All Blacks

There is plenty of selection debate in a number of areas in the All Blacks team ahead of their first Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Wellington, and the most high profile comes at first receiver, with Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga battling for the role.

Mo’unga was the primary selection at 10 during the 2019 Rugby World Cup with Barrett at fullback, and it would be plausible for selectors to go with the Crusader again following a standout year in another Super Rugby title-winning season.

The match has an afternoon kickoff, and brings back memories of the last time a day time Bledisloe Cup clash was held in Wellington.

That fateful day in 2000 is hard to forget for New Zealand fans, with the image of Wallabies captain and lock John Eales kicking the winning penalty to keep the Bledisloe in Australia burnt into many retinas.

All Blacks centurion lock Sam Whitelock remembers it all too well.

One-test Tasman prop Tyrel Lomax, uncapped Canterbury utility forward Cullen Grace and uncapped Wellington midfielder Peter Umaga-Jensen have all been given the green light to play in round five of the Mitre 10 Cup.

Subsequently, it’s unlikely any of the trio will be available for the match against the Wallabies, with Grace set to play Manawatu on Friday, Umaga-Jensen expected to face off against Otago on Saturday, and Lomax scheduled to go up against Bay of Plenty on Sunday.

Not this time.

A new coach, new staff and 16 uncapped players in Dave Rennie's 44 man squad has left only the bravest of Wallabies fans giving the Australians a hope when the first Bledisloe Cup Test kicks off in Wellington on Sunday.

Some players may take the lack of confidence in the fresh-faced Wallabies personally. Not James Slipper.

He has endured enough defeats at the hands of the All Blacks - 14 in his 96 Tests - to admit the Wallabies "do not have a leg to stand on" when it comes to results when it counts against the Kiwis.

The draw was released this morning with the All Blacks set to play their last game (against Australia) on December 12th, meaning the players won't be home for christmas once they've undergone a two week quarantine.

New Zealand Rugby says the release of the schedule from Rugby Australia and SANZAAR is a change from original planning.

The All Blacks are scheduled to play Australia in Brisbane on Saturday 7 November and Argentina the following Saturday in Sydney on 14 November.

The All Blacks play Australia in two Bledisloe Cup matches in Wellington on October 11th and in Auckland the following week, the first rugby tests since the Six Nations was put on hold in late March due to the pandemic.

The training camp, in Whakatane, is the first opportunity All Blacks coach Ian Foster has had to work with the squad since naming it earlier this month.

The Wallabies are due to play the All Blacks in two Bledisloe Cup matches in New Zealand.

The Wallabies coach had complained about the lack of preparation time due to quarantine requirements.

Ardern told Morning Report the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield was happy for the team to train together while in quarantine.

Training will be allowed from day three and the full squad from day six.

The 25 year old will remain with the Crusaders and Northland during that time.

"It's an awesome opportunity. Of course, I love playing rugby in New Zealand. Love representing my province at home in Northland, playing for the Crusaders and whatever rugby I can for New Zealand. It's awesome," Goodhue said.

The midfielder joins fellow All Blacks Samuel Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuipulotu, Scott Barrett, Beauden Barrett and Anton Lienert-Brown in recommitting to the end of the next World Cup in France.

In the past, Aumua

The 23-year-old hooker has been recalled to the All Blacks in coach Ian Foster's first squad.

Aumua made two appearances for New Zealand off the bench in 2017, before he had played Super Rugby, but then the speedster who made an impact at the World Under 20 Championship that year couldn't push on with the national side.

The Wellingtonian, who has signed with the Hurricanes until the end of 2023, said he worked hard on and off the field in recent years with the aim of establishing himself as an All Black.