Bledisloe or bust for Wallabies in Tri-Nations opener

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SHOWS:

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 30, 2020) (QANTAS WALLABIES - NO RESALE)

1. WALLABIES SETTING UP FOR TEAM PHOTO

2. WALLABY FLYHALF NOAH LOLESIO POSING FOR PHOTO

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN WALLABIES CAPTAIN, MICHAEL HOOPER, SAYING:

"The group's always different every year. You know I'm not focused about history, I'm focused about tomorrow mate. And we got a really good opportunity at Sydney. We have a really good, exciting young team that's playing some pretty good footy. So we're looking to improve tomorrow. We will improve tomorrow night and we'll go from there."

4. WALLABIES WARMING UP ON PITCH

5. WALLABIES STRETCHING

6. VARIOUS OF WALLABIES TAKING PART IN PASSING DRILL

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN WALLABIES CAPTAIN, MICHAEL HOOPER, SAYING:

"We talked about being accurate a lot during the week so the way we kick the ball to our position. The way we were turned over through our own errors and the way the Kiwis put pressure on us last week and gave them the ball. You know gave them a lot of opportunity, which led to you know a bit like a butterfly effect of how things panned out there."

8. WALLABIES DOING SPRINTS

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN WALLABIES CAPTAIN, MICHAEL HOOPER, SAYING:

"Yeah I feel really happy for Dan. I do know Dan, he's a great bloke, he's a great Wallaby, great rugby player and now coach. So wishing him all the best and it was a very powerful column."

10. WALLABIES IN HUDDLE

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 30, 2020) (ALLBLACKS.COM - NO RESALE)

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS CAPTAIN SAM CANE, SAYING:

"Yeah look it wouldn't surprise me if they'd be doing a wee bit of tackling practice. Everyone knows your defence has got to be good to win Test matches. Look we're still confident that if we can hold onto the ball we can force them to make a lot of tackles and hopefully miss a few too."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 29, 2020) (ALLBLACKS.COM - NO RESALE)

12. ALL BLACK SAM WHITELOCK TACKLING AARON SMITH

13. ALL BLACKS TAKING PART IN TACKLING DRILL

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 30, 2020) (ALLBLACKS.COM - NO RESALE)

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS CAPTAIN SAM CANE, SAYING:

"Anyone who chucks that Wallabies jersey on they'll be going out there to put their best foot forward and they're quality young footballers. I think that most people who make a debut they're going out there and you think about it, most people who debut have a pretty good game because it's sort of the realisation of a dream. So look it will certainly be like any Test match, looking to put pressure on the guys that drive them around the park."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 29, 2020) (ALLBLACKS.COM - NO RESALE)

15. ALL BLACKS STRETCHING

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 30, 2020) (ALLBLACKS.COM - NO RESALE)

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND ALL BLACKS CAPTAIN SAM CANE, SAYING:

"Look mate the best way to unsettle them would be us as a forward pack do a quality job at set piece disrupting their ball, us getting set, getting off the line and taking away their time and space."

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (OCTOBER 29, 2020) (ALLBLACKS.COM - NO RESALE)

17. ALL BLACK CALEB CLARKE

18. ALL BLACK RUNNING

19. ALL BLACK RICHIE MO'UNGA PASSING BALL

STORY: The Tri-Nations kicks off on Saturday (October 31) when an inexperienced Australia host New Zealand in front of a 40,000 crowd at Sydney's Olympic Stadium but all eyes at will be on a much older prize -- the Bledisloe Cup.

A 16-16 draw in Wellington followed by a 27-7 All Blacks win in Auckland means the Bledisloe Cup series remains alive even if the Wallabies need to win the last two matches if they are to end New Zealand's 17-year grip on the trophy.

New Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is still enjoying his honeymoon period but injury has ended any question of his phasing in the transition to a new generation of playmakers.

Matt Toomua and James O'Connor have both been ruled out for Saturday and so flyhalf Noah Lolesio and inside centre Irae Simone will make their test debuts.

Rennie will also be looking for a much lower missed tackle count than at Eden Park and a strategy that avoids kicking the ball to New Zealand's back three, especially young left winger Caleb Clarke.

Ian Foster, also taking charge of his third test on Saturday, clearly believes he got his selection right at Eden Park and has made only three changes, one expected and two enforced, to his team.

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said he was happy for one-test Australia prop Dan Palmer after the former tighthead prop became the first Wallabies player to come out as gay.

Palmer wrote in a newspaper column on Friday (October 30) of mental health issues and drug problems while coming to terms with his sexuality.

While he said he had never felt discriminated against in the rugby environment, Palmer was motivated to come out after former Wallabies fullback Israel Folau triggered outrage with inflammatory posts on social media.

Palmer made his only test appearance for the Wallabies at tighthead prop against Scotland in 2012. He also had a stint with the New South Wales Waratahs and signed with a French side but walked away from the game after a serious injury.

(Production: James Redmayne)