By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia have not had back-to-back wins for nearly a year, leaving fans frustrated and the Wallabies coaches scratching their heads in the lead-up to a crunch Rugby Championship test against New Zealand.
Since being overhauled 2-1 in the July series against England, the Wallabies have followed up promising wins with deflating losses against both Argentina and South Africa to slip to a record low of eighth in the world rankings.
Forwards coach Dan McKellar said Wallabies staff had conducted a thorough review since this month’s 24-8 thrashing by the Springboks in Sydney but he struggled to explain his team’s oscillating form.
“We’ve looked closely at our preparation, our individual preparation, what’s our routine, what’s our schedule,” he told reporters.
“We’re still a pretty young group in a lot of areas.
“I can’t sit here and give you one thing, one silver bullet. But it’s something that if you want to win a Bledisloe Cup or a Rugby Championship, someone’s going to have go back-to-back over the next couple of weeks.”
While Australia head into Thursday’s match in Melbourne pledging to do better, the All Blacks should be buoyed after a 53-3 demolition of Argentina in Hamilton.
The bonus-point win put them top of the Rugby Championship table on 11 points, two more than South Africa, Australia and Argentina.
All teams have won two out of four matches and have a chance to win the title.
The Wallabies-All Blacks match also doubles as the first of two tests in the Bledisloe Cup, the annual series contested by the trans-Tasman nations.
New Zealand have won every Bledisloe Cup since claiming back the trophy in 2003. As holders, they would need to lose twice to give it up to the Wallabies.
McKellar, in his second year on the Wallabies staff under Dave Rennie, played down the long losing record as a factor in his preparations.
“I don’t find it too unique, to be honest,” he said of the challenge of ending New Zealand’s winning streak.
“To me, from a Super Rugby point of view, it’s like preparing to play the Crusaders or the Blues. They’re high quality sides, they all play pretty similar,” he added.
“Obviously, test footy, there’s a little bit less time, a little bit less space.
“We’ll know that we’ll need to finish this game (as) in the last 20 minutes is where it will be won and lost.
“It’s pretty similar to other oppositions that I’ve coached (against) from New Zealand in the past.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Ed Osmond)
