Australia can make a fight of it in Bledisloe Cup dead rubber

Bledisloe Cup game three
Sky Sports Action 7am Saturday

New Zealand have already sewn up a 16th straight Bledisloe Cup with their two Rugby Championship successes over Australia but a competitive clash looks on the cards in Yokohama and the Wallabies are taken to stay within 17 points.

Forecast showers could take the edge off the All Blacks' electric attacking game and while their pack should be significantly stronger at the set-piece, their breakdown enforcer Sam Cane is sidelined and they are up against Michael Hooper and David Pocock, arguably the game's two best players around the tackle zone.

Australia's defensive structures have been porous this year and midfield injuries mean that Israel Folau joins Kurtley Beale in the centres. However, that switch may be a blessing in disguise as they will have more off-the-cuff magic closer to half-backs Will Genia and Bernard Foley.

Despite the wide-margin on the scoreboard, the Wallabies enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the first two trans-Tasman tussles and they ran amok in the second half of their Championship finale in Argentina.

Already crowned southern hemisphere kings again, New Zealand enjoyed a sensational comeback victory in their Championship closer but it will not have escaped the Aussies' attention how much joy South Africa had in the forward contact areas and with midfield runners at Loftus Versfeld.

The Wallabies won last year's Bledisloe Cup dead rubber in Brisbane 23-18 and when the extra contest has been held out of New Zealand in recent years, they have stayed within 13 points on five occasions including on a 2009 trip to Tokyo and two ventures to Hong Kong.

Recommendation
Australia +16
1pt 10-11 general

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