No10s Cruden, Cooper in line of fire

The two blokes wearing No10 will have targets as big as the stadium they are playing in as the Tri-Nations comes to a fittingly intriguing conclusion.

One will be the smallest man on the field, Aaron Cruden, a gutsy and skilled 21-year-old who will embark on possibly the toughest assignment in world rugby when he fills the shoes of Dan Carter at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

The other will be Quade Cooper, a Kiwi-born Wallaby on whom the Australians will pin so much of their hopes.

The ask for both is considerable.

Cruden must extend the All Blacks' winning run to 15 tests, complete the unprecedented six-game sweep of the Tri-Nations and heap further misery on Wallabies coach Robbie Deans by inflicting a record 10th straight loss on Australia.

Former All Blacks first five-eighth Stephen Donald could tell Cruden, "good is not good enough" when you are being compared to Carter.

If Israel Dagg or Victor Vito get butterflies before kickoff, Cruden's will be ten-fold.

For the first time he will be the All Blacks' rudder and Australia will target him with all they have.

Cruden's challenge will be to temper his natural instinct to attack the line and to ensure his kicking from hand is accurate enough and long enough to be effective.

Last time the sides met, Carter spent the night in Christchurch kicking behind the Wallabies wings and away from the defensive trap Deans had set in the backs.

Cruden's running game will not have escaped Australia's attention and the gaps will be smaller, the margins for error narrower and the results of a wrong option more costly.

Much will fall to second five-eighth Ma'a Nonu who will be Cruden's security blanket and wise counsel.

"He's got the licence to boss us around," Nonu said. "He's the little general out there controlling the game. He's a confident young man, he's got his first start. We'll be helping out where we can but at the same time it's not the same as Hurricanes."

Nonu's is a consistent message from the All Blacks camp. Cruden has been encouraged all week, but has never been given a babysitter.

His opposite faces an equally unenviable task. Cooper has been both lauded and decried all week. He is the brilliant saviour, the only Wallaby not scarred by their nine consecutive losses (largely because he has never played the All Blacks).

His less than impressive tackle statistics were laid bare in The Australian newspaper yesterday and there is no doubt the All Blacks will give him every chance to prove the critics right.

The pressure is considerable. Lose and the knives will come out again as the media further question the Wallabies and their coach's credentials.

Win and it will be evidence that the corner has been turned, back-to-back wins, the monkey off their back, the return on investment that John O'Neill has sold since Deans was appointed in 2008.

Australia are buoyed by their famous win in South Africa last weekend and the All Blacks were privately impressed by what they thought was a near-perfect first 40 minutes.

But while their attack has merit, the Wallabies have conceded 83 points in their last two games.

They are also a side that has faced a travel schedule that made them spend crucial days recovering from jet lag.

Don't be surprised if Cruden's All Blacks play this game at pace against their weary opponents and look to counterattack at any opportunity.

With openside Richie McCaw well rested and Victor Vito's athleticism on tap, Australia may struggle to keep up as the match wears on.

- © Fairfax NZ News