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'We believe': Why Wallabies are ready to upset 'beatable' All Blacks

Australian players (L) watch New Zealand players perform the haka before the Rugby Championship 2023 and Bledisloe Cup Test match between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG in Melbourne on July 29, 2023. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

After falling to a disastrous defeat in front of almost 84,000 fans at the MCG last weekend, the wounded Wallabies believe they can turn it around against a “beatable” All Blacks outfit.

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Australia, who lost star props Allan Alaalatoa and Taniela Tupou to injuries at the ‘G, couldn’t convert pressure into points as they succumbed to a 38-7 defeat.

It was the Wallabies’ third defeat in as many Tests under legendary coach Eddie Jones. They risk falling to an 0-4 record if they fail to beat the in-form All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday.

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Rugby fans and even bookmakers may have cast the Wallabies aside to practically near-impossible odds of a win, but the men in gold “believe” even if others don’t.

“We believe they’re beatable,” Wallaby Samu Kerevi told reporters. “They’re a class side and a great team but we believe in our gameplan, we believe in the squad and the talent that we have.

“We’ll go out there and put our best foot forward.

“Any team on any day can be beaten, we saw that at the last World Cup and even leading up to all these Test matches. We’ll just have to play our best game.

“You can’t let too much pressure off on a team like that and last week we just couldn’t do that well enough.”

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The Wallabies started their new era under coach Jones with a disastrous defeat at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria last month, before returning home to face Argentina at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium.

But, at least on the scoreboard, that wasn’t a successful outing either.

Playing against Los Pumas, who were coached by former Wallabies boss Michael Cheika, Australia shot out of the blocks with an early try to Len Ikitau.

But the star centre left the field shortly after with an injury – a blow that has ruled Ikitau out of both Bledisloe Cup Tests. The Wallabies failed to fill the void that Ikitau left – going on to lose a thriller.

Australia fell to another defeat in their third and final Rugby Championship fixture, with the All Blacks overcoming a valiant performance the Wallabies.

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But let the record show, as things stand, the Wallabies are 0-3 under coach Jones.

“After a few losses like that the team gets a bit hurt and gets a bit down but Eddie’s been so great in that space,” Kerevi added. “We understand it’s unacceptable to get those results.

“The way he’s come hard on us in terms of our own standards, building habits, and we can only do that through training. He’s been hard on us at training and it’s not just him, it’s more the squad and us being hard on each other.

“The byproduct of that will just be the results on the weekend.

“We play class sides every week, especially in this Rugby Championship. We’ve got Argentina, South Africa and the All Blacks of course. It’s always going to be a tough match for us but we’re looking forward to that and those challenges ahead.”

The All Blacks clash with the Wallabies at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium kicks off at 2.35 pm (NZST) on Saturday afternoon.

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Comments

12 Comments
m
mitch 471 days ago

Lot's of changes to the AB side so this is a good chance for the Wallabies. Shutting down DMac will be the task.

F
Former 471 days ago

If the Wallabies manage to be somewhat competitive they should be grateful. Of course they have to gee themselves up but at some stage the bluster and posturing wears pretty thin.....

A
Andrew 471 days ago

LOL They really are irrepressible, the Aussies. Remind me of the Black Knight in Monty Pythons Holy Grail who when relieved of all his limbs still spat defiance that he would bite his enemy to death.

B
Bruiser 471 days ago

To qualify as a legendary coach you have to actually win something. Talking a lot doesnt qualify you

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K
KB 34 minutes ago
France outwrestle All Blacks in titanic Test for one-point win

Im guessing you never lived in NZ under r dern and red commie labour

We were forced and in some cases mandated to take the V - I know of 7 people who D taking it and many with untold injuries - Minimium 12 K D in NZ taking it - it was never safe never effective never worked just Maimed and K'd qe were close to being thrown in Oz Govt MO Health have just recenty completed their c commission - they admit they never had the proveable data to make such outrageous statements and decisions & that the public will never accept it ever happening again Ardern is hated here ( 1 M patriots forced her out ) - bloomfield her side kick 2IC dr D excempted 11k from taking it - we (not u) know who they were the Pol and Public servants who knew they were fatal - A zeneca pulled it off the market due 2 excess D's - Japan banned them - called them stupid poison -

P M Shinzo Abe opposed the v and sent over a million doses back - because of that he was murdered - So were the heads of several African nations who also opposed the fake v they were k'd and their replacements allowed their countries to be swamped with them - C was V wasnt bought in fo C - C was bought in for the V

Im not here to talk politics but if want to I can all day especially to a RED neck commie like you - whats it going to be Rugby or Politics or mud slinging give me something to think about - surprise me with something meaty - not just word salad


52 Go to comments
K
KB 39 minutes ago
France outwrestle All Blacks in titanic Test for one-point win

Im guessing you never lived in NZ under r dern and red commie labour

We were forced and in some cases mandated to take the V - I know of 7 people who D taking it and many with untold injuries - Minimium 12 K D in NZ taking it - it was never safe never effective never worked just Maimed and K'd qe were close to being thrown into quarantine camps C was only a rebranded Flu


Oz Govt MOH have completed their c commission - they admit they never had the proveable data to make justify their statements and decisions & that the public will never accept it ever happening again - they fired rubber B into peaceful protestors Ardern is hated here ( 1 M patriots forced her out ) - bloomfield her side kick 2IC dr D excempted 11k from taking it - we (not u) know who they were the Pol and Public servants who knew they were fatal - A zeneca pulled it off the market due 2 excess D's - Japan banned them - called them stupid poison -

P M Shinzo Abe opposed the v and sent over a million doses back - because of that he was murdered - So were the heads of several African nations who also opposed the fake v they were k'd and their replacements allowed their countries to be swamped with them - C was V wasnt bought in fo C - C was bought in for the V

Im not here to talk politics but if u want to I can all day especially to a RED neck commie like you - whats it going to be Rugby or Politics or mud slinging give me something to think about - surprise me with something meaty - just not word salad


52 Go to comments
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