Wallabies upbeat as test looms

BY MARC HINTON IN SYDNEY

One hoodoo down, one to go for the suddenly buoyant Wallabies.

That's the optimistic take from the Australian camp on Saturday night's Tri-Nations closer against the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium.

Having won their first game for 47 years on the highveld in South Africa last weekend in Bloemfontein, the Wallabies are clearly in a mood to knock one more monkey off their back.

So what better time to take on the All Blacks and look to halt a three-year, nine-test losing streak against the New Zealanders? What better time to exorcise a rather large black ghost that's been hovering over these Wallabies for a while now?

"Absolutely," said in-form centre Adam Ashley-Cooper today when asked if that losing streak at the All Blacks' hands had entered the Australian players' thinking this week. "It's in the mindset because of the special win we had in Bloemfontein.

"That was a hoodoo that was broken after 47 years, so if we can do that I think a nine or 10-game losing streak is possible."

How things change in just a few short weeks. Prior to Bledisloe II in Christchurch, the Wallabies didn't want to know about "the streak". This week they're picking it up and giving it a big cuddle. And even hinting at a possible momentum shift in the rivalry.

"Just a win in general against these blokes would be nice," added Ashley-Cooper as the Wallabies went through a "recovery" day in sunny Coogee. "It's important to build on the win we had against the Springboks and to break the hoodoo against these guys.

"It's going be a great challenge, but one we're really looking forward to. I feel the momentum has shifted with the Wallabies and things are hopefully going to come off."

Yes, we heard that right. These Wallabies sense the gap is closing against a side they've beaten only once - first up in Sydney back in 2008 - under the Robbie Deans watch.

"At this level it's a game of fine margins," added the 26-year-old utility back. "You just can't afford to make any errors, because one error can cost you the match. But we feel the gap's closing between us and the Kiwis.

"We've still got a long way to go and won't be getting too carried away with how we're compared to the Springboks or Kiwis. We're just worried about how we're performing and how we're improving."

Last week in Bloemfontein has assuredly done the Wallaby psyche wonders, though Kurtley Beale's last-minute penalty heroics to snatch an epic 41-39 victory did rather disguise the face that the Australians blew a 31-6 lead and were extremely lucky to get out of jail at the end.

Ashley-Cooper felt things had started to turn for the Australians as far back as Christchurch where the All Blacks were forced to absorb a lot of pressure en route to a hard-fought 20-10 victory.

"We took out a lot of belief out of that," said the Brumbies star. "We were happy with most of the performance, and it was just the result in the end that hurt us.

"We were able to front up against the Kiwis in their backyard in pretty tough conditions. We take a little bit out of that, but what we take the most out of is the win at the weekend against the Springboks."

Ashley-Cooper shrugged off the big ask his team faces this weekend of having to front a well-rested All Blacks side after back-to-back tests at altitude and the long haul back from South Africa.

"You don't worry about it," he said. "The more you worry about it the more you create doubt. You've just got to take what you're given."

The Wallaby midfield kingpin was full of respect for an All Black backline that he called "the best in the world" and wasn't expecting the promotion of Aaron Cruden for the laid-up Dan Carter to change things too much.

"Cruden is very talented and has played with the majority of  that backline. I'm sure he'll be very familiar with how things go. They might lose a little bit with Dan Carter's direction but Cruden is more than talented enough to fill those boots."

But Ashley-Cooper did confirm that the slight Manawatu rookie could be a target for the Wallaby ball-runners.

"You certainly prefer to run at the smaller blokes rather than bigger blokes so it could be a focus for us," he said.

Speaking of bigger blokes, Ashley-Cooper also acknowledged the distinct threat of Ma'a Nonu as an attacking presence.

"He attracts quite a few defenders, he's a big presence, is great with ball in hand and is very dominant and direct on attack. We've got to be on our game defensively through that midfield because he's very good at getting over that advantage line and presenting quick ball for their backs."

Nonu will be just one of the many challenges the Wallabies face this week. But it sounds like they're in the mood for giving it a real shake.

- © Fairfax NZ News