Wallabies set to face Eden Park demons twice in seven days

Rugby Australia have moved to thaw a frosty relationship with New Zealand Rugby by agreeing in principle to change the Bledisloe Cup schedule and, in all likelihood, play the All Blacks at Eden Park twice in seven days.

But whether Australia host a Bledisloe Cup fixture in Perth later this month, as scheduled, could be in the hands of the AFL.

The latest COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne - and subsequent closure of the Trans-Tasman travel bubble - has thrown the schedule for the three-Test series into chaos, leaving powerbrokers on both sides of the Tasman with little choice but to thrash out alternative plans.

As of Monday, just five days out from the Bledisloe Cup opener in Auckland on Saturday, nothing firm had been agreed by Rugby Australia and NZR over the full schedule, reflecting the tensions between the two countries in recent years.

The original schedule has the series slated to begin in Auckland on Saturday, shift to Perth on August 21 and finish in Wellington one week later. But that is becoming increasingly unlikely, as the New Zealand government have refused to approve exemptions which would allow both the Wallabies and All Blacks squads to travel from Auckland to Perth and back to Wellington without quarantine.

Sources with knowledge of the situation have told the Herald RA and NZR have agreed to play back-to-back Tests in New Zealand on August 7 and August 14 - likely at Eden Park - should the New Zealand government’s stance on exemptions stay resolute.

Dave Rennie at Wallabies training in Auckland.Credit:Andrew Phan/Wallabies media

Eden Park will host Saturday’s first Test, and a beer festival at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on August 14 leaves NZR with few alternatives but to remain in Auckland for the second Test.

But two games at Eden Park - a venue where the Wallabies have not beaten New Zealand since 1986 - would mean Australia must make history to even stay alive in the Bledisloe Cup series.

The other option being considered by NZR is playing the second Test on Sunday, August 15, given Rugby Australia have also indicated they’re prepared to push the Perth Test back to August 28.

Playing the third and final Test on the 28th is dependent on the AFL, who have first rights to Optus Stadium that weekend. Though it is currently not booked, given that date falls in the bye between the end of the regular season and the finals, the AFL have the ability to claim the venue in the event of further COVID scheduling chaos.

Australia face the haka at Eden Park in a boomerang formation. Credit:Getty

Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Test on the 21st in Perth will have them transferred to the 28th. If they can’t attend the match on the 28th, they will receive a refund.

Considering many of the scheduling issues have arisen due to New Zealand’s inflexible border restrictions, playing two games at Eden Park and potentially moving the Perth Test are significant concessions from Rugby Australia.

But RA’s olive branch will boost their hand when it comes to negotiations to host the entire Rugby Championship in Australia later this year, and potentially even be a factor in talks about the format of Super Rugby next year.

While playing two Tests at Eden Park in seven days sounds like a death knell for Australia’s Bledisloe Cup hopes, Reece Hodge told reporters on Monday of the Wallabies’ desire to snap the 35-year losing streak at the All Blacks’ favourite stadium.

Reece Hodge wants to snap the drought in New Zealand.Credit:Andrew Phan/Wallabies media

“There’s no shying away from the fact that it’s been a long time since we had success there,” Hodge said. “We want to be the team, the 2021 squad, that changes it and breaks that hoodoo.”

Hodge wants Australia’s sports mad children to watch the Wallabies on Saturday like he watched the golden era in the early 2000s.

“I think I would have been about eight [when the Wallabies last won the Bledisloe Cup] and I’ve spoken a bit in the past about how lucky Al and myself were, being born in ’94, to grow up watching the golden era in Australian rugby,” Hodge said.

“There was a lot of success in the late 90s and early 2000s and ultimately, that’s what inspired me to want to pull on the gold jersey growing up.

“It’s not lost on us, how unique an opportunity it is for us to really inspire the next generation coming through now, who, watching back in Australia on Saturday night want to see an Australian win.

“Hopefully, we can be the team that inspires the next generation of athletes coming through that want to be Wallabies and successful Wallabies.”

Sam is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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