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All Blacks bracing for the Wallaby Chiefs

3 minute read

The All Blacks have been impressed by the Wallabies under new coach Dave Rennie and they're expecting another tough encounter on Saturday night in Sydney.

PATRICK TUIPULOTU.
PATRICK TUIPULOTU. Picture: Phil Walter/Getty Images

New Zealand lock Patrick Tuipulotu says his battered body has felt every bit of Dave Rennie's arrival as Wallabies coach.

New Zealand lead the four-match Bledisloe Cup series 1-0 after a win and a draw on home soil and they can wrap up the trophy with a victory in either Sydney on Saturday or Brisbane next weekend.

But Tuipulotu is wary of an outfit he believes has toughened up defensively under New Zealander Rennie.

"Physically it's more demanding this year and we've felt that in the first two games," he said.

"We felt it in the breakdown really hard; there was a lot more pressure on our lines, in the tackle area and carries were quite tough.

"After the last two weeks my body is telling me otherwise (that the Wallabies are soft) ... there's no such thing as soft men in a Test match."

All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree has been impressed but unsurprised by what the Wallabies have produced under Rennie, who transformed the Chiefs into one of Super Rugby's most consistent sides during a six-year stint that yielded two titles.

"I think their set piece has got better. They had a real crack at us at scrum time. Their line out is functioning well. They're aggressive defensively," he said.

"They use the ball with width and they've stretched us on many occasions out wide and we've had to scramble pretty hard in defence."

The Wallabies need back-to-back wins to claim their first Bledisloe Cup series win in 18 years.

But they've beaten NZ in two of the past three matches in Australia and boast a 70 per cent win rate at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, where the series will be decided if the Wallabies can win in Sydney.

"They're playing at home now so it's a whole different kettle of fish," Plumtree said.

"As an All Blacks side playing in Australia, we've already come out and said we understand what our record is like in Australia.

"It's always been a tough place for a NZ side to win and the weekend isn't going to be any different."

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