powerhouses and the Springboks as the teams to watch out for in Japan.
"The more we play teams like South Africa, Ireland and England, France, which we have done this year, it is good for us," Hansen said.
"We have had a bit of a preview so to speak."
The Wallabies, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to beat England at Twickenham on Sunday (AEDT), a team they have beaten in their past five matches.
A 26-7 win over Italy in Padova last weekend has done little to raise the confidence of the Wallabies, who have been hit by a gastro bug in the lead-up to the England Test.
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