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Bedisloe Cup

Rugby Union's Bledisloe Cup is contested by the Australia national rugby union team and New Zealand national rugby union team. It is named after Lord Bledisloe, the former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy in 1931.

Once played irregularly every few years, Bledisloe Cup matches now happen annually, and include Tri Nations fixtures between the two sides. Their World Cup fixtures do not count as Bledisloe Cup matches, which were always played in Australia or New Zealand. However, 2008 saw a Bledisloe Cup match held outside the two countries for the first time when the teams met in Hong Kong, and a 2009 Bledisloe Cup match was played in Tokyo.

The trophy was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac, and crafted by Walker and Hall in London. It is the largest trophy in world rugby. The event has struggled to attract crowds in neutral venues.

Tri Nations (rugby union)

The Tri-Nations (rugby union) is an annual rugby competition between New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The prize for the winning team is the Tri Nations Trophy. The team that wins the tri-nations competition is usually considered to be the best rugby union team in the Southern Hemisphere for that year.

The tri-nations contest begins in July, which is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Each team plays the two other teams three times. Nine games are played in total. Teams are awarded competition points for a win, but can also earn 'bonus' points. At the end of the series, the team with the most competition points wins the trophy.

Match Preview

Tri-Nations 2011 Preview: New Zealand v Australia

The All Blacks and Wallabies are preparing for a no-holds barred showdown in their Tri-Nations clash in Auckland on Saturday against the backdrop of the looming World Cup.

The top two teams in the world are both sides coming off solid bonus point wins against a hapless Springboks combination for what Wallabies coach Robbie Deans predicts will be an “epic” battle.

“There will be a lot of rugby played. Neither side is going to walk off the ground without having chanced their arm… they’ll do that because neither side wants to become second,” he said.

At stake is the Bledisloe Cup, the trophy bitterly contested between the All Blacks and Wallabies annually, and the important opportunity to take a psychological advantage into the World Cup, which starts here next month.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said he was aware that history shows the All Blacks’ performance in the Tri-Nations “doesn’t count for a lot” at World Cup time but admitted it was hard not to think ahead.

“We’d love to have a good performance here. The last time in New Zealand before the World Cup and obviously at this stadium there’s a little bit of that and we’re pretty keen to go out and have a good performance.”

Eden Park, also the venue for the World Cup final, is the All Blacks fortress where they have not lost for 17 years. The Wallabies last won there 25 years ago.

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“If you give them free reign, whereby you give them the ball with plenty of time to play with off kicks, they’ve got quality players who can construct something from nothing.

“From our point of view we’ll have to make sure we kick the ball out or make it as contestable as possible.

Key Battle: Dan Carter v Quade Cooper. The world’s premier flyhalves meet again less than a month after their encounter in the Super Rugby final.

Carter won the battle with an accomplished individual performance, but Cooper won the war as his Reds walked away with the silverware. Will this be the case again on Saturday?

Last Meeting: Wallabies 26-24 All Blacks (Hong Kong).

Referee: Craig Joubert.

Prediction: That the Wallabies have a great chance of breaking their Auckland hoodoo is undeniable. They have a confident, exuberant side full of flair and will be fresh after their bye.

However, they will come up against the most experienced Test side in history at fortress Eden Park. The seven changes to the All Blacks side should not hamper the hosts too much with four of them being first-choice players.

For them, this clash will be great preparation for the World Cup and much will be read into their performance and the outcome of this epic encounter.

It has all the makings of a classic, and if the Wallabies are able to pull off an upset – at the very venue that will host the World Cup final – they will deliver a major psychological blow to the All Blacks exactly a month before the start of the global spectacle.

Like the upcoming World Cup, this match is the All Blacks’ to lose and we believe they will rise to the occasion and retain the Bledisloe Cup with an 11-point win.

Saturday 6 August: All Blacks v Wallabies, Auckland (09:35)

All Blacks: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Sonny Bill Williams.

Wallabies: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.

Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Pek Cowan, 18 Dan Vickerman, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Anthony Faingaa, 22 Lachie Turner

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