Wallabies turn to Meredith for Sydney Bledisloe return after Eden Park rout

Australia face New Zealand in the return Bledisloe Cup Test at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, 17 October, seven days after a heavy defeat in Auckland. The Bledisloe Cup — the annual trophy contested by the trans-Tasman rivals — is already decided. New Zealand retained it with a 50-19 victory at Eden Park on 10 October Reuters.

The Cup is gone. Pride is not. Australia are chasing a first win over the All Blacks in 12 attempts.

It was close for a half in Auckland. New Zealand led only 17-14 at the break. Then the All Blacks pulled clear with five tries after half-time to win 50-19 The Guardian. Hooker Josh Nasser grabbed a late consolation try for the Wallabies.

The numbers were stark. It was the ninth time Australia’s men’s XV have conceded 50 points or more in a Test. It stretched New Zealand’s unbeaten run at Eden Park to 54 Tests.

Wallabies coach Les Kiss has been forced into change at fly-half, the playmaker who directs the attack. Declan Meredith will wear the No. 10 shirt in Sydney, with 22-year-old Harry McLaughlin-Phillips set to make his international debut off the bench as Wallaby No. 1,001, the 1,001st player capped by Australia’s men.

Ben Donaldson is out with a quad injury. Tom Lynagh has a new knee issue and will also miss the Australia A tour of the United States. Carter Gordon remains sidelined.

Meredith, 27, knows how quickly fortunes turn. He was dropped in August after three Tests. He then played the final 13 minutes off the bench in Auckland. Now he gets the start.

New Zealand have made three changes to their starting side for Sydney. Four All Blacks players were earlier ruled out of the trip, adding to the rotation for the second Test.

Saturday is also a first for the venue. Accor Stadium will stage its first quadruple header. The Wallaroos, Australia’s women’s XV, meet Scotland before Australia’s sevens teams — the fast, seven-a-side version of the game — face Fiji’s men and New Zealand’s women. The men’s Wallabies v All Blacks Test is scheduled to kick off at 4:00pm AEDT.

For fans, this means a full day of international rugby with a familiar edge. Australia cannot win back the Cup. They can halt a long losing sequence and give a new fly-half pairing a home start against the toughest opposition in the sport.