The All Blacks sit poised to raise a century of Test rugby wins over Australia, but are taking nothing for granted.
Victory in Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney would be New Zealand’s 100th over Australia, the first nation to reach that mark against another.
The statistic is no major surprise given there have been more trans-Tasman Tests (146) than any other international rivalry. The next most wins on the list is 73, by England in its 127 Tests against Ireland.
However, the All Blacks’ grip on the Wallabies over the last decade has turned the relationship back into an increasingly one-sided one.
New Zealand have won nearly 68 per cent of their total Tests against Australia, the second-best record of teams who met more than 50 times.
Only New Zealand-France is more lopsided. The All Blacks have won 41 of 54 Tests against the French for a 76 per cent ratio.
New Zealand lock Sam Whitelock says 23 wins from 30 Wallabies Tests since the Bledisloe Cup was reclaimed in 2003 is no reason for undue confidence in this year’s three-match series.
The arrival of new Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie in place of Robbie Deans has him wary.
“You change the coach of any team, whether it be at under-fives, it provides them with something new,” he said.
“If you went in there thinking nothing’s going to change, you’d get egg on your face.”