Australia vs. New Zealand: 5 Key Battles in 2015 Rugby Championship Game

The Rugby Championship has reached its denouement already.

In just three rounds we are done and dusted this year as teams turn their attentions to World Cup preparations.

We end with a deciding rubber between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney. The two will meet again the following week to ensure they get a couple of Bledisloe Tests in, but this is the one that will settle the Rugby Championship silverware.

Both sides are unbeaten, with Australia pulling off a late win over South Africa before thumping Argentina, while the All Blacks put the Pumas to bed in Round 1 before snatching late victory in Johannesburg.

The All Blacks have certainly been the more impressive of the two so far, with Australia blowing hot and cold against the Boks, and racking up over 30 points over Argentina without ever looking like world-beaters.

Let’s have a look at the areas that should decide this Test.

When Australia traveled to Auckland last season, they got annihilated up front.

The All Blacks forced a penalty try through a collapsed scrum inside the first half-hour, and Australia were down to fourth-choice hooker James Hanson before half-time.

The Wallabies can ill afford to let their scrum get mauled in a similar fashion.

They already creaked against South Africa before the Boks emptied the bench and lost the initiative, and suffered against Argentina.

New Zealand don’t often marmalise sides in the tight set piece, but they did exactly that to their trans-Tasman rivals last season, and they will look to do so again in Sydney.

In Round 1, we saw Australia steal victory at the death for the second home game in a row against South Africa, then New Zealand did the same to the Boks with Richie McCaw’s clever try from a rehearsed lineout move.

Wind the clock back to last season and when they met in their final Bledisloe contest of the season, the game was again decided at its fag end.

The Wallabies were 22-12 up on 43 minutes and 25-15 up with 20 to go. But Malakai Fekitoa’s 80th-minute try hauled the Blacks to within a point, and Colin Slade’s conversion stole the match, per espn.co.uk.

These are two sides who know how to keep playing to the bitter end, and if it’s tight, we will see them pressing for that final opening.

The hoo-hah over Michael Hooper’s suspension is behind us, and whatever you think of the way that affair played out, it should mean we get to see the Aussie fetcher in action against Richie McCaw.

Australia are perhaps in something of a dilemma over their back-row composition after the performances of David Pocock alongside Hooper.

Pocock has impressed in the unconventional No. 8 role as well as on the open-side, and when the pair dovetailed against South Africa they caused havoc. It remains to be seen if coach Michael Cheika is bold enough to try the pair against the Blacks, with Scott Fardy’s abrasiveness backing them up on the blindside.

It’s a big gamble, given the quality of McCaw at No. 7 and Kieran Read at No. 8.

We are more likely to see the powerhouse No. 8 Wycliff Palu reintroduced after resting for the first two weeks.

Blindside is probably the biggest question mark in the Blacks back row, with Liam Messam not quite in top gear against South Africa.

As ever, if the Wallaby ground game is on the money, they can disrupt the pace New Zealand like to play at.

A poll on the New Zealand Herald website is currently being dominated by 49 per cent of the vote in favour of Steve Hansen playing his strongest starting 15 this weekend.

With just two Tests left before the World Cup, there may well be some merit in that. But what would that mean as far as the midfield is concerned?

So far, Sonny Bill Williams has been picked at No. 12 with Ma’a Nonu outside him in Week 1.

This was followed by the more familiar axis of Nonu at 12 and Conrad Smith at No. 13 in South Africa. Smith didn’t have his best game, whereas the Williams/Nonu combination looked full of threat and power against Argentina.

Hansen may well be leaning towards this pairing as his new first choice based on the evidence so far.

That being the case, it could see Williams come up against the returning Matt Giteau, recovered from the bumps and bruises he suffered in week one.

The Toulon man brings a lot of magic and intelligence to the No. 12 role, and can easily slot in at fly-half if required. But could he stand up to the direct lines of running posed by Williams and Nonu?

It will be a big test for Giteau’s defence if he is picked on Saturday. If he fails, it could put a big tick in the box for Sam Burgess to be picked when England play the Wallabies in the World Cup.

This is Michael Cheika’s first opportunity to test himself against Steve Hansen.

The former Leinster chief took over at the end of last season’s dismal Rugby Championship campaign and has been slowly trying to stamp his way of playing on the Australian side.

He is an innovative coach and may well have a few tricks up his sleeve to surprise the All Blacks with, but it is a tricky time to show all your cards, particularly with the tough pool Australia have in the World Cup.

Hansen knows his side should deal with their pool opponents without too much trouble, so he can keep his powder dry.

But Cheika’s side need confidence, and nothing would build that like a win over their neighbours. The battle in the coaching boxes should be an intriguing one.