mens
international
Between the Les Kiss revolution and All black people‘ three-game losing streak, the 2026 edition of the Bledisloe Cup is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, putting Wallabies captain Harry Wilson in the rare position of having to dispel questions about the All Blacks’ edge in the rivalry.
The Wallabies last won the Bledisloe Cup in 2002, when Wilson was just two years old, Toby Maguire became Spider-Man for the first time and camera phones had just hit the market. The drought was long and the prospects were short for a long time.
But with the All Blacks keen to bounce back from a landmark defeat to the world champions Springboks, and the Wallabies eager to capitalize on a more recent win over the same opposition, the annual series has been breathed into new life. To what extent this has been felt in the Wallabies camp, however, is hard to gauge, with Wilson keeping a tight lid on expectations.
Asked at his captain’s media session at Eden Park on Friday if the All Blacks were vulnerable, Wilson refused to take the bait.
“We just have to fend for ourselves, mate. I won’t give them any more ammo,” he replied.
“We just want to go out there and play good football; we’ve prepared well, we feel we’re playing good football, and there’s a lot of confidence in this group. We’ve got an almighty Test here at Eden Park.”
Australia’s preparations for the recent victory South Africa she was aided by four grueling Tests against New Zealand in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, which offered an equally in-depth look at the Kiwis’ new game plan under Dave Rennie.
However, while the sample size is the same, Wilson says the Springboks’ preparation week and the All Blacks’ preparation week are two different beasts.
“The preparation was very different. With South Africa, we all know there’s a lot of set balls, high balls, and they haven’t played as much footy as New Zealand. Whereas we know there’s probably going to be a lot of long phases and the ball going one on one, and we’re preparing for that.
“We also understand that tomorrow night is going to be a really tough battle. But obviously it’s nice to see the four-game series in South Africa; I think it’s helped our preparation for them, and now we look at the series in a different light to see how it can help us against the All Blacks.
“South Africa painted some really good pictures which, if we can do it well, should help us tomorrow night.”
